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FN Draft Profiles: Could Xavier Villeneuve bring even more offence to the Flames blue line?

Adrian Kiss — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:17 GMT

Defencemen have not necessarily been the focus in the NHL Draft since Craig Conroy took over as GM. With 24 total draft picks to his name, only seven of them have been defencemen.

This isn’t an issue by any means. The defencemen who have been picked are solid. Obviously, you have Zayne Parekh, who is just getting his feet wet, but then you also have top prospects like Henry Mews and Mace’o Phillips, who could be knocking at the door in the next couple of years.

The goal for this upcoming draft seems to be high-end forward talent and scoring. Depending on where the Flames pick in the first round will determine a lot of their draft strategy. If the high-scoring forwards aren’t available to them, they will need to look elsewhere.

Perhaps they can bolster their blue-line depth even more and solve some of the scoring problems. With that in mind, enter Xavier Villeneuve into the conversation.

Scouting report

Villeneuve hails from Laval, Quebec, and turned 18 years old last fall. Standing at five-foot-11 and weighing 157 pounds, Villeneuve is one of the smallest defensive prospects in this draft. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in just about every other category.

Tony Ferrari from The Hockey News raved about Villeneuve, saying:

“A gifted offensive defenseman who is among the most skilled playmakers in the draft. His vision and anticipation with the puck are excellent, allowing him to create offence from the back end. Villeneuve has some of the shiftiest mitts of any blueliners in the draft class, evading pressure at the top of the zone.”

Corey Pronman from The Athletic also had a lot of great things to say about Villeneuve, but with a bit more caution:

“He has excellent speed and edge work that allows him to evade a lot of pressure. His hands and vision are high-end, and he projects to score a ton in the NHL. He’s a small, light defenceman who doesn’t play the body, and his defense as a pro will be a significant question mark.”

While size — or lack thereof — always seems to be a major talking point among defencemen, Villeneuve has given reason to believe he could still be impactful on the back end. He is quick on loose pucks and uses his high hockey IQ to avoid being exposed in situations where size would normally be a factor.

After all, the Flames are all too familiar with this “too small” conversation. Johnny Gaudreau and Dustin Wolf come to mind when you think of players who have proven size doesn’t always matter.

The numbers

Villeneuve has spent the past three seasons with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the QMJHL. He’s put up very consistent numbers each season while still showing improvement.

His first season saw him record eight goals and 35 assists in 54 games. He followed that up with 12 goals and 50 assists the next season, which saw him rank second in points per game among all QMJHL defencemen at 1.02.

This year, he was on track to put up similar numbers once again. In his first 35 games of the season, Villeneuve had six goals and 30 assists before suffering an injury on Jan. 4 that saw him miss almost the entire rest of the regular season. In 12 games since returning from injury — 10 of which are playoff games — he has picked up right where he left off, scoring three goals and recording nine assists.

Availability and fit

NHL draft projections have Villeneuve going somewhere between the 15th-to-20th-overall range. With the injury he suffered and, of course, the size conversation, there is potential he could slip a few spots toward the end of the first round, but don’t expect him to drop much further than that.

With the Flames’ second first-round pick shaping up to fall within this range, there is a very good chance he is available when they make their selection.

Now the question is, do the Flames want another small, offensive defenceman who needs to see a lot of growth defensively? The Flames already have Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, who are young and still have a lot of room to grow. Prospect Henry Mews also falls into this category.

You can’t have too much scoring, especially on a team that struggles to put the puck in the net. The Flames would probably prefer to find a defenceman with more size who could do many of the same things, but still, if Villeneuve is available, they should give serious thought to drafting him.

Do you think the Flames should draft a defenceman like Villeneuve? Let us know your thoughts below.

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NHL Notebook: Former Flame Trevor Lewis retires

Ryley Delaney — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:00:11 GMT

A former Calgary Flame has called it a career.

On Wednesday morning, the NHLPA announced that Trevor Lewis has retired after 17 National Hockey League seasons.

Trevor Lewis has officially announced his retirement following 1,034 NHL games – wishing all the best to the 2x Stanley Cup champion in his retirement 👏 pic.twitter.com/FwJIrITP2f

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) April 22, 2026

Lewis was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings 17th overall in the 2006 draft and spent the majority of his career with the organization. He made his debut in 2008-09 and became a regular in 2010-11. The following season, Lewis scored three goals and nine points in 20 games, as the Kings won their first Stanley Cup.

Two years later, they did it again, with Lewis scoring four goals and five points in 26 games. In 2016-17, he reached the double-digit goal mark for the first time, scoring 12 goals and 26 points. Lewis’ career-high in goals came in 2017-18, potting 14 and a career-best 26 points. After two more seasons with the Kings, Lewis joined the Winnipeg Jets in 2020-21.

Playing all 56 games for the Jets, Lewis scored five goals and 10 points, but was held pointless in his eight post-season games. Lewis joined the Flames in 2021-22, scoring six goals and 16 points in 80 games, along with two goals and five points in 12 playoff games. In 2022-23, he scored nine goals and 20 points.

Lewis finished his career with the Kings, playing two more seasons with them in 2023-24 and 2024-25. Overall, he finished with 104 goals and 237 points in 1,034 games, with another 13 goals and 28 points in 106 post-season games.

Glass shatters during Avalanche game

Speaking of the Kings, they made the post-season in the eighth seed. They aren’t playing the Edmonton Oilers this time, instead matching up with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

The two teams played on Tuesday evening, with the Avalanche winning 2-1 in overtime thanks to Nicolas Roy. One of the highlights in the low-scoring affair came early in the second period after a save. The glass behind the Kings’ bench shattered because of the fans banging on it.

THIS IS INSANE: THE FANS IN COLORADO WERE SO HYPED FOR THE PENALTY SHOT SAVE THAT THEY SHATTERED THE GLASS BEHIND THE KINGS BENCH 😱🤯 pic.twitter.com/WYMgGZCQgl

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 22, 2026

Although the game went into a lengthy delay, part of the reason it ended at nearly midnight mountain time, it seems everyone was alright.

Late in the Washington Capitals’ season, defenceman Rasmus Sandin suffered a knee injury. And on Wednesday morning, the team announced that he underwent surgery to repair it. His time frame to return is unknown, though it seems unlikely he’ll be ready for the beginning of the season.

#Caps defenseman Rasmus Sandin underwent a surgical procedure Tuesday to address the ACL tear in his right knee. Sandin sustained the injury on April 11 against Pittsburgh. A return-to-play timeline will be determined by his individual progression, with typical recovery from this…

— Capitals PR (@CapitalsPR) April 22, 2026

Losing Sandin for any period of time is a tough blow for the Capitals. The top four defence has consistently provided solid offence since the Capitals traded him around the 2023 trade deadline. That happened to be his career-best season, scoring seven goals and 35 points in 71 games.

In every season since 2022-23, Sandin has put up at least 20 points. The 2023-24 season saw him score three goals and 23 points in 68 games. In 2024-25, he potted four goals and 30 points in 82 games, along with an assist in 10 post-season games. And last season, Sandin finished with five goals and 29 points in 73 games.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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What’s Going On In the Playoffs: Mammoth and Golden Knights split the first two games

Ryley Delaney — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:30:09 GMT

The 2026 post-season has finally kicked off.

Only four of the 16 teams involved have yet to win a game, with five of the eight series seeing a 1-1 split. Two former Flames defencemen duke it out, while the Philadelphia Flyers are dominating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Battle of Pennsylvania.

Let’s take a look at what’s going on in the playoffs.

Golden Knights/Mammoth

The Vegas Golden Knights finished first in the Pacific Division, setting up a first-round match-up against the Utah Mammoth. Both teams traded for a Flames’ defenceman ahead of the 2026 trade deadline, with the Mammoth acquiring MacKenzie Weegar and the Knights acquiring Rasmus Andersson.

Game 1 went to the Knights. Late in the first, the Mammoth opened the scoring, but the Knights tied it early in the first. That tie lasted for less than two minutes, as Kevin Stenlund made it 2-1 for the Mammoth. The score held until five and a half minutes into the third period, as Mark Stone scored a power play goal to tie it.

Less than two minutes later, Nic Dowd scored the game-winner, and Ivan Barbashev buried an empty netter for the winner. The Golden Knights out-hit the Mammoth 51 to 31.

Tuesday’s Game 2 saw the Golden Knights open the scoring midway through the first period. But with about three minutes left in the first, Weegar was credited with a goal as the Golden Knights own-goaled.

The teams exchanged goal just 62 seconds apart, with Dylan Guenther scoring the Mammoth’s second goal, but quickly being answered by Barbashev’s second of the post-season. With six minutes left in the game, Logan Cooley scored the game-winner to make it a best of five.

The Mammoth now holds home ice advantage. Games 3 and 4 will be in Salt Lake City, with Game 3 starting at 7:30 p.m. MT on Friday. Three days later, the two teams will play Game 4, with Game 5 returning to Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Oilers/Ducks

The last series to start was the Edmonton Oilers/Anaheim Ducks series. That finally kicked off this past Monday, with the Oilers scoring two late first period goals, Jason Dickinson scored the first and Kasperi Kapanen scored the second.

It was the opposite in the second period, as it belonged to the Ducks. They cut the Oilers’ lead in half just 19 seconds in, tying it less than five minutes into the middle frame, and taking the lead with five and a half minutes left. Troy Terry scored twice and had an assist on the other goal.

Midway through the third period, Dickinson scored his second of the game as Radko Gudas blew a tire on the Oilers’ rush chance. With under two minutes to play, Kapanen received a fantastic pass from Vasily Podkolzin, beating Ducks’ netminder Lukáš Dostál for a 4-3 victory.

Game 2 is on Wednesday with a start time of 8:00 p.m. MT. After that, the series shifts to Anaheim, with Game 3 coming at the same time on Friday, and Game 4 starting at 7:30 p.m. MT on Sunday. If needed, Game 5 returns to Alberta on Tuesday with a time to be determined.

Avalanche/Kings

Despite being down 2-0 in the series, the Los Angeles Kings are putting up a much better fight than expected. Game 1 saw the Colorado Avalanche win 2-1. It took over 35 minutes to score the game’s opening goal, and just six minutes into the third, the Avalanche extended that lead to two. Artemi Panarin scored a power play goal with just under two and a half minutes remaining, but were unable to find the game-tying goal.

Game 2 was the same result, as the Avalanche took it 2-1 in overtime. Panarin scored his second of the series, also on the power play, with just under seven minutes left in the game. However, the Kings were unable to hold on, with Gabriel Landeskog tying it with just over three and a half minutes remaining. In overtime, Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner, with the game ending around 11:45 p.m. MT. For me, that ended at nearly 2 AM. Gotta love playoff hockey. (Editor’s Note: And the Eastern time zone.)

THE AVALANCHE WIN IT 🙌

Nicolas Roy is the Game 2 hero in @Energizer overtime! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/TJYCVi4bij

— NHL (@NHL) April 22, 2026

The series shifts to California for Games 3 and 4. Thursday’s Game 3 has a start time of 8:00 p.m. MT, but Saturday’s Game 4 is an afternoon game, starting at 2:30 p.m. MT. If the Kings are able to win at least one game, Game 5 will be in Denver on Wednesday.

Stars/Wild

The last Western Conference match-up is between the Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild. Game 1 wasn’t close at all, as Joel Eriksson Ek opened the scoring five and a half minutes into the game. Less than a minute into the second, Kirill Kaprizov scored to make it 2-0. Then both Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy scored, giving the Wild three goals within the first seven minutes of the second period.

Jason Robertson’s power play goal with about five minutes left cut the lead to 4-1, but Eriksson Ek scored another power play goal in the third, followed by an empty-netter by Matt Boldy to take Game 1 by a score of 6-1.

Game 2 was a closer game that went the Stars’ way. Nine minutes into the first period, Wyatt Johnston opened the scoring. The Wild’s Brock Faber tied it midway through the first, but Matt Duchene restored the Stars’ lead with a power play goal four minutes into the second. Robertson scored his second of the series seven minutes into the third, just for Faber to score his second of the game midway through the final frame. The Wild were unable to tie it, with Johnston icing the game with an empty-netter.

Although they lost Game 2, the Wild were able to split the series in Texas. Now they return home, with Game 3 on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. MT and Game 4 at 3:30 p.m. MT on Saturday. Game 5’s time is yet to be determined, but it’ll be on Tuesday next week in Dallas.

Canadiens/Lightning

The most entertaining of the eight series is the match-up between the Montréal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. Game 1 the teams each reach 14 penalty minutes with five power plays each. Josh Anderson opened the scoring in the first, then took a penalty in the second that the Lightning capitalized on.

Less than 30 seconds later, the Lightning took the lead thanks to Brandon Hagel’s first of the game. Then Juraj Slafkovský took over, scoring a power play goal with 24 seconds remaining in the second. He scored another power play goal six minutes in the third, but the Lightning tied it with a power play goal of their own nine minutes into the final frame. In overtime, Slafkovský completed the power play hat trick, beating the Lightning goaltender just 82 seconds into extra time.

JURAJ SLAFKOVSKÝ IS YOUR @ENERGIZER OVERTIME HERO AND THE @CANADIENSMTL TAKE GAME 1! 🔵⚪️🔴 #STANLEYCUP pic.twitter.com/qKVfKoKFAd

— NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2026

Game 1 was a docile game compared to Game 2. The teams combined for 52 penalty minutes, with the Canadiens receiving four and the Lightning three. Hagel scored his third of the post-season about nine minutes into the first, but the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson tied it with a power play goal with just under four minutes left in the opening frame.

With 84 seconds left in the second, Anderson’s second of the playoffs gave the Canadiens the lead, but Nikita Kucherov tied it with just over seven minutes remaining in the third period. The Lightning dominated overtime, and on their ninth shot, J.J. Moser finally beat Jakub Dobeš to tie the series at one.

J.J. MOSER DELIVERS THE @ENERGIZER OT WINNER TO TIE THE SERIES AT ONE!!! 🤩 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/68xpTTeQoZ

— NHL (@NHL) April 22, 2026

The series shifts to Québec for the next two games. Game 3 is on Friday at 5:00 p.m. MT and Game 4 is on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. MT. The two teams will return to Florida for Game 5 on Wednesday with an undetermined time.

Sabres/Bruins

As you likely know by now, the Buffalo Sabres have made the post-season for the first time since 2011. The Boston Bruins spoiled the party temporarily, as Morgan Geekie scored midway through the first period. Early in the third, former Flame Elias Lindholm scored to make it 2-0.

Then, the Sabres did the improbable. With Tage Thompson scoring his first ever playoff goal in his first playoff game, finally beating Jeremy Swayman. Less than four minutes later, he scored his second of the game to tie it. Mattias Samuelsson’s goal less than a minute later gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead, and Alex Tuch buried the game with an empty netter. Pretty cool moment.

MATTIAS SAMUELSSON, GOAL SCORER pic.twitter.com/yi4dkpGHBa

— y – Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 20, 2026

The Bruins were guilty of sitting back on their lead in Game 1. They didn’t make the same mistake in Game 2. Viktor Arvidsson opened the scoring five minutes into the second. Geekie scored a half-ice shot with three and a half minutes left in the frame, then Pavel Zacha scored a power play with under two to play in the middle frame.

It went from bad to worse for the Sabres, as Arvidsson scored his second of the game just 16 seconds into the third. The Sabres attempted a late comeback again, as Bowen Byram scored with six minutes left in the game, then Peyton Krebs scored with five minutes left on the clock. That’s all they got, as the Bruins took Game 2 by a score of 4-2.

Game 3 is on Thursday in Boston with a start time of 5:00 p.m. MT. They’ll have two days off between Games 3 and 4, with Game 4 taking place on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. MT. Game 5 will return to Buffalo on Tuesday.

Hurricanes/Senators

Over in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes are playing the Ottawa Senators in the first round. The Hurricanes won Game 1 handily, as Logan Stankoven opened the scoring just over two minutes into the second period. Taylor Hall then scored seven minutes into the third period. Frederik Andersen stopped all 22 shots he faced in the victory.

The Hurricanes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 2 as well. Six and a half minutes into the first, Stankoven scored his second of the post-season. Eight minutes into the second period, Sebastian Aho extended their lead to two. However, the Sens fought back this time, cutting the lead in half midway through the second, then tying it with three and a half minutes left in the period.

After neither team scored in the third period, the two teams went to overtime. It looked as if the Hurricanes won in the first overtime period, scoring on a delayed penalty, but it was deemed to be offside. That delayed penalty happened to be a penalty shot, which the Hurricane Jordan Martinook was still able to take. Linus Ullmark came up big between the pipes.

ULLMARK STOPS THE PENALTY SHOT… WE PLAY ON… THE LENOVO CENTER IS SPEECHLESS!!!! 😱❌ pic.twitter.com/HqdiqOFnvm

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 21, 2026

Martinook eventually won the game anyway, scoring the game-winning goal with just over six minutes left in the second overtime period.

JORDAN MARTINOOK WINS IT IN DOUBLE @ENERGIZER OVERTIME! 🌪️ #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/zWWWQMXHuS

— NHL (@NHL) April 21, 2026

The series shifts to Ottawa (Kanata) beginning on Thursday. Game 3 is at 5:30 p.m. ET, while Game 4 is on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. MT. If needed, Game 5 is set to be played on Monday in Raleigh.

Penguins/Flyers

Lastly, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins are taking on the Philadelphia Flyers for the first time since 2018. Coming into the series, the Flyers were surging, and that continued in the first two games.

Game 1 saw Jamie Drysdale open the scoring midway through the second period. Six minutes later, Evgeni Malkin tied it for the Penguins. The Flyers restored that lead 10 minutes into the third thanks to Travis Sanheim’s first of the post-season, then Porter Martone scored his first playoff goal with just over two and a half minutes remaining. With 61 seconds left, the Penguins cut the lead to one, but were unable to tie it.

The two teams were scoreless through the first 33 minutes, but eventually, Martone scored his second of the post-season. Shortly later, the Penguins received a power play, but the Flyers were the team to score on it to give them a 2-0 lead. Luke Glendening iced it with an empty netter with just over two minutes remaining.

Heading into Game 3 on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. MT, the Flyers have all the momentum. Game 4 is set to be played on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. MT. If needed, Game 5 is on Monday in Pittsburgh, while Game 6 is on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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12 different rookies played for the Flames in 2025-26

Ryan Pike — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:00:06 GMT

Pals, it’s safe to say that the Calgary Flames have been moving towards getting younger since Craig Conroy became general manager in May 2023.

Want some evidence that’s happening? Well, look at the list of established players that have been sent elsewhere: Tyler Toffoli, Nikita Zadorov, Elias Lindholm, Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, Jacob Markstrom, Andrew Mangiapane, Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar and Nazem Kadri. And the majority of the assets coming back to the Flames in these swaps have been picks and prospects.

As the Flames have moved out veterans, spots have opened up for youngsters. During the 2025-26 season, 12 different rookies played for the Flames – and that’s not including Owen Say, who dressed for a game as backup in January but didn’t see any game action.

Here are the 12 Flames rookies, listed based on their first game appearance.

RW Matvei Gridin

Drafted 28th overall in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, Gridin made the Flames’ roster out of training camp after Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil were injured during the pre-season. He debuted on opening night (Oct. 8) against Edmonton and scored a goal, sparking a comeback. (Disclosure: his goal went in off of Noah Philp’s skate, but a goal’s a goal.)

Gridin had four stints on the NHL roster. He was called up in mid-January and remained with the big club pretty continuously until the end of the season, aside from brief re-assignments during the Olympics and the trade deadline. He had six goals and 14 assists for 20 points through 37 games, and he was arguably the team’s most dangerous offensively forward after the trade deadline.

D Zayne Parekh

The Flames’ first first-rounder in 2024, ninth overall, Parekh made the NHL roster out of training camp and played his first game on Oct. 11. He played 37 games and had four goals and five assists for nine points.

We’ll get into the ins and outs of Parekh’s season later, but he struggled early, got hurt, played at the World Juniors, got loaned to the Wranglers, then rejoined the team and seemed to find his stride. He was really good after the trade deadline, but he was pretty effective for the last six-to-eight weeks of the regular season.

F Sam Honzek

The Flames first-rounder in 2023, Honzek made the Flames’ roster out of training camp for the second consecutive year – he was initially one of the final cuts, then was added back to the roster after Huberdeau and Pospisil were hurt. He played his first game on Oct. 11.

He played 18 games and had two goals and two assists for four points. He found a niche as a penalty-killer and on the tough-minutes line with Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, but his season ended early after a flukey collision with Backlund caused n injury that required surgery.

D Yan Kuznetsov

A second-round pick in 2020, Kuznetsov was called up in early November as the Flames made some shuffles to their lineup – fundamentally-speaking, he replaced Daniil Miromanov on the roster. He played his first game on Nov. 5 and was put with MacKenzie Weegar a few games into his call-up.

Kuznetsov played 57 games and posted four goals and eight assists for 12 points. He was a fixture on the penalty kill for the majority of the season and was one of two rookie defencemen to average more than 20 minutes a night: the other was Matthew Schaefer.

LW Rory Kerins

A sixth-rounder in 2020, Kerins was called up twice for two game stints. His first pair of games began on Nov. 13, his second on Apr. 14. He played in the bottom six and had zero points across four games.

D Hunter Brzustewicz

Acquired from Vancouver in the Elias Lindholm trade, Brzustewicz was called up from the Wranglers in December and made his season debut on Dec. 10. He played primarily on the third pairing for much of the rest of the season, aside from a few weeks in February when he went down for the Olympic break.

He played 31 NHL games and posted two goals and five assists for seven points. He really found chemistry with Olli Maatta down the stretch.

LW William Stromgren

A second-round pick in 2021, Stromgren was called up in early January and made his NHL debut on Jan. 7. He played three games, primarily on the fourth line, and had no points.

C Tyson Gross

A hometown kid, Gross signed as a college free agent in March. He debuted with the Flames on Mar. 22 and ended up playing six games, scoring a goal against Colorado for his only point of the season.

LW Brennan Othmann

Acquired from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, Othmann was called up on Mar. 28 and debuted that evening. He played two games, posting a goal and an assist for a pair of points, then was sent down in early April so the Flames could call up Aydar Suniev.

RW Aydar Suniev

A third-round draft pick in 2023, Suniev was called up in early April and debuted on Apr. 7. He played six games and registered one assist.

D Abram Wiebe

Acquired from Vegas in the Rasmus Andersson trade, Wiebe signed with the Flames after North Dakota’s season ended. He played four games, debuting on Apr. 11, and had zero points.

G Arsenii Sergeev

Last but not last, Sergeev was a seventh-round pick by the Flames in 2021. He was called up and made his NHL debut on Apr. 16 and made 27 saves in a win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Which Flames rookie impressed you the most in 2025-26? Let us know in the comments!

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FN Draft Profiles: Could Adam Novotny be the Flames’ ideal second, first-round pick?

Adrian Kiss — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:00:08 GMT

It’s such a luxury for the Calgary Flames to have two first-round draft picks this year. With the majority of the focus surrounding the higher of the two picks, the second pick probably hasn’t had the consideration it deserves.

Holding Vegas’ unprotected first-round pick, the Flames were looking to benefit from a somewhat down year from the Golden Knights. It was looking like the pick could have been relatively high until they went in a heater winning seven of their final eight games and winning the Pacific Division. At this point, the draft pick should fall somewhere in the 25th-to-28th overall range — a draft position the Flames are all too familiar with.

There are a number of quality prospects who could end up becoming Flames around that spot in the draft. The first round projects to have a good mix of North American and European-born players. One intriguing European name who has been tearing it up in North America is Czech-born forward Adam Novotny.

Scouting report

Hailing from Kobylice, Czechia, Novotny made the jump to North America after being taken in the first round of the 2024 CHL Import Draft. This is the same import draft that saw current Flames forward Matvei Gridin move across the pond as well.

The 18-year-old has a solid frame, standing at six-foot-one and weighing 204 pounds. Novotny is a left-shot winger known for his elite shot and 200-foot game.

Liam Staples from McKeen’s Hockey had nothing but good things to say about Novotny’s shooting ability:

“A clear calling card in Novotný’s game is his pro-level shot. His deceptive release can make it unpredictable for goaltenders to read. He is so skilled at being able to thread pucks through lanes to the front of the net. His accuracy makes him a threat from anywhere on the ice. Novotný shows torque on his one-timer but relies more heavily on a hard wrist shot or snap shot.”

Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino had more to say about his shot and game as a whole:

“He is a team-first player, who works tirelessly on his game both in the gym and on the ice. He plays a hard and honest game. In OHL competition, his strength allows him to clear space and produce top-level numbers. He rarely passes up a shooting opportunity and doesn’t need much time to really rip a puck.”

The numbers

Novotny’s first season in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes has been very good, recording 34 goals and 31 assists to sit 27th overall in OHL scoring and second among Europeans in the league.

Novotny has played a role for Team Czechia in the last two World Junior Championships as well. Two years ago, he recorded a goal in seven games and then followed that up this year with three assists in seven games on his way to a bronze and silver medal at the tournament.

Availability and Fit

The general consensus is that Novotny will be picked between the 10th and 15th overall range, though some prospect rankings have him going as late as 23rd overall. Novotny falling that far back in the draft is probably unlikely, but stranger things have happened. If this is the case, the Flames would be extremely lucky to get this player later in the draft.

A left winger may not be the highest of priorities at the upcoming draft, though it’s still a position they could improve upon depth-wise. Long term at that position, you have Jonathan Huberdeau, Yegor Sharangovich, Matvei Gridin and Connor Zary. Then you also have Blake Coleman, who isn’t likely to remain a Flame in the long run, as well as young players like Sam Honzek and Brennan Othmann, who will look to claim roster spots going forward.

Regardless of who the Flames already have at that position, sometimes you just have to take the best available player. If Novotny is available when the Flames make their second first-round pick, there is a good chance he’ll be the best player available.

The Flames need scoring, and if Novotny can bring that elite shot with him to the NHL, it may be hard to pass on him if he’s available. There are a lot of things to like in his game, and he has a really solid foundation to be a top-six forward in the NHL.

Do you think the Flames have any shot of drafting Novotny? Should they even take him if he is available? Let us know in the comments below.

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Flames prospect round-up: Andrew Basha moves on to the WHL Eastern Conference Finals

Ryley Delaney — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:04 GMT

At least one Calgary Flame prospect is a champion in 2025-26.

This is the Apr. 15-20 edition of the Calgary Flames prospect round-up, where we look at how Flames prospects have done every week. Specifically, we’ll look at players playing overseas, in junior hockey, or at the college level, as the American Hockey League prospects have an article of their own in the Wranglers Recaps.

In this edition of the Flames prospect round-up, one of the last ones for the 2025-26 season, we’ll look at what happened in Western Hockey League action, as well how Theo Stockselius’ championship aspirations panned out. Let’s dig in!

Western Hockey League

In the last edition, the Saskatoon Blades were down 3-0 in their series against the Prince Albert Raiders. It was the same case for Axel Hurtig and the Calgary Hitmen, as Andrew Basha’s Medicine Hat Tigers were on the cusp of making the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Starting with the Blades, their season came to an end on Wednesday, falling 5-3 to the Raiders. Flame prospect Hunter Laing scored a goal midway through the second period to cut the lead to 4-2, and the Blades got to within one, but ultimately fell short. Laing finished his regular season with 24 goals and 55 points in 62 games, with four goals and nine points in 11 post-season games. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Laing this off-season.

Likewise, Hurtig’s Hitmen were swept by Basha’s Tigers, falling 5-2 in Game 4. Basha picked up an assist on one of the Tigers’ five goals, while Hurtig was held pointless. So far this postseason, Basha has nine goals and 14 points in nine games.

Hurtig’s junior career has come to an end, finishing the regular season with six goals and 19 points in 64 games. In the Hitmen’s eight playoff games, Hurtig scored a goal and picked up two assists. For his entire junior career in the WHL, Hurtig scored 11 goals and 35 points in 119 regular season games. In his 19 playoff games, Hurtig scored twice with six points.

As noted earlier, Basha will be the lone Flames prospect who’ll play a game this week. His Tigers take on the Raiders in the Eastern Conference Finals, looking to go back to the Memorial Cup.

Game 1 is on Friday, followed by Game 2 on Saturday. Both those games will be in Prince Albert. The series will shift to Medicine Hat for Game 3 on Tuesday. As for the rest of the series, Game 4 is set for Apr. 29, then if needed, Game 5 is on May 1, Game 6 is on May 3, and Game 7 would be on May 5. If the Tigers win, they’ll take on either the Penticton Vees or Landon DuPont and the Everett Silvertips in the WHL finals.

Elsewhere in the Canadian Hockey League, the Brantford Bulldogs will play the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Western Conference will be contested between the Kitchener Rangers and the Windsor Spitfires. Former Flame prospect Jacob Battaglia saw his Flint Firebirds knocked out by the Spitfires.

In the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Étienne Morin’s former team, the Moncton Wildcats take on the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the semifinals. In the other semifinal series, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies take on the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

Three of these 12 teams will play in the Memorial Cup, which will be hosted by the Kelowna Rockets.

Sweden

In the last edition, Theo Stockselius’ Djurgårdens IF U20 needed one more win over Frölunda HC U20 to win their second consecutive championship. Less than a minute in, Djurgårdens IF U20 jumped out to a 1-0 lead, then made it 2-0 less than two minutes later. Stockselius picked up an assist on the goal to make it 3-0.

Djurgårdens IF U20 scored another early goal in the second, then Stockselius added a second assist on a power play goal seven and a half minutes into the second. Then, he scored a power play goal of his own late in the second period to make it 6-0.

Their seventh goal saw Stockselius pick up his third assist of the game. With just under three minutes left in the game, Frölunda HC U20 cut the lead to six in what was a 7-1 Djurgårdens IF U20 victory to win the championship.

Overall, the Flames’ second-rounder in 2025 scored nine goals and 20 points in 10 games en route to winning the MVP for the playoffs. During the U20 regular season, Stockselius scored four goals and 16 points in 11 games. Additionally, the Swedish centre played 16 regular season games for their senior club, picking up an assist. He was held pointless in their three post-season games.

Russia

The last time we looked at Yan Matveiko, the Flames’ seventh-rounder last year had his series all knotted up at one. His Red Army won 4-2 in Game 1, but lost 6-3 in Game 2.

Game 3 was last Tuesday, with Red Army picking up a 4-3 victory thanks to three first period goals. Matveiko was held pointless in this one. Red Army had two chances to clinch the series, but fell 2-1 on Friday to set up a winner-take-all Game 5. That game didn’t go Red Army’s way either, falling 2-0 in the game and 3-2 in the series.

Matveiko finished his regular season with 15 goals and 37 points in 50 games, but tailing off in the second half of the season. In nine post-season games, the 19-year-old scored a goal and two points, but was a minus-4 and finished with a 44.6% face-off percentage.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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5 Flames who aren’t likely to return next season

Ryan Pike — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:00:17 GMT

Friends, we’ve concluded the 2025-26 Calgary Flames season, and we’re both looking back at the season that was and looking ahead to the future.

And if there’s one thing that a season where the Flames finished fourth-from-last in the overall standings tells us, it’s that we’re going to see changes between now and when the gents return to the ice in September or October.

With that in mind, here are the five members of the 2025-26 edition of the Flames that seem the least likely to be back for 2026-27.

Jake Bean

Man, it just didn’t work out for Jake Bean with his hometown team, did it? A Calgary kid who played his junior hockey for the Hitmen and whose dad was an executive for the team, he seemed like a perfectly fine depth addition to the team as a left shot defender with some experience and upside.

Unfortunately, he spent 2024-25 primarily on the third pairing… when he wasn’t a healthy scratch. He came into 2025-26 looking to have a better year, then was in and out of the lineup, playing just 16 games before being shut down with an injury in December. All-in-all, he had just two points this past season with the Flames.

Bean’s a pending unrestricted free agent, and the numbers game is against him: the Flames have four left shot defenders under contract for next season already, all of whom require waivers: Kevin Bahl, Olli Maatta, Yan Kuznetsov and Joel Hanley. Add in that they have four rightie defenders under contract, too – waiver eligible Zach Whitecloud and Brayden Pachal and waiver exempt Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz – and we just can’t find a spot for Bean.

Victor Olofsson

You’ve got to feel for Victor Olofsson a bit, folks. A depth winger on a Stanley Cup contending Colorado Avalanche team, he was shipped to the Flames in the Nazem Kadri trade. In a much different situation than he began the year, Olofsson was a capital-P professional, playing well and posting two goals and six assists across 18 games playing both wings on the bottom six.

In any other situation, Olofsson would be someone worth bringing back – he’s legitimately good and versatile. But for a Flames team in a youth movement, and one that has no fewer than 10 incumbent wingers under contract for next season – Blake Coleman, Matvei Gridin, Jonathan Huberdeau, Connor Zary, Sam Honzek, Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato, Yegor Sharangovich, Adam Klapka and Martin Pospisil – it’s unclear how he would fit in.

Like Bean, the numbers game is working against Olofsson.

John Beecher

The Flames took a flier on John Beecher midway through the season, claiming him off the waiver wire from Boston, and auditioning him as a fourth line centre for the remainder of the season.

Results were mixed. He had two goals and four assists across 29 games, and won just 44% of his face-offs. He was a pretty effective penalty killer, but we’re thinking the Flames might be better off giving NHL minutes to the likes to Rory Kerins, Sam Morton or Tyson Gross rather than someone with 165 NHL dates under his belt.

He’s a pending restricted free agent, but we’re not sure if Beecher gets a qualifying offer.

Ryan Lomberg

Is Ryan Lomberg great in the locker room? Definitely. He’s provided tons of positive energy and good vibes for the Flames during a tough season. And yeah, when he scored goals, they were pretty big ones that made Flames fans go nuts.

But he had four goals and five assists across 57 games. He’s 31 years old and based on his comments during his exit interview with the media, he’d really like to be in a winning environment. (When he signed with the Flames, it was likely with an aim towards winning rather than rebuilding here.) He’s a pending UFA.

We’re not saying Lomberg won’t be back. But we’re saying that the priority may be towards giving NHL reps to younger players – the majority of the 10 wingers we cited when discussing Olofsson are younger than Lomberg – and not playing and not winning might not be the ideal situation for him.

Blake Coleman

We’re gonna get into Blake Coleman’s situation in more detail at another time, but let’s summarize it quickly: he’s 34, and he’s really good. He’s a highly effective checker who plays on the shutdown line with Mikael Backlund, kills penalties, and serves as an alternate captain. He had 20 goals and 15 assists through 69 games this season.

Coleman was the subject of many trade rumours prior to the Mar. 6 trade deadline, and nearly moved. The Flames had a price in mind for Coleman, and they did not get it. He’s entering the final year of his contract. We wouldn’t be shocked if he remained on the team heading into the season… but if a team has a disappointing playoffs, they may get off their wallets and meet the Flames’ price for Coleman.

Coleman’s very good. He wants to help the team. Based on where they are in their development, he may help them the most by being moved to another team.

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Wranglers reflect on a disappointing season in team exit meetings

Paige Siewert — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 16:00:05 GMT

The Calgary Wranglers wrapped up their season on Saturday night with a win against the Colorado Eagles. On Monday, April 20, the team did their exit meetings and took some time with the media to reflect on their season. The overarching narrative that was consistently brought up in the media availabilities was the frustration of the way the season went, but how this roster had such a great group of guys despite the results.

The Wranglers did not qualify for postseason play for the first time in team history. While they finished the year on a high note, the disappointment of being done so early was ever present. The final regular season record for Calgary was 23-34-10-5, and they placed 10th in the Pacific Division.

Some players did better individually than others, but the biggest thing was not finishing games and not clicking at the same time. Wranglers Captain, Clark Bishop, talked about the down year and what needs to change for next season. He said:

“It’s tough. Everybody wants to win, right? Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen this year. It’s a learning year. Guys really have to figure out what they need to do next year to come back even stronger and what they need to do to help the team.”

Alternate Captain Martin Frk led the team in points and hit the 30 goal mark over the weekend against the Eagles. He talked about how this team showed their compete in those games and said:

“It was good we showed what we can do as a team in those last two games and it was also beating a really good team too as well. I thought we played pretty well. I was telling Bish (Clark Bishop), how come we didn’t play like that for most of the season. You know, that would have put us in a better spot.”

There were more downs than ups for this team this year and even when it was hard to leave the rink on days, the guys were still excited and willing to show up and play for each other. Nearly every guy who took time with the media talked about how close the locker room was and how they wished the results would match that.

Someone who had a unique perspective on this season was Etienne Morin. Morin won the Gilles-Corteau Trophy nearly a year ago with the Moncton Wildcats and went from the best team in his junior league to one of the AHL’s bottom teams the following season. When comparing the stark differences in the season. Morin said:

“To be honest, the group was really awesome. Same thing for the staff. They came in every day and made us work, had a smile and did what they wanted the best versions of ourselves. Honestly it might have just been about like buying in and stuff like that. I don’t think it’s one point or another that made us not make the playoffs. I know I need a big reset but I think everybody needs one too.”

In a down year, there were a few milestones that still came up. Both Martin Frk and Clark Bishop celebrated their 500th AHL games and Dryden Hunt was able to still put up career numbers despite a small injury set back and call up time with the Flames. The Wranglers also graduated three players, who will likely be considered every day NHLers next season. That includes Yan Kuznetsov, Hunter Brzustewicz and Matvei Gridin. Kuznetsov graduated after 10 games with the Wranglers, then the other two split time between the two teams almost evenly.

This team had glimmers of potential and good performances, especially on an individual player level. Where they struggled, was bringing it all together. They had a complete brand new set of goaltenders, two of which went down with injuries for extended periods of time. Ivan Prosvetov was in and out with injury then Owen Say was shut down as he was starting to get comfortable in this league. This was the first season since the team came to Calgary that they didn’t have all-star calibre goaltending with Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley being previous performers in that position.

Beyond the goaltending growing pains, there was also some team consistency they struggled to find. When some top performers were scoring, others went quiet. One of the biggest opportunities the team left on the table was their games out of regulation. They had 24 overtime appearances and 15 of those finished in an overtime loss or a shootout loss.

Special teams also sticks out as opportunities they would’ve liked to do more with. Calgary finished 28th in the league in power play percentage with a 15.1%. Their penalty kill landed them at the bottom of the league with a 75.8%. Both showed signs of improvement over the last few weeks of the season but it was too late by then. The season coming to an end early this year comes as a disappointment, but in some ways, a relief for a team that went through plenty of trials and tribulations over the course of the year. Guys are going their separate ways for the summer, taking a little time away from hockey then getting back in the swing of preparing for next season.

Final regular season stats

Leaders

Points Leaders

Dryden Hunt – 52GP, 18G, 45A

Martin Frk- 66GP, 30G, 30A

Rory Kerins – 56GP, 22G, 35A

William Stromgren – 66GP, 11G, 36A

Sam Morton – 68GP, 17G, 21A

Most games played – Clark Bishop (72)

Most goals – Martin Frk (30)

Most assists – Dryden Hunt (45)

Most points – Dryden Hunt (63)

GAA – Connor Murphy (2.95)

SAV% – Connor Murphy (0.905)

Highlights

Hunter Brzustewicz’s early season power play goal (Oct. 18)

Great patience by Dryen Hunt and a great shot by Hunter Brzustewicz through traffic on this power play goal. pic.twitter.com/cmXTmfgTk0

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 19, 2025

Etienne Morin’s first AHL goal (Dec. 13)

Etienne Morin's first AHL goal pic.twitter.com/VVteZiisUr

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) December 14, 2025

Rory Kerins tying Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier for the longest point streak (Jan. 2)

Rory Kerins just tied Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier for the longest point streak in team history with this goal. He's up to 11 games now. pic.twitter.com/n6pI5y9v9V

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) January 3, 2026

Zayne Parekh highlight reel goal in his conditioning stint (Jan. 26)

Zayne Parekh scores again! Crazy angle on this shot. Parekh makes it 4-0 Wranglers pic.twitter.com/YAMRkLgp35

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) January 27, 2026

Sam Morton breakaway goal (Feb. 6)

What a play and what a goal for Sam Morton. This is Morton's fifth goal in four straight games. Hunter Brzustewicz also picks up an assist for his first AHL point in two months since coming down from the NHL this week. pic.twitter.com/ce12u5pUNQ

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) February 7, 2026

Matvei Gridin shootout winner magic (Feb. 16)

Matvei Gridin admiring his work in the shootout. As he should. This was the game-winner. #Flames pic.twitter.com/sUjlXxm8q3

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) February 16, 2026

William Stromgren overtime winner (Feb. 21)

William Stromgren with the game on his stick and he wins it! pic.twitter.com/vhqYR2Nj3W

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) February 22, 2026

Alex Gallant’s fight vs. Tyrel Bauer on Saint John Flames night (Mar. 13)

Kicking this game off with a lengthy tilt. Alex Gallant vs. Tyrel Bauer 🥊 #hockeyfights pic.twitter.com/JKPMnRqg8v

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) March 14, 2026

AHL graduates

Yan Kuznetsov – 57 games

Matvei Gridin – 37 games

Hunter Brzustewicz – 34 games

Rory Kerins – 4 games

Dryden Hunt – 3 games

Sam Morton – 3 games

Arsenii Sergeev – 1 game

Contract statuses

RFAs

Rory Kerins, Brennan Othmann, William Stromgren, Sam Morton, Parker Bell, Lucas Ciona, Carter King, Artem Grushnikov, Gavin White, Owen Say

UFAs

Clark Bishop, Daniil Miromanov, Nick Cicek, Ivan Prosvetov

Who to watch at Worlds

No current Wranglers will be heading to Worlds but two former Wranglers will be representing their respective countries. Devin Cooley will be representing the USA and Martin Pospisil will be representing Slovakia.

This Article is a presentation of LeaseBusters

FN Draft Profiles: Ryan Lin is a defence prospect who could be available if the Flames trade up

Ryley Delaney — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:00:24 GMT

The Calgary Flames are going to finish with a top six selection in the 2026 draft, hopefully even higher.

That said, there are still two ways that the Flames could acquire a pick around where today’s prospect, Ryan Lin, is projected to be selected. It seems incredibly unlikely, but they could trade down to get a few more assets, or package a few of their second round picks and the first from the Vegas Golden Knights to move up.

It seems unlikely that Lin will find his way to the Flames, but in the case that he does, let’s take a look at his profile.

Scouting report

Born in Richmond, British Columbia, Lin is a 6’0″, 177 lbs right-shot defenceman who has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants. Lin will join Flame prospect Eric Jamieson at the University of Denver, the reigning NCAA National Tournament winners.

In Daily Faceoff’s most recent top draft eligible prospect ranking written by Steven Ellis, Lin ranked as the 10th best prospect. This is what Ellis had to say about the 17-year-old.

“Many wondered if Lin would choose the NCAA route this season – instead, he had a big season with the Vancouver Giants, where he registered more than 50 points for the second consecutive campaign. He’s now committed to the University of Denver, where he should immediately slip into a top-four spot and play a similar two-way role that Hobey Baker finalist Eric Pohlkamp possessed this year.

While Lin is small, he’s definitely one of the most skilled defenders in this class. His decision-making is near the top, and he has the skating to burn guys. You put those together and it’s easy to understand why Lin has the puck so often. Teams seem to be softening up to smaller blueliners – they should be all-in on Lin.”

Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino isn’t as high on the right-shot defenceman as Ellis is, ranking Lin as his 14th-best draft eligible prospect. He had this to say about Lin.

“Was injured for a month earlier this season, which gave him time to reflect on his game, and when he returned at the end of February he looked revitalized. Lin already has elite skill and, with more refinement, he can impact the game in all areas of the ice.

Offensively, he can dazzle along the blue line, finding lanes to get shots through to the net. In neutral ice, he closes quickly on plays and causes turnovers. In his own end, quick retrievals and nifty stick work allow him to evade the forecheck and initiate the breakout. He’s another player who’s likely to be on the U18 roster.”

In October 2025, Dobber Prospects’ Owen Hilsinger wrote this report about the 17-year-old.

“Lin continues to prove why he’s one of the most dynamic puck-movers in major junior hockey. Despite being undersized for a traditional NHL defenseman, the right-shot rearguard controls the tempo of play with elite skating and composure. Lin’s offensive instincts are elite. He routinely jumps into the rush, drives controlled exits, and quarterbacks the power play with confidence.

After posting 53 points in 60 games last season, Lin has started 2025-26 on a tear with 10 points in six games, pacing all Giants defensemen. His transition game is polished; he retrieves pucks cleanly, uses deception to evade pressure, and consistently turns defense into offense. Defensively, he’s grown more assertive, leveraging stick detail and footwork to close gaps and kill plays early. Lin projects as a modern two-way defenseman capable of driving results in all three zones, an offensive catalyst with improving defensive maturity.”

Lin appears to be a puck-moving defender with good in-zone defending. He’s not the tallest defender, but with the emergence of Lane Hutson, he’s proven that height isn’t nearly the most important attribute for a defender. That said, let’s take a look at Lin’s numbers.

The numbers

In 2024-25, Lin played with Flame prospect Jaden Lipinski on the Vancouver Giants. Lin actually made his debut in 2023-24, playing just one regular season game and three post-season games, being held pointless.

The 2024-25 season was Lin’s rookie season in the Western Hockey League, potting five goals and 53 points in 60 games, along with two assists in five post-season games. Over those 60 games, Lin accumulated 14 penalty minutes and was a +11.

Last season, the Giants weren’t a great team, finishing sixth in the WHL’s Western Conference. They were even worse this season, finishing dead last in the Western Conference with a 25-39-4 record and 54 points. Despite that plus an injury, Lin finished the season above point per game, exploding for 14 goals with 57 points in 53 games.

Availability and fit

The fit is there, as Lin profiles as a second pairing shut down right-shot defender, something most teams can only dream of. Of course, the Flames have a handful of notable right-shot defencemen, namely Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, but Lin is a step above Brzustewicz.

On the other hand, Lin’s availability doesn’t seem as realistic. The right-shot defenceman is ranked in between 10-15 for most publications. Of course, they could also package those picks and a handful of their four second-round picks to move up if Lin falls to the late teens, but time will tell how the playoffs shape up.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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The Flames’ penalty killing was quietly quite good in 2025-26

Ryan Pike — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:00:43 GMT

The Calgary Flames did not have a good power play in 2025-26.

But man, after a bit of a lull in 2024-25, they returned to being a team with a reliably effective penalty kill in 2025-26. Sure, they had the benefit of a few strong incumbent killers in the form of Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman. But in a year where a lot of things changed and the team dealt with growing pains, their penalty kill was a source of strength for the bulk of the past season.

Let’s dig into it.

Penalty kill personnel in 2025-26

The Flames’ penalty kill was coached by assistant coach Trent Cull in 2025-26, as he took it over when he arrived from the Calgary Wranglers midway through the 2024-25 season to fill in for Brad Larsen.

The most regular-used killers in 2025-26 included Mikael Backlund, Kevin Bahl, Joel Farabee, Blake Coleman, Rasmus Andersson, MacKenzie Weegar, Yan Kuznetsov, Zach Whitecloud and Yegor Sharangovich. (When they were healthy, Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Honzek also killed penalties.)

The penalty kill in 2025-26

After several seasons of pretty effective kills, the Flames’ PK struggled in 2024-25, killing off just 76.0% of opposition advantages (25th in the NHL), though the kill noticeably improved in the second half after Cull joined the coaching staff. Cull tweaked the team’s approach in 2025-26 a bit.

After some initial struggles, things seemed to click and the team ended up killing 80.4% of opposing power plays in 2025-26 – 12th-best in the NHL. They were also one of the league’s leaders in shorthanded goals.

“Culler does a great job preparing the guys for the kill,” said Blake Coleman during his exit interview on Thursday. “Obviously, there’s a lot of familiarity there as well. I’ve been with Backs for the better part of five years now and definitely a comfort level there and a willingness to play offence on the PK as well, which eats up minutes and obviously can be a momentum shift in games.”

The Flames made some shuffles on their penalty killing group in early November, with Calgary Wranglers’ defensive stalwart Yan Kuznetsov being recalled and placed in a prominent spot on the kill alongside MacKenzie Weegar, who was also his five-on-five partner for several months. Between Kuznetsov’s insertion and the incumbent killers wrapping their heads around Cull’s systems tweaks, the PK started to really get some traction.

“We had a little bit of turnover on D and guys that came in and played really well after we had the changes,” said Coleman. “So just kind of plug and play. Obviously, you’ve got to have good goaltending to have a good penalty kill, which we had. So it’s a lot of things, not just one. But as a group, I thought pretty consistently all year we did a pretty strong job.”

From Kuznetsov’s call-up to the trade deadline, when the team started to experiment with their lineup a bit more, the Flames’ killed off 84.3% of penalties, third-best in the NHL. Given what he knew about Kuznetsov before his call-up, Huska wasn’t surprised at his effectiveness.

“He is a penalty killer,” said Huska. “He was for the Wranglers. That’s what he does. The reason why he was successful on our level, I think, because of the foot speed that he has and the size that he has. So he could close quickly on people. So we eliminated some of that time and space that we were giving teams earlier in the season with their power play. So Yan has the ability to get his big frame in someone’s way right away. So they don’t have an extra second to make a play.”

“And he’s very much, he has a very good understanding of who he is as a player. So he’s not a guy that’s going to come in and think that he’s something that he’s not. He takes a lot of pride in being a guy that can kill penalties and that can play against top players. And I think we’re going to see him continue to take steps. So he was one of the big reasons why our penalty kill started to gain some traction and took off as the year went on.”

In addition to Kuznetsov becoming a prominent killer in 2025-26, forwards Joel Farabee and Sam Honzek were part of the rotation this past season. While Honzek’s tenure was truncated due to his season-ending injury in November, Farabee was a huge part of the PK all season and scored four shorthanded goals, tied with Coleman and one shy of Ryan McLeod’s league-lead.

“I think when you get traded, you have no idea where you’re going to fit into a team,” said Farabee, on his role within the Flames. “I think coming into this year, something I really focused on was just getting back on the penalty kill. And I think that helped my game so much for me. It just gets you involved, gets your legs going, things like that, and gives you that responsibility that you can feel good about. So it’s been a lot of fun working with Culler and the PK. and I thought we performed pretty well at that this year.”