At the holiday break, which prospects are standing out? A Calgary Flames prospect update
By Ryan Pike
6 months agoFriends, the hockey season tends to unfurl at a breakneck speed for much of its duration with just a few gaps in the pacing. The gap in essentially every team’s schedule – and just about every level – around Christmas provide a nice chance to take a deep breath and see how everyone’s been performing thus far. For our purposes, we’re focusing on the prospects.
Through a big chunk of the schedule, there are eight skaters with an NHLe of 30 points or higher. (NHL equivalency is a conversion of a players’ point production to what players of that production level have attained in the NHL to provide a rough benchmark for their performance.) And two goaltenders have save percentages of .920 or above.
The eight 30+ point NHLe players are: Matt Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Emilio Pettersen, Jeremie Poirier, Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary. We’ll throw a sample size asterisk on Poirier, as he played just a handful of games before his current injury, and on Honzek, who played just a handful of games after his earlier injury, and Pospisil and Zary are currently on the NHL club’s roster. (For the curious: Pospisil’s NHL production pro-rates to 26 points over an 82-game sample, while Zary’s would be around 58.)
Coronato, Jones, Kerins and Pettersen are probably the quartet worth really looking at based on their sample sizes this season. Jones is arguably the least exciting of the four in terms of how flashy his game is, but he may be the guy that’s easiest to slot into a depth NHL role and see succeed because of how balanced his game is. Coronato, Kerins and Pettersen all have some foibles with their play way from the puck, though Pettersen’s has improved over his last few seasons. You probably need an offensively-focused role at the NHL level for these guys, or some linemates that could help them learn that side of the NHL game on the go. (We’re looking at you, Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman.)
In net, the two impressive players so far are Dustin Wolf and Yegor Yegorov. We don’t need to tell you too much about Wolf: he’s a fantastic AHL goaltender and he’s shown some promise, and some foibles, at the NHL level. He’s very young and still learning, but you can see why the Flames scouts (and others around hockey) are so bullish on his upside. Yegorov has quietly eclipsed his playing time from last season and really improved his metrics. He’s likely got two years of junior eligibility left, but it’s easy to imagine Dynamo Moskva trying to get him into KHL games (or even VHL minor league games) to gauge his progression.
We don’t think the Flames have any Johnny Gaudreau-level prospects in their system right now – nobody that will change the course of the franchise or anything like that – but these 10 players we’ve mentioned are all worth getting excited about to varying degrees. Heck, Pospisil and Zary have already acquitted themselves well at the NHL level, and Coronato showed some flashes of brilliance in the offensive zone. There are reasons for optimism.
Let’s dive into this week’s prospect snapshot!
Parker Bell – LW/C, Tri-City Americans, WHL
20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 23 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 94 | 26.92 |
| 2022-23 | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
Tri-City is off until Dec. 27.
Jake Boltmann – D, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA/Big 10
22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 3.69 |
Notre Dame is off until Dec. 30.
Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 11th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 3.32 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
Ciona hasn’t registered a point in 13 games, dating back to an assist he earned back on Nov. 15. We’ll just reiterate: he’s young and he’s learning, and he’s looked pretty solid in a checking role. We’ll see if the offence can come along, too.
Matt Coronato – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 2nd-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 19 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 63 | 44.05 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 34 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 16 | 141 | 24.31 |
Coronato earned one assist in three games last week.
Samuel Honzek – LW/C, Vancouver Giants, WHL/Slovakia, WJC
19; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 4th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 34.67 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 43 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 40 | 36 | 26 | 134 | 32.25 |
Honzek is off to the World Juniors, where he’s serving as an alternate captain (and all-situations forward) for Slovakia.
Axel Hurtig – D, Rögle BK, J20 Nationell/SHL
18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| J20 season to date | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 25 | 16.85 |
| SHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (J20) | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 47 | 3.82 |
The second half of the J20 Nationell season begins on Jan. 6.
Ben Jones – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing; 12th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 27 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 66 | 32.47 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Mr. Consistency scored two goals in three outings last week.
Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 14th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 21 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 36.06 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
After a quiet week prior to last, Kerins had three assists last week. All were primary power play assists. He’s not moving the needle a ton at five-on-five lately, but he’s still producing quite a bit.
Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Free agent signing; 18th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 25 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 64 | 28.69 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
Klapka missed two games due to illness last week.
Demetrios Koumonztis – D, Idaho Steelheads, ECHL
23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (108th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Koumontzis remains a depth guy with zero points on an ECHL team.
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 17th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 27 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 32 | 8.86 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov had a pair of assists last week. His production remains down from last season’s.
Jaden Lipinski – C, Vancouver Giants, WHL
19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 16th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 32 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 87 | 22.44 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
Vancouver is off until Dec. 27.
Cade Littler – C, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL / Penticton Vees, BCHL
19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| USHL season to date | 13 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 19.43 |
| BCHL season to date | 9 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 3 | – | 6.56 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | 8.75 |
Penticton is off until Dec. 30.
Brady Lyle – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 27 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 62 | 16.24 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 51 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 124 | 24.22 |
Lyle had zero points last week.
Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL
18; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 26 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 89 | 19.71 |
| 2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
Moncton is off until Dec. 28.
Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 12.26 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
Nikolaev played once and was scratched twice.
Emilio Pettersen – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Calgary’s sixth round pick (167th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 20th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 27 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 39 | 31.00 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 61 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 118 | 28.75 |
Pettersen remains slightly above last season’s scoring pace. He had four points in three games this week. He’s quite good at getting rushes going out of his own end, and he’s quite good finishing in and around the net-front area. The bits in-between could use a bit of smoothing out.
Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 69.74 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
Poirier remains out after suffering a serious laceration early in the season. The team still lists him as out “indefinitely.” Once a more definitive timeline is shared, we’ll let you all know.
Martin Pospisil – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Calgary’s fourth round pick (105th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 39.85 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 19.93 |
Pospisil is in the NHL.
Topi Rönni – C, Tappara Tampere, Liiga/SM-sarja U20/CHL
19; Calgary’s second round pick (59th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 10th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date (Liiga) | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 4.36 |
| Season to date (U20) | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 22.96 |
| Season to date (CHL) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | n/a |
| 2022-23 (Liiga) | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 8.42 |
Rönni played a Liiga game on the fourth line and had zero points.
Cole Schwindt – C/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 9th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 27 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 22.14 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
Schwindt has often been slotted in as the two-way presence on lines that feature two more offensively-minded players. He had two goals this week and remains above last season’s scoring pace.
Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 8th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 10.49 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
Solovyov played a ton in all situations after returning from the NHL last week. He didn’t register any points, and remains basically right on last season’s scoring pace.
William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 19th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 24 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 4.98 |
| 2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Good news, everybody! Strömgren scored his first AHL goal. He’s being used in a defensive/checking role and so you wouldn’t expect him to have gaudy scoring numbers.
Aydar Suniev – LW/C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA/Hockey East
19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 13th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 15 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 42 | 25.78 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 50 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 73 | 47 | 40 | – | 11.81 |
UMass is off until Dec. 29.
Connor Zary – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s first round pick (24th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 6 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 15 | 66.42 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 72 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 36 | 31 | 21 | 183 | 32.10 |
Zary is currently in the NHL.
Daniil Chechelev – G, HC Vityaz Chekhov, KHL/Ryazan-VDV, VHL
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | – | – | – |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
Chechelev has been listed on Vityaz’s roster and Ryazan’s roster recently. He has yet to face any rubber in any meaningful game.
Arsenii Sergeev – G, University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA/Hockey East
20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 15th-ranked prospect
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 6 | 340 | .897 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
UConn is off until New Year’s Eve.
Dustin Wolf – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 1st-ranked prospect
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 16 | 921 | .926 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
Wolf played three games after returning to the AHL last week. He won twice and very much looked like what you would expect the AHL’s best goaltender to look.
Yegor Yegorov – G, MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL
18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 16 | 871 | .928 |
| 2022-23 (MHL) | 15 | 786 | .915 |
Yegorov played once last week and picked up a loss while allowing three goals. His numbers are still way ahead of what he had last season, though.
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