The Wranglers are feeling the call-up pinch: a Calgary Flames prospect update
By Ryan Pike
3 months agoWhen he was hired as Calgary Flames general manager, Craig Conroy pledged to give young players a chance. And if you look at the Flames’ current roster, that’s happening.
If you look at FlamesNation‘s summer top 20 prospect rankings, five of the top 10 players have spent time on the NHL roster. (And another two players in the top 20, and another player that just missed the top 20.) But the challenge with the Calgary Wranglers losing some of their best and brightest to the NHL is that they still need to compete and win games.
The Wranglers played this weekend without reigning most valuable player Dustin Wolf. And Adam Klapka and Matt Coronato, who were both summoned to the NHL. Cole Schwindt was also recalled later in the week. As a result, the Wranglers’ depth was a bit stretched.
The good news is that Oscar Dansk, signed as a reliable veteran backup, has arguably exceeded expectations and boasts goaltending stats that aren’t all that far off from Wolf. And William Strömgren, who’s been a solid if unspectacular two-way checking winger this season as he learns the North American game, had four assists over two games.
Eventually we’ll see Jakob Pelletier suit up. And some of the call-ups will return to the Wranglers. (And some of their injured players will return.) For now, though, there’s a lot of ice time in key situations up for grabs. Let’s see who grabs hold of it.
Let’s dive into this week’s prospect snapshot!
Parker Bell – LW/C, Tri-City Americans, WHL
20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 34 | 19 | 17 | 36 | 29 | 21 | 19 | 137 | 26.22 |
| 2022-23 | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
Bell slowed down a bit offensively this week, with an assist over two games.
Jake Boltmann – D, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA/Big 10
22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 1.37 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 3.69 |
Boltmann finally registered his first point of his senior year in his 19th game. It was his first point in nearly a full year.
Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 11th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 33 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 3.62 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
Ciona keeps plugging along. He plays with pace. He plays physical. He doesn’t score a ton. But he doesn’t look out of place at all.
Matt Coronato – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; 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 | |
| Season to date | 27 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 21 | 20 | 14 | 94 | 42.80 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 34 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 16 | 141 | 24.31 |
Coronato spent this week in the NHL.
Samuel Honzek – LW/C, Vancouver Giants, WHL/Slovakia, WJC
19; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 4th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| WHL season to date | 11 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 36 | 31.52 |
| WJC season to date | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | n/a |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 43 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 40 | 36 | 26 | 134 | 32.25 |
Honzek is still getting his mojo back offensively after missing so much time. His five-on-five production is a bit lean so far, but he’s already pretty consistent and productive – and he probably has a gear above this current one.
Axel Hurtig – D, Rögle BK, J20 Nationell/SHL / Kristianstads IK, HockeyEttan
18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| J20 season to date | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 31 | 17.30 |
| SHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| HockeyEttan season to date | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | n/a |
| 2022-23 (J20) | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 47 | 3.82 |
Hurtig keeps doing his thing. He split this week between Rögle’s junior side and a loan to HockeyEttan. He’s a top pair junior player and a second pair player in the third tier of Swedish pro hockey.
Ben Jones – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing; 12th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 37 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 94 | 28.85 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Jones had a power play goal. He’s played every single Wranglers game this season, and he’s generally been really reliable and consistent.
Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 14th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 29 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 31.61 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins keeps plugging along. His scoring pace isn’t as strong as, say, Matt Coronato, but his draft pedigree isn’t there either. He’s still a great bright spot for the Wranglers, especially offensively.
Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Free agent signing; 18th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 33 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 88 | 25.36 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
Klapka spent this week in the NHL.
Demetrios Koumonztis – D/RW, 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 | |
| Season to date | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 5.47 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Koumontzis was quiet this week for Idaho.
Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 17th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 33 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 40 | 9.66 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov returned to action after spending time in the NHL, and scored a goal. Hooray!
Jaden Lipinski – C, Vancouver Giants, WHL
19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 16th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 43 | 12 | 27 | 39 | 27 | 14 | 10 | 105 | 22.46 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
Lipinski had a power play assist this week.
Cade Littler – C, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL / Penticton Vees, BCHL
19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| USHL season to date | 13 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 19.43 |
| BCHL season to date | 15 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 3 | – | 5.69 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | 8.75 |
The BCHL was off this week as they had their All-Star festivities going on.
Brady Lyle – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 36 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 83 | 14.39 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 51 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 124 | 24.22 |
Lyle played once and was scratched once.
Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL
18; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 36 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 19 | 13 | 8 | 116 | 21.35 |
| 2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
Morin had four assists in three games, though his points came primarily on the power play. (As usual: look at all those shots on goal. He’s generating a lot.)
Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 9.96 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
With a few players above him in the rotation getting called up, Nikolaev rotated back into the lineup. He had zero points.
Jakob Pelletier – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall); 3rd-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
Pelletier is back practising with the Wranglers. He’s nearing a return to game action.
Emilio Pettersen – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Calgary’s sixth round pick (167th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 20th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 37 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 54 | 28.00 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 61 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 118 | 28.75 |
Pettersen was held off the scoresheet this week. He remains more or less on the same scoring pace he had last season.
Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 69.74 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
Poirier remains out “indefinitely” after suffering a serious laceration early in the season.
Topi Rönni – C, Tappara Tampere, Liiga/SM-sarja U20/CHL
19; Calgary’s second round pick (59th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 10th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date (Liiga) | 19 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 3.90 |
| Season to date (U20) | 11 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 28.33 |
| Season to date (CHL) | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | n/a |
| 2022-23 (Liiga) | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 8.42 |
Rönni had four points in two games for Tappara’s junior team. He hasn’t played a pro game in awhile.
Cole Schwindt – C/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 9th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 37 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 70 | 21.54 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
Schwindt had a good week. He chipped in a pair of assists for the Wranglers over the weekend, then was called up and made his Flames debut on Tuesday evening.
Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 8th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 29 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 52 | 9.62 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
Solovyov had an assist this weekend. He’s a shutdown guy, but he keeps plugging along and chips in points here and there.
William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 19th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 34 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 30 | 9.38 |
| 2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Strömgren had four points this season coming into this weekend. He had four assists this weekend, doubling his season total.
Aydar Suniev – LW/C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA/Hockey East
19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 13th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 21 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 55 | 26.09 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 50 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 73 | 47 | 40 | – | 11.81 |
Suniev was held off the scoresheet in UMass’ lone game this weekend, but they battled to beat a pretty good Northeastern team in a tight game.
Daniil Chechelev – G, Ryazan-VDV, VHL
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 1 | 58 | .888 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
Chechelev dressed as backup twice.
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% | |
| Season to date | 8 | 460 | .925 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
Sergeev continued to split starts with senior Ethan Haider for the second consecutive weekend. For the second consecutive weekend, Sergeev delivered. He made 42 saves in a win and was named the Hockey East conference’s top goaltender for the second straight week.
Dustin Wolf – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 1st-ranked prospect
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 23 | 1346 | .929 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
Wolf was in the NHL until Monday and missed the weekend’s AHL games.
Yegor Yegorov – G, MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL
18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| Season to date | 19 | 1055 | .931 |
| 2022-23 (MHL) | 15 | 786 | .915 |
Yegorov dressed as backup once.
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