The Calgary Flames called up another top player from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, promoting captain Clark Bishop to the NHL.
Although the 28-year-old is no longer a prospect, with over 400 games in the AHL, he last played in the NHL on Feb. 15, 2022.
Historically, Bishop will become the fourth Flames player to wear No. 61, joining John Negrin, Brett Kulak, and the recently departed Walker Deuhr.
What else is there to learn about Bishop? Here are five interesting things to know about his hockey career.
Scored His First NHL Goal on John Gibson
Bishop made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes on Oct. 20, 2018, against the Anaheim Ducks. In a 4-1 win, he had Carolina’s first goal at 1:53 of the second period, tying the contest at 1-1.
His unassisted goal came against Ducks’ netminder John Gibson. Interestingly, at the time, Bishop’s first goal was the ninth first goal Gibson had given up.
Twenty players have beaten him for their first goals, including Bishop. Others are Clayton Keller, Miro Heiskanen, Owen Tippett, and Matthew Poitras.
Calder Cup Champion
Initially drafted by the Hurricanes in the fifth round (127th overall) in 2014, Bishop didn’t debut in the NHL until 2018-19, instead spending some time with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.
Related: NHL Power Rankings: Pacific Division (Jan. 21)
He split time between the Checkers and Hurricanes that season, scoring three goals and six points in 38 AHL regular season games before chipping in two and three points in 16 playoff games.
Besides making his NHL debut that year, he helped the Checkers win their first and only Calder Cup championship.
Leader at Every Level
Some people are natural-born leaders, and Bishop is no exception. At the time of his recall to the Flames, he was the Wranglers’ captain, his second leadership role in the AHL.
Previously, with the Checkers, he was an alternate captain in 2019-20, a step up from his days in the QMJHL with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
During his second season with the Screaming Eagles, Bishop was an alternate captain before being promoted to team captain for his final two years, 2014-15 and 2015-16.
One of 31 NHL Players From Newfoundland and Labrador
There’s no denying that Canada has produced the most NHL players of all time, including some of the greats.
Considering most of those players have come from Quebec and Ontario, it wouldn’t surprise…