It’s the kind of resume that would normally get a hockey coach fired:



2017-18 | 7th (of eight) in the division, missed playoffs



2016-17 | 4th (of eight) in the division



2015-16 | 7th (of seven) in the division, missed playoffs



2014-15 | 4th (of five) in the division, missed playoffs



Yet for Ryan Huska, it got him promoted.



Despite just one playoff appearance (a first round exit in 2017) in four seasons behind the bench in the AHL, Huska was named to the NHL coaching staff last summer, joining newly hired Bill Peters.



While viewed through the traditional lens of wins and losses, it may not have looked like he had much success, sentiment from the Flames front office was quite the opposite. The organization was very pleased with how the club’s top prospects were developing under him.



“The record was somewhat irrelevant,” admitted general manager Brad Treliving. “The proof is in the...