Phillips racks up points for the Flames farm club

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As long as their schedules don’t overlap, Matthew Phillips usually tunes into every Calgary Flames game.

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You can bet that lately, whenever talk on TV turns to the Flames’ woes as secondary scorers, the 23-year-old farmer-clubber starts to squirm a bit.

Offense happens to be his specialty. Phillips is currently averaging north of a point per game for the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat as the tiny winger continues to wait and work for the opportunity to show off his skills on the biggest stage.

“I just see a guy who doesn’t want to be turned down,” Heat head coach Mitch Love praised. “He plays his best hockey when something is at stake. When we lose hockey games, often the next night, Matt Phillips is one of our best players, and that shows you how competitive he is and how point he grew as a young professional, in terms of leadership qualities. He’s a quiet leader but, man, for a guy who’s about 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, he goes to the real crusty areas of a hockey rink to try and help his team win and that’s it. is contagious in your squad when a guy like that does that, especially when he’s one of your best players and one of your best scorers. And that’s something he brings every night.

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“Touch wood, it’s very rare to have a night where I walk away from the rink and think, ‘Oh man, Matt Phillips didn’t bring it tonight.’ ”

Phillips, like all Stockton skaters, is hoping for that call from the Saddledome brass – “Hey, bring your gear to Calgary.”

He fulfilled his childhood dream when he donned the Flaming C for the regular season finale last spring, but it remains his only appearance at the top level.

Some think Phillips — listed, perhaps a little generously, by the Heat at 5-foot-8, 165 pounds — is too small to be an effective NHL player. And maybe they are right.

The Calgary-raised right-winger, a graduate of Bow Valley Minor Hockey and the Midget-AAA Buffaloes, is just aiming for a chance to prove them wrong.

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“It’s something I’ve been working on forever since I put on skates, pretty much,” Phillips said earlier this season. “But it’s something you don’t want to think about too much.” You just want to show up every day whether you’re in Stockton or with the Flames and just try to be your best every day and get to the next level and be the best player you can be and let the chips falls.

“It’s just knowing that you’re working to be the next call-up and showing up every day and showing you can play in the NHL, showing your details are good. For a guy like me, I’m looked at creating offense and maybe trying to score goals and stuff like that, but I think showing that your details are NHL caliber every day is what makes you really helps take it to the next level. And just try not to think about it too much and help the team win games.

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The fourth-year professional certainly played a major role in Stockton’s rise to the top of the AHL’s Pacific Division standings. Although there has been a mix of wins and losses since the holiday break, the Baby Flames boast a stellar 22-7-3 record this season.

Phillips leads the team with 13 goals, including three winners. With 30 points, he is second only to rookie left winger Jakob Pelletier, his usual linemate.

While Phillips insists he doesn’t focus much on his numbers, offensive success seems to follow him everywhere.

He had a 50-goal campaign — and almost a second — in the Western Hockey League. He is now on the verge of scoring 50 career goals in the minors.

Phillips was shut out in a midweek loss to the San Diego Gulls but has scored on the scoresheet in eight of his last 10 tournaments.

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“It doesn’t matter what level you are at, if you can consistently create offense, it’s not an easy thing to do,” admitted Phillips. “And I think as the season gets deeper teams start to grab the top scorers and the matchups get harder and stuff. So it gets harder and harder as the year progresses. But if you’re in the top six and are seen as offensive, so it’s good when you can find a way to do that.

“It’s even better when it comes with all the wins and success for our team.”

The Heat, who are yet to drop two straight games this season, will host the Henderson Silver Knights this weekend in a straight set.

Which means Phillips will have to air the final episode of Alberta’s battle in the NHL on PVR. As he pushes for a call to join them, this farm forward treats any Flames game like a bonus video session.

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“I find it helps a lot when you look at these guys, especially with how our systems are modeled on what they do,” Phillips said. “What I’m always looking for is execution and how the guys within the system see the plays going and where they’re making their passes and how to relieve the pressure and all that. Because I think those things translate, and I find myself in similar positions throughout the games. And I also try to focus on power plays because you can learn a lot. Obviously Calgary has a lot of very talented guys up front and the way they distribute the puck on the power play, they’re good guys to watch and learn from.

BRING THE WARMTH

SCHEDULE TO COME

Friday – Henderson Silver Knights in the Heat

Saturday – Henderson Silver Knights at Heat

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January 29 — Ontario reigns in heat

WHO SHOT?

Tough winger Justin Kirkland shot six times during a stellar seven-game streak, including two goals in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the San Diego Gulls. The 25-year-old southpaw was one of the surprise stories of Flames training camp, getting a long look in a fourth-line role, and managed to maintain some of that momentum. He’s now nine notches this season, equaling his career-high at the AHL level, and is suddenly on pot 20 pace.

FAST FACT

For Johannes Kinnvall, the waiting game is almost over. It’s been two years since Kinnvall – an offensive-minded defenseman and potential power-play quarterback – signed with the Flames organization, but he skated last winter in the Swedish Hockey League and was sidelined since injuring his ankle at rookie camp on the fall. The 24-year-old has now been fully cleared and is set to make his debut for the Heat soon.

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson