Flames prospect update: Rounding into playoff form
By Ryan Pike
1 year agoIt’s the most wonderful time of the year, friends. Well, aside from the snow… It’s getting into the meat of the month of April and playoffs are around the corner for basically all of North American hockey. Heck, European leagues are already into the playoff periods.
For the Calgary Flames’ prospects, the vast majority of them are headed to the post-season. Let’s see how they’re preparing!
This and that
- The playing seasons are over for F Mitchell Mattson (Michigan State), F Josh Nodler (also Michigan State), F Demetrios Koumontzis (Arizona State), D Jake Boltmann (Notre Dame) and F Matt Coronato (Harvard). All indications are that Nodler, Koumontzis, Boltmann and Coronato will be returning to school for the 2023-23 season, though Nodler has entered the NCAA’s transfer portal and is reportedly moving to U Mass (no official announcement has been made yet).
- Connor Mackey and Adam Ruzicka were both recalled to the Flames’ on regular recalls, so it seems unlikely that they will be sent back to Stockton before the end of the season.
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 | 36 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 25 | 38 | 22 | 32.37 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | +1.21 |
Despite missing a good chunk of his season to a pretty gnarly injury – his kidney was bruised, which absolutely sucks – Jack Beck ended up having a superb Draft+1 season. Especially when you consider he didn’t actually have a draft season, as all of 2020-21 was wiped out due to the pandemic. He finished his regular season in his usual consistent manner, racking up three goals and four points over a weekend.
The 67’s will face the North Bay Battalion in the first round of the OHL playoffs starting this coming weekend.
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 | 53 | 17 | 18 | 35 | 23 | 26 | 16 | 16.35 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | +0.81 |
Lucas Ciona had a rock-solid end to the regular season, including a three point effort in a big Seattle win. He hasn’t had the best Draft+1 season, particularly considering the chunks of time he lost to injury, but he’s been a steady secondary contributor for the Thunderbirds.
The T-Birds will face the Kelowna Rockets in the first round of the WHL playoffs starting 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 | 54 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 17 | 12 | 15.50 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -0.13 |
Walker Duehr had an assist for the Heat. He’s been bouncing around their middle six lines over the past few weeks.
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 | 32 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 20 | 18 | 16 | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Lucas Feuk remains fairly quiet offensively as Vasby battles in the HockeyAllsvenskan qualifying round: six teams play a round robin, and the best team moves into Sweden’s second tier. Vasby has won once so far and remains in last place in the round robin.
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 | 49 | 24 | 38 | 62 | 37 | 53 | 33 | 29.47 |
| Change from last week | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | +1.01 |
He initially struggled a bit to adjust back to junior after being sent back from Stockton, but Ryan Francis ended up having a very good overage season. The QMJHL runs until the end of the month, but he’s on pace to possibly crack the 30 NHLe plateau, which generally indicates that a player is pretty dang productive offensively.
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 | 60 | 14 | 34 | 48 | 24 | 31 | 18 | 31.88 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.98 |
Glenn Gawdin’s slowed down offensively of late, in part because Stockton’s played the same few teams over and over and the top line is getting some tough shutdown match-ups. But he remains a very productive AHLer, even if his scoring has slowed down.
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 | 35 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 13 | 16.63 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.56 |
Since returning to the Titan lineup, Cole Huckins has been playing primarily in their bottom six and has zero points.
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 | 36 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 7.57 |
| Change from last week | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | +1.01 |
Cole Jordan has reportedly been looking more like his draft year self, with an expanded role and a bit more swagger in his game.
The Warriors have qualified for the WHL playoffs and will face the Saskatoon Blades in the first round.
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 | 67 | 43 | 75 | 118 | 64 | 93 | 58 | 46.65 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | +0.61 |
Rory Kerins is pretty good at hockey. He finished the regular season second in the OHL in points and was named the OHL’s player of the month.
The Greyhounds qualified for the OHL playoffs and will face the Guelph Storm in the first round.
Johannes Kinnvall – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 18 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 17.71 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.22 |
Kinnvall played twice and failed to hit the scoresheet. He was scratched in the third game.
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 | 61 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 23 | 36 | 18 | 28.75 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -0.09 |
Justin Kirkland keeps doing his thing on Stockton’s second line.
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 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11.92 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.77 |
Yan Kuznetsov returned from injury! For one game! Then he missed the remainder of Saint John’s games, presumably with an injury (again).
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 | 57 | 23 | 48 | 71 | 36 | 46 | 22 | 28.60 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | +0.11 |
The USHL season has one more weekend left and Ilya Nikolaev, an overager who played some European pro hockey, is 11th in the league in scoring. That’s to be expected, but it’s also pretty good given this is his first season in North America.
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 | 61 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 31 | 44 | 24 | 37.89 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +0.06 |
Jakob Pelletier had two power play points, then missed a game due to injury. (Hopefully it’s minor.)
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 | 54 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 16.97 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +0.11 |
The Emilio Pettersen experience: he scored a goal, but was also a scratch this week. When he plays, he’s in the bottom six.
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 | 60 | 29 | 35 | 64 | 36 | 50 | 31 | 42.51 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -0.84 |
Matthew Phillips had two power play points this week and remains Stockton’s top scorer, and one of the top producers in the AHL.
Luke Philp – C, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 61 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 24 | 29 | 18 | 28.75 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.80 |
Philp set up a shorthanded goal this week, but was otherwise quiet.
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 | 62 | 14 | 38 | 51 | 35 | 32 | 21 | 19.53 |
| Change from last week | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.95 |
Jeremie Poirier’s scoring pace has slowed in the last quarter of the QMJHL season, but he’s still among the top point-producers in the Q.
Colton Poolman – D, Stockton Heat, AHL
Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | 5v5 P | P1 | 5v5 P1 | NHLe | |
| Up to date | 57 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 8.39 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.47 |
Poolman did not register any points this week, playing with some combination of Greg Moro and Johannes Kinnvall on the third pairing.
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 | 42 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 13 | 19 | 11 | 22.77 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.73 |
Pospisil has bounced around Stockton’s middle six lately. He had a secondary assist on a power play goal this week.
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 | 46 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6.06 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Solovyov missed this week’s games due to injury.
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 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J20 up to date | 44 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 17 | 25 | 13 | 12.95 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CHL up to date | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | n/a |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Stromgren dressed as the 13th forward once for Rogle’s SHL team in their league semi-final series with Farjestad, but was scratched for their second game. (It appears that Rogle is rotating their junior-aged forwards through that spot.)
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 | 56 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 17.08 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -0.21 |
Tuulola scored a goal this week. He’s bouncing around Stockton’s bottom two forward lines.
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 | 45 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 8.80 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Whynot missed this week’s games due to injury. (Yes, he just returned last week, but apparently he is out again.)
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 | 51 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 15 | 20 | 14 | 18.75 |
| Change from last week | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1.18 |
Zary has been centring Stockton’s third line. He failed to hit the scoresheet in three games.
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 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.62 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -0.37 |
| KHL up to date | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19.78 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Zavgorodniy dressed for one game, played on the fourth line, and had zero points. He was a healthy scratch in the other two Heat games.
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% | |
| ECHL up to date | 30 | 1715 | .894 |
| Change from last week | – | – | – |
Chechelev is currently the third string goalie with Stockton. Kansas City’s season has ended.
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 | 40 | 2253 | .918 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 60 | n/a |
Sergeev won his only start this week, allowing two goals.
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 | 19 | 1067 | .879 |
| Change from last week | 1 | 61 | -.001 |
Werner played once over Stockton’s three games, and he was in net for an overtime win.
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 | 45 | 2693 | .923 |
| Change from last week | 2 | 118 | -.002 |
The Heat had a challenging three games with Henderson, and Wolf had a couple games where he faced a ton of high-quality scoring chances. He hung in there, but he gave up eight goals across a pair of losses.
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