Calgary Flames prospect update: Matthew Phillips leads the youngsters into March
By Ryan Pike
2 years agoFolks, we’re heading into the month of March and everyone’s excited about the Calgary Flames – and rightfully so. But don’t sleep on the Stockton Heat, who are among the top teams in the American Hockey League, led by Matthew Phillips, and are a legitimate contender for the Calder Cup Championship.
Let’s check in on how all the Flames’ youngsters fared this week.
This and that
- G Tyler Parsons remains on the Flames’ season-opening injury reserve.
- He’s not technically a prospect anymore, but D Juuso Valimaki has seven points in 16 AHL games for Stockton.
- F Adam Ruzicka has gotten a full-time residence in Calgary, so it seems likely that he won’t be returning to Stockton anytime soon.
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 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 16 | 25 | 16 | 37.08 |
| Change from last week | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | +3.97 |
Beck had a great week, with two three-point games, a two-point game and one zero point game that we’ll ignore. On the day fellow OHL prospect Rory Kerins signed his NHL contract with the Flames, Beck celebrated with three assists to fuel a 67’s comeback win.
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 | 34 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 10.44 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.65 |
Boltmann had a quiet offensive week, as he has tended to do recently, but Notre Dame continues to roll along with him playing a rock-solid defensive role. Notre Dame faces Wisconsin in the first round of the Big 10 Conference tournament this coming weekend. The Irish are the higher seed and favoured in the series.
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 | 45 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 19 | 22 | 13 | 16.51 |
| Change from last week | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.40 |
Ciona had a couple assists this week, including setting up a dramatic last minute game-winner for the Thunderbirds on Tuesday night. (They scored twice in the final minute to turn a 3-2 loss into a 4-3 win.)
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 | 28 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 20.50 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | +1.21 |
Harvard finished their regular season with three games in three nights, winning twice. Coronato had a good weekend and was named Hockey East’s Rookie of the Week. The Crimson get a bye into the quarterfinals of the ECAC tournament, so they’re off this coming weekend.
Walker Duehr – RW, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 35 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 17.08 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.03 |
As has been the trend for him recently, Duehr’s offense has gone quiet and he’s come back to Earth a bit. He’s playing a regular top nine role in Stockton, but he’s more of a complimentary player than a driver of offense. He’s in the parade, but he’s not leading it by any stretch.
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 | 27 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 12 | n/a |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
The usual Feuk disclaimer: he’s playing in Sweden’s third division, where NHL talent rarely goes or emerges from. He’s playing fairly well there, though.
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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| QMJHL up to date | 27 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 17 | 23 | 14 | 25.01 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -2.16 |
Francis had a quiet week, by his standards, with just a single primary assist in three games. He seems likely to be signing an entry-level deal in the next few weeks, though, as his body of work in junior is collectively pretty impressive.
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 | 40 | 12 | 28 | 40 | 22 | 25 | 16 | 39.85 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | +1.05 |
Gawdin has been quite consistent all season, rarely going quiet offensively for more than a week at a time. After a quiet stretch, he appears to be heating up again. He’s an older player and expected to lead Stockton, and he’s doing just that.
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 | 28 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 13 | 20.79 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Huckins missed Acadie-Bathurst’s games this week due to an illness.
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 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5.63 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.56 |
Jordan remains quiet offensively. He’s on a good team that’s winning lots of games, but it’s also a deep team and so he’s been pushed down to the third pairing.
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 | 50 | 33 | 51 | 84 | 49 | 68 | 44 | 44.50 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | -0.02 |
Kerins signed his NHL deal with the Flames! He also had two multi-point games and sits second in the OHL in scoring. He’s good.
Johannes Kinnvall – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 8 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 29.89 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Kinnvall missed this weekend’s Heat games with a non-COVID illness.
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 | 41 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 14 | 20 | 10 | 25.27 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.75 |
Kirkland has been productive lately, as you’d hope from an older prospect. He had another pair of assists this week.
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 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 13.06 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Koumontzis remains out with an injury. Arizona State finishes their schedule with a pair of games against Long Island University next weekend and they’re a long shot to make the NCAA national tournament. There’s a good chance Koumontzis has played his final NCAA game already, which is kind of a bummer. (That said, I wouldn’t expect him to get offered an NHL contract based on his collegiate body of work.)
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 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 14.13 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1.32 |
Kuznetsov is slowing down a bit offensively, but the Sea Dogs are still chugging along towards the Memorial Cup.
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 | 42 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 25.62 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.28 |
Mackey had a power play assist this week.
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 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.60 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.13 |
Mattson played in one of Michigan State’s games this week. They’ll face Michigan this weekend in the Big 10 tournament and they could be his last NCAA games if they lose. (The Spartans are a longshot to make the NCAA tournament.)
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 | 38 | 13 | 30 | 43 | 21 | 27 | 13 | 25.98 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.17 |
Nikolaev’s season in a nutshell: a game of zero points and a game of multiple points in the same week.
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 | 34 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 12.05 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | +1.81 |
Michigan State finally broke their 2022-long losing skid, just in time for the conference playoffs, and Nodler was a big offensive driver of their success. They’ll face Michigan this weekend in the Big 10 tournament.
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 | 42 | 16 | 25 | 41 | 25 | 30 | 18 | 38.90 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.95 |
Pelletier had just a goal this weekend. He remains one of the top first-year players in the AHL offensively.
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 | 36 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 13.28 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.79 |
Pettersen didn’t register a point this week.
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 | 40 | 20 | 27 | 47 | 27 | 36 | 22 | 46.83 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | +1.73 |
As per usual, Phillips was a big offensive driver for the Heat this week. You’d hope he’d do that as one of their older NHL-drafted players, but he’s consistently done so. He had four points, all five-on-five, over the weekend.
Luke Philp – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 41 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 15 | 21 | 13 | 27.22 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.37 |
Philp had a goal 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 | 41 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 30 | 23 | 17 | 22.72 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | -0.57 |
Poirier remains one of the QMJHL’s most consistent offensive producers from the blueline.
Colton Poolman – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 37 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6.46 6.83 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.37 |
Poolman didn’t register a point this week.
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 | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 19.93 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Pospisil missed Stockton’s games this weekend with an injury.
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 | 35 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6.83 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.42 |
Solovyov didn’t register a point this week.
William Strömgren – LW, Rögle BK, J20 Nationell/CHL/SHL / IF Björklöven, HockeyAllsvenskan
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 | |
| SHL up to date | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | n/a |
| J20 up to date | 41 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 17 | 24 | 13 | 13.51 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.52 |
| CHL up to date | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Stromgren had a good week, with three points over two games – including one game where he scored the tying goal and then got an assist on the game-winner. He’s been on a nice consistent hot streak offensively lately, a nice turnaround from a bit of a stop/start situation he was in earlier this season. (His pro team also won the Champions League! He only played twice in the early rounds, but he was involved.)
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 | 38 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 14.68 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.82 |
Tuulola didn’t register a point this week.
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 | 32 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 10.92 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.72 |
Whynot has been in and out of the lineup lately due to injury and/or illness. He played this week, which is a good sign, but he failed to hit the scoresheet.
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 | 31 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 18.00 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.24 |
Zary had an assist in a one-sided Stockton loss to Abbotsford on Sunday.
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 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19.78 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Zavgorodniy has returned from Sochi, as their season has ended and they failed to qualify for the KHL playoffs. He’s back with Stockton, but didn’t play in either of their games this week.
Daniil Chechelev – G, Stockton Heat, AHL / Kansas City Mavericks, ECHL
Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Up to date | 24 | 1354 | .898 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 60 | -.002 |
Chechelev made one start this week, as Matt Greenfield got most of the work in Kansas City. He allowed four goals but picked up the win in his lone outing.
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 | 29 | 1671 | .929 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – |
Sergeev missed this week’s games due to being suspended.
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 | 14 | 803 | .894 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – |
Werner dressed as backup twice to Dustin Wolf.
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 | 29 | 1743 | .924 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 119 | -.002 |
Wolf started twice and won once. He was pretty good in the win, and less good in the loss (though he wasn’t out-and-out bad, just that the team in front of him allowed higher-quality chances than in the loss).
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