Mangiapan brings an underdog mentality to the Calgary community

Fans in Calgary will now have another Flames connection as the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs make a rolling transition between the first and second rounds this weekend. Team Canada's roster for the 2024 IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship was announced Friday, and it includes stalwart winger Andrew Mangiapan.

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Beat the odds

Bolton, Ontario is a classic NHL neutral event. Undrafted in the OHL, Mangiapan made his way to the Barry Colts after impressing at the 16-year-old's offseason camp in Wasaga with several Colts coaching staff in attendance. The puck-hunting specialist has been called up to skate with the Colts and Peterborough Petes next in offseason camps.

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

Once hockey started, everything was easy. Manjiapane had 51 points with 24 goals and 27 assists in his first OHL season in 2013-2014. The following campaign, Andrew took his game to another level, scoring 104 points with 43 goals and 61 assists.

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

And the rest is history. Starting with Ryan Huska's Stockton Heat, Mangiapan worked his way from a ten-game stint with the Flames in 2017-2018 to the regular roster in 2019-2020.

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

Manj bread sticks

The Calgary Flames announced on April 17, 2024 that Andrew was nominated for the organization's King Clancy Memorial Cup. The award is given annually to an NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.

As the founder of Mange's Breadsticks, Andrew brings the sport of hockey to those who cannot afford the high cost of equipment, ice time and on-ice mentoring. Working with the Calgary Youth Centers, Mangiapana and her husband Claudia were able to raise matching funds for the Flames Foundation and the Italian Open Society of Calgary to launch the program in October 2023.

For more on Mange Breadsticks, Andrew shared his story and what the program means to him in a special on nhl.com on Friday.

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