He's back from the Calgary Flames, with a list of areas to improve as he goes about the 2018-19 season with the Prince Albert Raiders.

The undrafted southeast product, Brayden Pachal attended the Flames' development, rookie and main camps as an invitee, and was returned from the latter last month after talks with an enthusiastic coaching staff.

"It was an amazing experience, when you go to a camp like that with all the great hockey minds...you just try to act like a sponge just soak everything in," said the 19 year old defenceman, "I definitely learned a lot, and it was a great experience for me coming back to PA."

He added that, whether drafted or an invitee, brand new or having a few NHL games under them, the players were all put on the same level at tryouts.

Before he returned to Saskatchewan, the coaches gave him several items to work on as the season progresses.

"When you get to the pro game, a lot of the plays that you make are small area plays. There's not many long stretch passes, it's all kind of quick puck movement and always moving your feet. They emphasized that small area stuff, sometimes less is more, just moving the puck up to your forwards and letting them do the work, then trying to join in the rush to be that fourth man."

Pachal has made a name for himself as a physical, give-no-quarter defenceman, a strength that caught the management's attention in the first place.

"They talked about how they like the way I play, that they know that every night I'm going to bring that competitiveness and hard-nosed play. They said that they like knowing what they're going to get out of me each and every night, they like the way I skate, but it's just the little things that'll help me get a jump to the pro level."

There were also a few surprises for the young man when he donned the red jersey for his first rookie game with Calgary.

"You don't have the time and space that you do in the WHL. Everything comes at you quick and you've got to make your decisions quick. I think that was a little bit of a surprise to me, but at the same time I think I saw it coming. The pro game is a lot different than junior and it was a good experience for me to be able to play it."

The hockey world was sent abuzz by the play of Dillon Dube and Juuso Valimaki throughout the rookie tournament, both players that Pachal faced in the WHL and spent time with in Calgary. The pair have since cracked the roster.

"I've been kind of following the Flames a little bit after...I got to know them pretty well at camp, and good for them."

Pachal wears the Captain's 'C' this year for the Prince Albert Raiders, who have racked up a 5-0 record as of writing.

"I think this year we're going to be a good team...I think (the record) gives us the respect we deserve. You don't win championships after the first five games, but we definitely made a little bit of a splash in the league. For me personally, I'm just trying to help the team win every night, I'm going to be playing against the top lines each and every night and I'm going to make it hard for them to play. Whatever it takes to help this team win, I think we have a chance this year."

He'll also be joined in the Raider's uniform by Montreal Canadiens drafted prospect and fellow southeast native, Cole Fonstad.