Flames defenceman shares why he sat out the entire 2022-23 season

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Cooper Godin
August 10, 2023 (1:29 PM)

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Calgary Flames defenceman Oliver Kylington sat out the entire 2022-23 season for personal reasons, but thoughout the year remained in touch with then-General Manager Brad Treliving.

Kylington recently sat down for an interview with Hockeynews.se in Sweden and opened up about the reason why he decided to return home and not play for the Flames last year.

"It was a challenging year for me personally. Things that been going on in my family for a long time and it's been escalating for the worse. I've been suffering from mental health problems and been handling it like a lot of other people do, swept it under the rug and put the lid on. For me, that resulted in mental illness and it got really bad for me. The way I took care of my problems made me feel really bad." Kylington said.

The 26-year-old also went on to express how excited he is to be returning to Calgary this Fall for training camp and is looking forward to the 2023-24 season.

When asked how he was doing right now, Kylington said:

"Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. I feel great and it's fun to get started and I'm really looking forward to a new season. I've only felt commitment from the management in Calgary and my teammates and that helps for sure. It will be fun to get back to my everyday life. I have missed it very much."

Kylington took a huge step forward in his game during the 2021-22 season, putting up 31 points in 73 games and will be a big piece of the team's blue line this coming year.

All of us here at Blade Of Steel are glad to hear that Kylington is doing a lot better now and look forward to see him back on the ice in Calgary this Fall!