Calgary Wranglers series preview: Friday matinee game kicks off Gulls series at home
5 months ago
The Calgary Wranglers are back in action for their first game since the All-Star break and their first home game since Jan. 12. In the seven games since their last showing at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the Wranglers have gone 2-4-0-1. They have also taken a tumble in the standings and sit third in the Pacific Division. Being in the second half of the season, the upcoming games will start to be more and more significant with each passing day.
Projected lineups
Calgary
Forwards: Mitch McLain, Zack Andrusiak, Ilya Nikolaev, Lucas Ciona, Ben Jones, Clark Bishop, Alex Gallant, Rory Kerins, Mark Duarte, Matt Coronato, Adam Klapka, William Sromgren, Emilio Pettersen
Defensemen: Colton Poolman, Ilya Solovyov, Mark Pysyk, Will Riedell, Brady Lyle, Yan Kuznetsov, Sam Jardine, Jonathan Aspirot
Goaltenders: Dustin Wolf, Oscar Dansk
San Diego
Nikita Nesterenko – Andrew Agozzino – Pavol Regenda
Chase De Leo – Glenn Gawdin – Judd Caulfield
Sasha Pastujov – Nathan Gaucher – Brayden Tracey
Jaxsen Wiebe – Josh Lopina – Ben King
Trevor Carrick – Colton White
Tyson Hinds – Drew Helleson
Nick Wolff – Olen Zellweger
Tomas Suchanek
Alex Stalock
Leaders
Calgary
Matt Coronato – 30GP, 12G, 20A
Matt Coronato – 30GP, 12G, 20A
Ben Jones – 42GP, 14G, 14A
Emilio Pettersen – 42GP, 7G, 20A
San Diego
Andrew Agozzino – 41GP, 10G, 23A
Trevor Carrick – 41GP, 5G, 24A
Olen Zellweger – 36GP, 8G, 18A
Notes and expectations
Three members of the team are coming back off a Pacific Division win at the All-Star game. Head Coach, Trent Cull coached them to a win and Wranglers representatives, Matt Coronato and Dustin Wolf contributed to the success in integral ways. Coronato had a highlight reel shootout goal and three points in his four games. Wolf turned away 13 of 17 shots he faced in the three games he played in and had the most wins out of the represented goaltenders with two. His other game ended in a 1-1 tie.
Since the last time the Wranglers played, they have lost a few bodies to call-ups. It was expected, however. The way the NHL and AHL all-star breaks lined up allowed guys on two-way deals to come down and get three more games in before they returned to the Flames. It also allowed Jakob Pelletier and Kevin Rooney to get more games in with the guys they’ll be playing with at the NHL level.
On Feb. 4, Jakob Pelletier, Kevin Rooney and Cole Schwindt all got called up to the Flames. Adam Klapka and Matt Coronato, who were with the Flames prior to the All-Star break, remain with the Wranglers for now. Both Rooney and Pelletier played with the Flames in the last two games this week. These are the largest names that needed some conditioning time with the Wranglers after coming off injuries. The next player to keep an eye on for his return is Jeremie Poirier. His return is still expected to be a couple of months out, but if he continues to progress, the Wranglers may have him on the blue line for playoffs.
Someone to keep an eye on going into this series is Yan Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov is on a season-high three-game point streak with two goals and an assist. The defender was named the first star of the game in their win over the Ontario Reign and scored the game-winning goal. Kuznetsov got a taste of the NHL playing in his first game with the Flames back on January 9th and he appears to be doing everything in his power to stay on their radar.
This series between the Gulls and Wranglers will start with a Friday matinee game at 1:00 p.m. MT then continue into Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. Tickets are still available if you’d like to attend in person or you can listen to the Fan960 for play by play action. These games will also be streamed on AHL.tv for a fee. FlamesNation contributors Mike Gould and I will have updates on X (formerly Twitter).
Light up the lanes with the Barn Burner Bowlerama for KidSport, presented by McLeod Law! On February 29th, join the Barn Burner crew and fellow bowling enthusiasts for the hottest night of the year! Not only are we competing for bowling bragging rights, but we’re coming together to raise much needed funds to support kids of low-income families get off the sidelines and into the game. Bowling, prizes, swag and more! Sign your team up today at NationGear!
Recent articles from Paige Siewert
