Calgary Flames prospect update: Dustin Wolf and Jakob Pelletier continue to shine
By Ryan Pike
2 years agoWe’re trudging towards the holiday season, friends, and two gifts that keep on giving for the Calgary Flames are 2019 draft selections Dustin Wolf and Jakob Pelletier. Not only are the dynamic duo two of the best players for the Stockton Heat, but they’re also among the best players in the entire American Hockey League.
And they’re both just 20 years old.
Let’s see how all the prospects are faring this week.
This and that:
- D Johannes Kinnvall and G Tyler Parsons are on the Flames’ season-opening injury reserve after suffering injuries.
- We’re not including Juuso Valimaki’s AHL run in here because (a) it was two games and (b) he’s played enough NHL games that we no longer considered him a prospect.
Jack Beck – RW, Ottawa 67’s, OHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (168th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 12 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 37.52 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Beck remains out with an injury. (We haven’t heard much about it, oddly.)
Jake Boltmann – D, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA/Big10
Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 13 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 13.65 |
| Change from last week | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.05 |
Boltmann had a quiet offensive week, but he remains one of the most consistent offensive contributors from the blueline for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are currently 8th in the USCHO.com national rankings.
Lucas Ciona – LW, Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 21 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11.79 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.59 |
Ciona had an assist this week, continuing a fairly quiet offensive season for the aspiring power forward.
Matthew Coronato – RW, Harvard University Crimson, NCAA/HE
Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; #1-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 11 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 25.05 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | -0.46 |
Coronato had two goals in one game and a lot of shots on goal overall. He’s generating a lot of chances for Harvard and seems poised for an offensive breakout – and this is from someone who’s already over a point-per-game. Harvard is ranked 20th in USCHO.com’s national rankings.
Walker Duehr – RW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 19.93 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2.84 |
Duehr had an assist this week. He’s a consistent player, but so far hasn’t moved the needle a lot offensively for Stockton.
Lucas Feuk – LW, Västerviks IK, HockeyAllsvenskan / Nybro Vikings IF/Väsby IK, HockeyEttan
Calgary’s fourth round pick (116th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Allsvenskan up to date | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6.51 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| HockeyEttan up to date | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | n/a |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
Feuk has been loaned to Väsby through the end of December in an effort to get him more consistent playing time. Two loans to HockeyEttan in one season doesn’t bode well for his NHL aspirations.
Ryan Francis – C, Stockton Heat, AHL / Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL
Calgary’s fifth round pick (143rd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #8-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| AHL up to date | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
| QMJHL up to date | 14 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 24.95 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4.69 |
Francis had a tough offensive week, by his standards, with just a single point through three games. He’s still seemingly trying to find his groove offensively after joining the Sea Dogs several weeks ago.
Glenn Gawdin – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
St. Louis’ fourth round pick (116th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft; free agent signing; #10-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 16 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 52.31 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | +9.39 |
Gawdin had a great week offensively, including posting a hat trick in Stockton’s 10-1 win over San Jose. With Adam Ruzicka in Calgary, Gawdin’s been centering Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier on the top line and they’ve really clicked well.
Emil Heineman – LW, Leksands IF, SHL/CHL
Florida’s second round pick (43rd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; acquired via trade; #14-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| SHL up to date | 25 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 21.50 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +2.38 |
| CHL up to date | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | n/a |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Heineman’s week in a nutshell: he had two assists in the SHL (yay) but was also minus-3 in a Champions League loss.
Cole Huckins – LW, Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL
Calgary’s third round pick (77th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; #19-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 22 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 14 | 17 | 11 | 21.17 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +0.21 |
Huckins hasn’t had a flashy season offensively – he doesn’t have big single game outbursts – but he’s keep clicking along at a steady 20 NHLe pace.
Cole Jordan – D, Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL
Calgary’s fifth round pick (141st overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Jordan hasn’t played since Oct. 2 with what’s listed on the WHL weekly report as an illness.
Rory Kerins – C, Soo Greyhounds, OHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #18-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 23 | 13 | 26 | 39 | 24 | 29 | 19 | 44.91 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | +4.55 |
Sometimes players respond negatively to being passed over for World Junior opportunities. Not Kerins. He was not invited to Hockey Canada’s selection camp and responded by going off offensively. His lowest-scoring game was three points, and he remains among the top offensive players in all of Canadian major junior hockey.
Justin Kirkland – LW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Nashville’s third round pick (62nd overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft; free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 13.28 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.66 |
So, Stockton scored 17 goals this week and Kirkland got points on zero of them. That’s pretty amazing bad puck luck.
Demetrios Koumontzis – LW, Arizona State University Sun Devils, NCAA/Ind.
Calgary’s fourth round pick (108th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 15 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 14.56 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.91 |
Koumontzis had an assist. He’s a senior who’s used in a secondary role.
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Stockton Heat, AHL / Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL
Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #15-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| AHL up to date | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| QMJHL up to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Kuznetsov has been assigned to Saint John. He’s expected to begin playing this weekend.
Connor Mackey – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing; #7-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 18 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 24.35 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | +13.72 |
Juuso Valimaki spent the weekend in Stockton and Mackey responded with a superb offensive week. Mackey was all over the scoresheet in all three games, nearly tripling his season’s offensive totals in the process. He’s a bit down the depth chart right now, but more weeks like this will ensure he’s not forgotten.
Mitchell Mattson – C, Michigan State University Spartans, NCAA/Big10
Calgary’s fifth round pick (126th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6.07 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.76 |
Mattson played a game as fourth line centre and was quiet offensively.
Ilya Nikolaev – C, Tri-City Storm, USHL
Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 16 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 22.96 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a |
Nikolaev missed one game due to a suspension and registered an assist in his return. He’s been an incredibly consistent offensive player for the Storm.
Josh Nodler – C, Michigan State University Spartans, NCAA/Big10
Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 18.77 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.68 |
Nodler had a quiet offensive week, with the two-way centre playing big minutes but not getting any points.
Jakob Pelletier – LW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; #3-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 18 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 48.71 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | +3.54 |
So, Pelletier seems to be legit. He had five points over three games, including three points in the 10-1 win, and now sits with 22 points. He’s two points back of two players who are tied for the AHL scoring lead at 24 points. For a 20-year-old rookie, he’s having an incredible introduction to pro hockey.
Emilio Pettersen – LW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (167th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; #11-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 15 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10.63 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.63 |
Pettersen was scratched in Stockton’s 10-1 win, but had zero points in the other two games (where they scored seven goals combined).
Matthew Phillips – RW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (166th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft; #5-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 15 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 42.51 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | +5.50 |
Phillips returned from the COVID list and had three points in Stockton’s big 10-1 win.
Luke Philp – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 18 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 24.35 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +3.10 |
Philp has gone quiet in terms of his goal-scoring, which used to be his bread and butter. But he’s still managing to get points, as his linemates kept scoring so he earned a bunch of assists this week.
Jérémie Poirier – D, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL
Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #9-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 26 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 24.18 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | +1.90 |
Poirier wasn’t invited to World Junior camp for Canada – he was probably a bit of a longshot given the number and quality of defenders returning to Team Canada – but he continues to produce at an impressive, reliable offensive clip for Saint John.
Colton Poolman – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7.97 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +1.33 |
Poolman is a third pairing fixture for Stockton who doesn’t get much offense. But he got an assist in their 10-1 shellacking of San Jose.
Martin Pospisil – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s fourth round pick (105th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; #16-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 12 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 26.57 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | n/a |
Pospisil is getting his swagger back after missing some time with an injury. He’s maintaining his weekly offensive output fairly consistently – two points every three games – but hopefully he can get back to his previous point-per-game level.
Adam Ruzicka – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s fourth round pick (109th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft; #6-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 49.05 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Ruzicka is in the NHL right now. He had his first NHL goal on Tuesday against the Sharks.
Ilya Solovyov – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #20-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.99 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +3.99 |
Solovyov is getting reliable third pairing reps now. He earned his first AHL point in Stockton’s 10-1 win over San Jose.
William Strömgren – LW, Rögle BK, J20 Nationell/CHL
Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; #13-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| J20 up to date | 26 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 13.39 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.12 |
| CHL up to date | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Strömgren wasn’t named to Sweden’s World Junior selection camp roster. He’s been a solid contributor for his team, but there were likely a few more impressive candidates among the bubble forwards.
Eetu Tuulola – RW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s sixth round pick (156th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 12.26 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.30 |
Tuulola chipped in with a goal in Stockton’s big win over San Jose.
Cameron Whynot – D, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL
Calgary’s third round pick (89th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 23 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 12.15 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.66 |
Whynot is maintaining his slow-and-steady offensive pace with an assist this week.
Connor Zary – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s first round pick (24th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #2-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11.96 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +6.27 |
Zary’s still finding his footing after missing a big chunk of the season with a training camp injury. He had two goals this week, which is hopefully an indication that he’s starting to find his way offensively.
Dmitry Zavgorodniy – RW, Stockton Heat, AHL / HC Sochi, KHL
Calgary’s seventh round pick (198th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| AHL up to date | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| KHL up to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Zavgorodniy was loaned to the KHL this week. He’s expected to begin play in the next week or two.
Daniil Chechelev – G, Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL
Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Up to date | 5 | 309 | .909 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 65 | +.007 |
Chechelev played once, played reasonably well, and gave his team a chance to win. He hasn’t been a world-beater, but he’s getting used to playing regularly and doing so in a league where team defense is more of a suggestion than something done regularly.
Arsenii Sergeev – G, Tri-City Storm, USHL
Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Up to date | 14 | 800 | .937 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 80 | -.012 |
Sergeev started two games and was chased out in one of them. By his standards, he got “lit up” (six goals against total) but he remains the statistical leader in everything goaltending in the USHL.
Adam Werner – G, Stockton Heat, AHL
Colorado’s fifth round pick (131st overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft; free agent signing
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Up to date | 6 | 362 | .882 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – |
Werner was Dustin Wolf’s backup for all three games this week.
Dustin Wolf – G, Stockton Heat, AHL
Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; #4-ranked prospect
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Up to date | 12 | 728 | .937 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 180 | +.005 |
It’s worth being blunt about Dustin Wolf, pals: he’s awesome. He’s undefeated in regulation. He’s the AHL leader in wins. He’s third in goals against average. He’s second in save percentage. He’s 20, and in a position where the Flames can leave him in the AHL to dominate awhile Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar do their thing in the NHL. He’s really, really good already and will probably figure out ways to get better with more AHL reps.
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