The Wranglers hit their home stretch: a Calgary Flames prospect update
By Ryan Pike
3 months agoThe Calgary Wranglers will finish their regular season on Apr. 20 – a couple Saturdays from now – when they visit the Abbotsford Canucks. Unlike their National Hockey League parent, the Wranglers’ season will continue into post-season play.
But the final four games could be really significant or a time for experimentation for Trent Cull and his coaching staff. And it all kind of depends on what happens above them in the standings.
In the AHL’s Pacific Division, the top seven teams make the playoffs. The top seed, Coachella Valley, gets a bye into the division semi-final round. Meanwhile, the other six teams – seeds 2 through 7 – compete in best-of-three series to determine who joins Coachella Valley in the next round.
Here’s how the playoff picture looks, ignoring the Firebirds at top spot.
| Seed | Team | Points | Games Left |
| 2 | Tucson | 83 | COL (x2), CV, SJB (x2) |
| 3 | Ontario | 83 | CV, SD, HEN, BAK, COL (x2) |
| 4 | Colorado | 81 | TUC (x2), SD (x2), ONT (x2) |
| 5 | Abbotsford | 79 | CGY (x4) |
| 6 | Bakersfield | 78 | SD, CV, ONT, HEN (x2) |
| 7 | Calgary | 78 | ABB (x4) |
It’s entirely possible for the Wranglers to (a) get home ice or (b) finish in the second seed. They have four games left and could potentially finish with 86 points. But aside from Abbotsford, everybody above them has more games left than they do, and so a lot of the ability to climb up the standings is up to how the other teams handle their business.
As of right now, officially, the Wranglers are carrying 29 players: 3 goalies, 10 defencemen and 16 forwards. (Brady Lyle is injured but counts as part of the total here.) And the expectation is that Samuel Honzek, Jaden Lipinski and Etienne Morin will join the Wranglers shortly, even if just to practice, which would swell the roster to 32 players. (And Dustin Wolf, Ilya Solovyov and Matt Coronato are expected to rejoin the club when the NHL season ends on Apr. 18.) That’s a lot of bodies to have around, even if the Flames’ development team will likely be working with some of the younger players.
But here’s the rub, the Wranglers are pursuing (and trying to balance) two goals right now:
- Get the AHL team ready for a long playoff run.
- Develop players for the NHL team.
So far, with the Wranglers’ playoff placement still able to change, the coaching staff has used their new faces sparingly – AHL signee David Silye played once, as did WHL call-up Parker Bell, while Joni Jurmo hasn’t dressed yet. But if the Wranglers’ playoff slot gets cemented, we could see more. We wouldn’t expect the Wranglers to go full youth, though, as they still want to keep momentum rolling as the start of the playoffs approach.
Let’s dive into this week’s prospect update!
Parker Bell – LW/C, Tri-City Americans, WHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| WHL season to date | 59 | 33 | 31 | 64 | 50 | 35 | 31 | 231 | 26.86 |
| AHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
Bell made his AHL season debut on Friday. He played on the fourth line and was perfectly fine.
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 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 1.82 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 3.69 |
Boltmann’s NCAA season is complete. He’s transferred to Northeastern University for the 2024-25 season.
Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Kitchener Rangers, OHL
19; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 67 | 13 | 79 | 92 | 46 | 65 | 34 | 140 | 36.37 |
| 2022-23 (OHL) | 68 | 6 | 51 | 57 | 32 | 31 | 21 | 110 | 22.20 |
Kitchener beat Erie in overtime on Tuesday – their third OT win of the series – to advance to the second round of the OHL’s playoffs. Brzustewicz had four assists over the six game series.
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 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 4.43 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
With the Wranglers juggling so many bodies right now, Ciona sat for two games last weekend.
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 | 40 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 28 | 27 | 17 | 137 | 41.84 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 34 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 16 | 141 | 24.31 |
Coronato is in the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.
Riley Damiani – C, Texas Stars/Calgary Wranglers, AHL
23; Dallas’ fifth round pick (137th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 64 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 94 | 14.94 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 59 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 87 | 20.94 |
Damiani dressed once and sat once. When he dressed, he centred the third line.
Artem Grushnikov – D, Texas Stars/Calgary Wranglers, AHL
20; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 60 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 64 | 3.99 |
| 2022-23 (OHL) | 65 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 116 | 6.93 |
Grushnikov dressed once and sat once. When he dressed, he played with Ilya Solovyov on the shutdown pairing.
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 | 33 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 86 | 23.26 |
| 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 |
The Giants were eliminated from the playoffs last week. Honzek is expected to join the Wranglers imminently. He’s already under contract, so he’ll just be re-assigned by the big club.
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 | 27 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 54 | 15.10 |
| SHL season to date | 7 | 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 is playing on the second pairing for Kristianstads IK as they play in the Hockeyettan Kvalserien till HockeyAllsvenskan (the play-in league to compete for a spot in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan). Currently, Kristianstads is in first place. Through five games, Hurtig has an assist and is plus-1.
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 | 68 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 34 | 28 | 22 | 201 | 25.20 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Jones is the only Wrangler to have dressed in every game this season. He had an assist in two games last week.
Joni Jurmo – D, Ilves Tampere/KooKoo Kuovola, Liiga/CHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
21; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Liiga season to date | 46 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 63 | 4.03 |
| CHL season to date | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | n/a |
| AHL season to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2022-23 (Liiga) | 52 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 118 | 9.27 |
Jurmo is with the Wranglers but hasn’t dressed quite yet.
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 | 51 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 109 | 24.22 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins has been streaky this season, but now he’s back on a hot streak. He had two goals in two games last week.
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 | 62 | 21 | 23 | 44 | 34 | 30 | 22 | 175 | 28.28 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
Klapka played twice and had an assist last week. He continues to be one of their most consistent forwards offensively.
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 | 46 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 84 | 9.48 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Koumontzis didn’t hit the scoresheet this week in the ECHL.
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 | 60 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 85 | 7.97 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov dressed once and sat once. He played on the second pairing with Colton Poolman when he dressed.
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 | 67 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 47 | 33 | 23 | 181 | 24.39 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
The Giants were eliminated from the playoffs last week. Lipinski is expected to join the Wranglers imminently on an amateur try-out deal.
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 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 17 | 9 | 6 | – | 5.51 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | 8.75 |
Littler is injured, but the expectation is he could return in the playoffs should the Vees last for a little bit. They’re one of the top seeds in the league, so it doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility that they could last a few rounds.
Brady Lyle – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 46 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 100 | 13.00 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 51 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 124 | 24.22 |
Lyle is injured. He last played on Feb. 19.
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 | 58 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 13 | 191 | 19.67 |
| 2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
The Wildcats were eliminated from the playoffs last week. Morin is expected to join the Wranglers imminently on an amateur try-out deal.
Sam Morton – C, Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks, NCAA / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| NCAA season to date | 37 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 32 | 20 | 19 | 151 | 24.00 |
| AHL season to date | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 19.93 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 21.00 |
Morton had no points in two games last week. He’s become a pretty useful, reliable player for the Wranglers’ top six forward group.
Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL
22; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| AHL season to date | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 8.25 |
| ECHL season to date | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 28.70 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
The good news: Nikolaev is playing and producing offensively. The less-good news: it’s in the ECHL.
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 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 31.31 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
Pelletier had three points over two games last week. He’s starting to get his offensive mojo back.
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 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 40 | 27.27 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
Poirier dressed once and sat once – likely for load management reasons considering he missed so much time due to injury and the Wranglers have had a hectic schedule. When he dressed, he played with Colton Poolman.
Cole Schwindt – C/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
22; Florida’s third round pick (81st overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 9th-ranked prospect
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 62 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 25 | 22 | 14 | 120 | 21.85 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
Schwindt played twice last week and registered an assist. He continues to have a quietly effective season for the Wranglers.
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 | 50 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 84 | 11.16 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
Solovyov played two games, then was called up to the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.
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 | 64 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 72 | 15.57 |
| 2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Strömgren had three points in one game and zero in the other. He continues to have a really strong second half to his season.
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 | 35 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 100 | 23.02 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 50 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 73 | 47 | 40 | – | 11.81 |
Suniev’s season is finished.
Daniil Chechelev – G, HC Vityaz, KHL / Ryazan-VDV, VHL
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
| GP | TOI | SV% | |
| KHL season to date | 1 | 58 | .880 |
| VHL season to date | 5 | 271 | .908 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
Chechelev’s season is finished.
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 | 16 | 934 | .913 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
Sergeev’s season is finished. He’ll be joining Penn State for the 2024-25 season.
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 | 35 | 2025 | .923 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
Wolf is in the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.
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 | 25 | 1319 | .917 |
| 2022-23 (MHL) | 15 | 786 | .915 |
Yegorov’s season is finished.
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