Having missed more than a season-and-a-half dealing with his mental health, Kylington is back with with the Flames

Being on the ice with all of his teammates for the first time in 20 months felt normal for Oliver Kylington, yet at the same time monumental.

“I knew that this day was about to come so I was looking forward to it,” the Calgary Flames defenceman said after Monday’s practice at the Saddledome. “I just tried to really approach it as any other day but it was kind of hard. Yesterday I had a moment for myself. At one point in time, I didn’t think I was going to be here. It was kind of emotional, but in a good way. I was excited to come here today and see everyone and just share the ice with everyone and play hockey again.”

Amidst all of the pressure of trying to pull themselves into the playoff picture, the Flames receive a huge energy boost with Kylington officially back with the club.

Having been away since the end of the 2021-22 season while dealing with his mental health, Kylington has made a difficult journey. After missing all of last season, he had hoped to join the club when camp opened in September, and even did promotional work in the days leading up, but on reporting day, Kylington realized he needed to step back.

While working with doctors, he had been skating often with injured teammates before spending a couple of weeks with the AHL Wranglers, and played a pair of games, before joining the Flames.

Words of encouragement and a “welcome back” when he led the end-of-practice stretch were heard throughout the session.

"I felt good. It's fun to see everyone again and it was fun to share the ice with everyone. I felt good,” Kylington said.

“You feel the love,” he added. “I’ve been playing with a lot of guys in this dressing room for a long time. You build the relationships and you care for each other. You feel that for sure. Just good love. I appreciate that.”

There was a noticeable lift in the room surrounding Kylington.

“It was great. It was awesome,” captain Mikael Backlund said. “We’re really excited for him, that he turned a corner this fall, and starting to feel better and closer to return. It was great to see him out there today.

“He was a pretty positive guy at the rink the whole time before he came out that he was struggling. But today, the last couple of days, it’s the most excited I’ve seen him in a while.”

Co-incidentally, Kylington’s return is at the same time forward Dillon Dube has left the team indefinitely while dealing with his own mental health issues.

Fortunately, Dube has an organization and a team full of buddies who have been part of one person’s recovery, and now well prepared to lend whatever help is needed.

“If he wants to go for a coffee, wants to go for a beer, wants to go for dinner, needs someone to tuck him in or hang out with him … anyone in here, if someone calls someone, they’d get up and go over and help them right away,” defenceman Chris Tanev said. “That’s a great thing about this organization.”

As for when the smooth-skating Kylington will actually play, that is dependant on many factors.

Obviously, the key will be how Kylington, who netted nine goals and 31 points in 73 games during the 2021-22 campaign, feels, but also when he is ready to jump into the fray of the NHL.

“No timeline, but the way he looked today, he looks like he hasn’t missed a beat on the ice in practice,” coach Ryan Huska said.

“We have to feel he’s ready to help our team, as well. That’s something. So, he works towards becoming a coach’s decision and that’s what he’s doing with this next step.”