Calgary Flames prospect update: an April stats rundown
By Ryan Pike
6 months agoIt’s April, folks, and the majority of the Calgary Flames’ top prospects have had their seasons end. Well, aside from the youngsters on the Calgary Wranglers, who are in the midst of the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs.
How are all the prospects looking as May kicks off? Let’s conduct our monthly check-in!
Jack Beck – RW, Ottawa 67’s, OHL
19; Calgary’s sixth round pick (168th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 9th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 45 | 12 | 41 | 53 | 41 | 32 | 26 | 139 | 31.19 |
| Playoffs | 11 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 22 | 28.89 |
The 67’s were knocked out in the second round of the OHL playoffs by Peterborough. It appears that Beck’s season has come to an end.
Parker Bell – LW/C, Tri-City Americans, WHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
19; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| WHL regular season | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
| Playoffs | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 24.76 |
| AHL regular season | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 19.93 |
Tri-City was booted out of the playoffs in the first round by Prince George. The Flames opted to bring Bell onto the Wranglers roster as an extra body for the playoffs. He played twice at the end of the regular season, but has yet to dress in the playoffs.
Jake Boltmann – D, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA/Big 10
21; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 3.69 |
Boltmann’s season is over.
Lucas Ciona – LW, Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL
20; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
| Playoffs | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 12.38 |
The Thunderbirds continue to roll along in the playoffs. They’re currently playing in the conference final against Kamloops. Ciona’s been pretty consistent, with four goals in the first eight post-season games (and one in the first two games against Kamloops).
Matt Coronato – C/RW, Harvard University Crimson, NCAA/ECAC
20; 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 | |
| Regular season | 34 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 16 | 141 | 24.31 |
Coronato made his NHL debut at the end of the Flames’ regular season. He’s not eligible to play in the AHL with the Wranglers this season because of the mechanics of his deal – he joined the NHL directly, so he’s not eligible to go down to the AHL because he wasn’t on the AHL roster as of the trade deadline. He’s back at Harvard finishing his semester.
But he might find his way to Europe later this month…
Walker Duehr – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
25; Free agent signing; 19th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 41 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 25 | 14 | 13 | 92 | 25.27 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00 |
Duehr spent much of April in the NHL. He returned to the AHL after the season ended, making his return to the Wranglers’ lineup in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Lucas Feuk – LW, Rapid City Rush, ECHL
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (116th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 45 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 73 | 6.12 |
Feuk’s season is over.
Dennis Gilbert – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
26; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 7.66 |
Gilbert’s season is over. (He wasn’t sent down to the AHL at the trade deadline, so he’s not eligible to play in the AHL playoffs.)
Cole Huckins – RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix, QMJHL
19; Calgary’s third round pick (77th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 64 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 45 | 47 | 35 | 192 | 21.10 |
| Playoffs | 10 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 18.63 |
Huckins continues to have a pretty solid season. The Phoenix is currently in the conference finals against Halifax.
Ben Jones – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing; 20th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 39.85 |
Y’know who’s had a really good season and is quietly a very effective AHL player? Ben Jones. He currently centres the Wranglers’ top line between Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips.
Cole Jordan – D, Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL
20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (141st overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 17 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 10.20 |
Jordan suffered a season-ending injury in mid-November.
Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL
20; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| AHL regular season | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 13.28 |
| ECHL regular season | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins had a really solid first pro season in the ECHL, though it was derailed a bit by a mid-season injury. He’s up with the Wranglers for the playoffs.
Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19.93 |
Klapka had a really strong second half to his AHL season, and he’s quietly becoming a really effective net-front guy for the Wranglers’ power play. He’s huge!
Demetrios Koumontzis – RW/D, Arizona State University Sun Devils, NCAA/Independent / 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 | |
| NCAA regular season | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
| ECHL regular season | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 11.48 |
Koumontzis caught on with Idaho of the ECHL, but he hasn’t played in the ECHL playoffs yet.
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 11th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov was scratched in the first two games of the playoffs in favour of Kristians Rubins, a product of the Wranglers having extra bodies and Mitch Love’s seeming preference for keeping players on their toes.
Cade Littler – C, Wenatchee Wild, BCHL / Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL
18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| BCHL regular season | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | n/a |
| Playoffs | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – | n/a |
| USHL playoffs | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5.74 |
Littler’s BCHL team was eliminated from the playoffs. He joined Cedar Rapids in the USHL, helped them advance through one round of the USHL post-season, but they, too, were eliminated. It appears that his season has concluded.
Ilya Nikolaev – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL
21; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 18th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| AHL regular season | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
| ECHL regular season | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
Nikolaev wasn’t brought up to the Wranglers when the Rush’s season ended due to an injury. It appears that his season is over.
Josh Nodler – C, University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Minutemen, NCAA/HE
21; Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 27 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 4.25 |
Nodler’s season is over, but it appears his college career will continue with a redshirt senior season. He’s transferred to Bowling Green for 2023-24.
Jakob Pelletier – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 3rd-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 39.85 |
Pelletier played a couple games for the Wranglers in the regular season after the Flames’ season ended. He has yet to dominate a playoff game, but he’s been pretty clutch so far. He scored the overtime game-winner in Game 1 and assisted on Matthew Phillips’ OT winner in Game 2.
Emilio Pettersen – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (167th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 14th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 61 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 118 | 28.75 |
| Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
Pettersen was scratched in Game 2 of the Wranglers’ playoff series.
Matthew Phillips – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Calgary’s sixth round pick (166th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft; 7th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 66 | 36 | 40 | 76 | 61 | 44 | 39 | 193 | 45.89 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 39.85 |
Noted goon Phillips – who had 12 penalty minutes in the regular season – was ejected from Game 1 of the Wranglers’ playoff series for spearing. He returned for Game 2 and scored the game-winner in overtime.
Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 8th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 19.93 |
Poirier finished off a superb rookie season and moved onto the playoffs. He’s on the Wranglers’ second pairing alongside Colton Poolman.
Martin Pospisil – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (105th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 12th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 20 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 48 | 19.93 |
Pospisil has been out due to injury since the end of December. (He has yet to dress for a game in 2023.)
Topi Rönni – C, Tappara Tampere, Liiga/U20 SM-sarja/CHL / Finland, WJC
18; Calgary’s second round pick (59th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 13th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Liiga regular season | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 8.42 |
| CHL tournament | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a |
| U20 regular season | 7 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 4 | – | 23.43 |
| Playoffs | 12 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 11 | 3 | 3 | – | 20.50 |
Rönni bounced around a bunch this season, playing with Tappara in three different levels of competition and playing in the World Juniors. Tappara was a good environment for him, though, as the team won the SM-sarja U20, Liiga and Champions League crowns. Rönni finished second in the SM-sarja U20 playoffs in points and was a big reason why his team won.
Kristians Rubins – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
25; Acquired in a trade with Ottawa
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 26.57 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 19.93 |
Rubins was acquired at the AHL trade deadline to be useful veteran depth for the Wranglers. So far, he’s been exactly as advertised.
Cole Schwindt – C/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 10th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
| Playoffs | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
Schwindt was scratched in Game 1 of the playoffs, but rotated back in for Game 2. He hasn’t had the best first season in the organization, but he’s also competing for playing time with a lot of established AHLers and players who had already spent time in the Flames’ system.
Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 17th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19.93 |
It’s hard to believe that Solovyov is the same player that started the season. In October, he was a little jumpy in his own zone. But over the past while, he’s found a nice niche alongside Nick DeSimone. Keep an eye on him in the playoffs.
William Strömgren – LW, Rögle BK/Brynäs IF, SHL/J20 Nationell/CHL / Sweden, WJC / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
19; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 16th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| SHL regular season | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
| Relegation series | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | n/a |
| J20 regular season | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 47.48 |
| CHL tournament | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| AHL regular season | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Strömgren signed his entry-level deal, hung around the Wranglers for a couple weeks, and then headed back home to get a start on his off-season training. (Which was always the plan.) He’s played a lot of hockey and played all over the place, and it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to North America in 2023-24.
Cameron Whynot – D, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL
19; Calgary’s third round pick (89th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 48 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 52 | 12.13 |
| Playoffs | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.82 |
Whynot missed a bunch of games during the regular season, and missed time late in the regular season due to blocking a shot. He returned for the second round.
Connor Zary – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s first round pick (24th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 4th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Regular season | 72 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 36 | 31 | 21 | 183 | 32.10 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 |
Zary was the only Wranglers player to play in every single regular season game, which will probably be important for his development given how uneven his prior season was due to injury. The strength of his game may be his consistency; his NHLe didn’t really wobble around much all season, usually hanging around just north of 30. Let’s see if he can find another level in the future.
Daniil Chechelev – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| AHL regular season | 2 | 125 | .881 |
| ECHL regular season | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
Chechelev spent the season as the top goalie with the Rush, and he’s joined the Wranglers as their third goalie for their post-season run.
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% | |
| Regular season | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
Last season, Sergeev split goaltending duties at UConn with sophomore Logan Terness. Well, Sergeev got slightly more starts and got the bigger ones down the stretch. Terness entered the transfer portal and will play his junior year at Ohio State, leaving Sergeev as the undisputed starter for UConn next season.
Dustin Wolf – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 1st-ranked prospect
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Regular season | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
| Playoffs | 2 | 140 | .924 |
Wolf had a busy April. He won three of his four AHL starts. He made his NHL debut in the Flames’ season finale and won that game, too. Then he backstopped the Wranglers to a pair of overtime wins against Abbotsford in the playoffs. Wolf is good at getting in the way of pucks.
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