Joe Piskula has been the epitome of consistency with the Abbotsford Heat this season, and he was rewarded on Thursday afternoon when he was called up by the Calgary Flames.
The erstwhile Heat blueliner was summoned to replace Flames veteran Mark Giordano, who injured his hamstring in Tuesday's 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators.
Piskula, a steady stay-at-home defenceman who moves the puck efficiently, joined the Heat on an AHL contract in the fall of 2010. After a solid debut season in Abbotsford, he upgraded to a two-way NHL/AHL deal with the Flames over the summer.
This season, the 27-year-old Antigo, Wis. native posted one goal and three assists in 18 games with the Heat, to go with a +1 rating. It's worth noting that he's formed a solid chemistry over the past two seasons with fellow D-man T.J. Brodie, who was called up by the Flames in mid-November.
Earlier Thursday, the Flames sent a player the other way, assigning enforcer Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond to the Heat. The right winger, nicknamed PL3, led the AHL in penalty minutes last season, racking up 334 with the Albany Devils. He played three games with the Flames this fall, going pointless with 10 penalty minutes and a +1 rating.