‘Tonight, hopefully, is the first of many’: Flames call-up DeSimone logs NHL debut

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BELMONT PARK, N.Y. — One of Nick DeSimone’s biggest fans immediately hustled to catch a flight.

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As soon as Nick was able to confirm to loved ones that he would be in the Calgary Flames’ lineup for Monday’s matchup against the New York Islanders, his older brother Phil was on the move.

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Nick was about to log his NHL debut. Phil wasn’t going to miss it.

“I was in the OR, actually,” said Phil DeSimone, who also played professional puck before transitioning to a career in medical sales. “Thankfully, some of my teammates were able to cover the rest of my workday and I booked a flight, rushed home to change clothes and made it just in time.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I just said, ‘I have to be at this game, no matter what.’ ”

One of DeSimone’s best buddies, as it turned out, was also there to witness his first shifts at hockey’s highest level.

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The Flames summoned a pair of blue-liners — DeSimone and Dennis Gilbert — to join them for a three-game roadie that started Monday on Long Island. These two grew up together in the Buffalo area.

DeSimone, just a couple weeks shy of his 28th birthday, skated the customary solo lap during pre-game warm-up at UBS Arena. He was operating alongside Connor Mackey on the Flames’ third pairing.

“I’m so happy for him, obviously,” Gilbert beamed. “He’s definitely excited, but he’s a very level-headed guy, an older guy, mature, a leader. I’m sure he’s going to do great.”

DeSimone and Gilbert were first teammates with the Buffalo Junior Sabres, briefly lived together and typically work as defence partners during their summer spins. These pals have long spit-balled about the possibility of playing for the same pro organization, something that finally came to fruition in July when both signed contracts with the Flames.

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They’ve been working side-by-side this fall with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers and, at nearly midnight Saturday, received similar phone calls. They were each being recalled by the big club.

“They said, ‘We leave tomorrow so pack your bags,’ ” DeSimone said with a grin. “Last year, guys had to fly from California (when the Flames’ top affiliate club was located in Stockton). So I can’t complain at all.”

His big brother, Phil, wasn’t complaining either as he scrambled to arrange a flight from Buffalo to JFK.

Nick has been knocking at this door for five-plus years, ever since being signed by the San Jose Sharks as an undrafted free agent out of Union College.

While he earned several call-ups during his stint with the Sharks, he was never plugged into the lineup. The right-hander amassed more than 300 appearances in the minors — a tally that includes both regular-season and playoff dates — as he waited for this opportunity.

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DeSimone is now in his second winter in the Flames’ system. Proof they think highly of his character, he wears an ‘A’ for the Wranglers.

“Obviously, happy to be here. This is where you want to be,” said DeSimone after Monday’s morning skate at UBS Arena. “It means a lot. It’s awesome. It’s exciting. It’s why you play — to be in this locker-room. But at the end of the day, it’s still a business day. It’s a game day and this is a team that needs a win right now. That’s all you focus on.”

Defensive depth was supposed to be a strength for the 2022-23 Flames, although they have been stretched thin by a hat-trick of absences. Chris Tanev and Michael Stone are currently injured, while Oliver Kylington remains away from the team due to personal reasons. (The Flames also lost Juuso Valimaki, who was claimed on waivers by the Arizona Coyotes.)

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Next up on deck is Gilbert, who has so far totalled 25 nights of NHL know-how but hasn’t been spotted in ‘The Show’ in close to two years. The 26-year-old lefty was scratched against the Isles.

“I’ve gone through the call-up process a bunch over the last few years,” Gilbert said. “It’s just important to be someone who has a really good attitude and to bring positive energy to the team, change it up with a new face or whatever.

“And then when you get on the ice, just do what got you here — play simple, play hard, play the right way and play to your identity.”

As he tried to follow his trajectory in the minor-hockey ranks, Gilbert considered DeSimone to be something of a role model.

In recent years, it’s more been more of the reverse.

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“I still remember his first game in Chicago,” DeSimone said of his close buddy. “I think he’s played 20- or 30-some games in the NHL and I’ve tried to watch as many as I could. It was awesome watching him when he was in Chicago and in Colorado, and we talked through it all, every day. So it’s been pretty cool.”

Monday was going to be really, really cool.

This time, Gilbert was watching and DeSimone was living out his childhood dream.

“He’s been putting in the work and at every level, he’s had to prove himself,” said Phil, whose own playing resume included stops in the AHL, ECHL and pro leagues in Austria, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. “Tonight, hopefully, is the first of many games for him. Our whole family, we’re very excited for him. It’s been a long journey, but he’s had a great career so far and he can hopefully extend that in the NHL for a few years. We’re just overjoyed.”

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson