Andrew Mangiapane Brings Underdog Mentality to the Calgary Community

As the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs make a rolling transition between round one and two over this weekend, fans out of Calgary now have one more Flames connection to follow. The Team Canada roster for the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World  Championship was announced on Friday and will include tenacious winger Andrew Mangiapane.

Meet the 2⃣2⃣ players who will wear the 🍁 at #MensWorlds!

Voici les 2⃣2⃣ joueurs qui arboreront la 🍁 au #MondialMasculin!

ROSTER ➡️ https://t.co/HQy8Z4G9u0
FORMATION ➡️ https://t.co/xKeCS8P10b pic.twitter.com/4sc9NxO0cu

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 3, 2024

Overcoming the Odds

Bolton, Ontario, is a classic underdog story in the NHL. Undrafted in the OHL, Mangiapane earned his way onto the Barrie Colts after impressing as a 16-year-old in a Wasaga offseason camp featuring several Colts coaching staff members. The puck retrieval specialist was invited to skate with both the Colts and Peterborough Petes the next time offseason camps rolled around.

Mangiapane quickly earned praise from Dale Hawerchuk, head coach of the Barrie Colts. After weighing his choices between NCAA eligibility and playing OHL hockey, Andrew signed with Barrie.

Things got easier once the hockey started. Mangiapane recorded 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points in his first OHL season in 2013-2014. In the following campaign, Andrew took his game to another level, recording 43 goals and 61 assists for 104 points.

Despite being a bit undersized (5-foot-10, 180 pounds), a triple-digit point total had Mangiapane in the picture when it came to the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The fearless winger was finally selected by the Calgary Flames with the 166th pick in the sixth round.

And the rest, they say, is history. Starting out on Ryan Huska’s Stockton Heat, Mangiapane worked his way from a ten-game cup of coffee with the Flames in 2017-2018 to a permanent roster spot in 2019-2020.

Over seven years of NHL experience, the now 28-year-old has recorded 109 goals and 106 assists for 215 points in 417 games. Andrew recorded 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points in 2023-2024.

Mange’s Breadsticks

The Calgary Flames announced on April 17, 2024, that Andrew was the organization’s King Clancy  Memorial Trophy nominee. An award presented annually to the NHL Player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.

As the founder of “Mange’s Breadsticks,” Andrew brings the sport of hockey to those who can’t afford the high costs of equipment, ice time, and on-ice mentorship. Working with Youth Centres of Calgary, Mangiapane, and his fiance Claudia were able to garner matching contributions from the Flames Foundation and the Calgary Italian Open Society to start the program in October 2023.

For more information on “Mange’s Breadsticks,” Andrew shared his story and wrote about what the program means to him on Friday in a special with nhl.com.

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(AP Photo/David Becker)

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