There are some promising goalies in the pipeline: a Calgary Flames prospect update
By Ryan Pike
5 months agoFriends, it’s no secret that Dustin Wolf is a really good hockey player. He was voted the top prospect in the Calgary Flames’ system during our annual summer rankings. (And the year before, too.)
But quietly, the Flames are building some strong depth in the netminding position behind Wolf.
In college, Arsenii Sergeev is in his second year with the University of Connecticut. (Go Huskies!) He had a few rough outings in November and didn’t get any game action for a few months. He got back into action after the winter break, and had a shutout. Since then, he’s continued to split starts with senior Ethan Haider. But he’s put up strong numbers and seems to have turned the corner in his sophomore season.
And over in Russia, while there’s always a level of skepticism about whether he’ll ever come over to North America, Yegor Yegorov has been excellent in junior for MHK Dynamo Moskva. He turned 18 in August, so he’s still very young, but he’s fairly significantly outplaying teammate Maxim Yeryomenko, who’s a year older.
You never know how players will adapt to pro hockey. It’s different than college or junior. But the Flames have some goalies with potential, so we’ll see how they progress.
Let’s dive into this week’s prospect update.
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 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 30 | 22 | 20 | 153 | 24.76 |
| 2022-23 | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
Bell continues to be a really useful overager for the Americans: reliable, predictable and consistent in their top six. He’s scoring at a point-per-game pace and generates many, many shots.
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 |
Notre Dame was off this week.
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 | 35 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 42 | 3.42 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
Ciona continues to fill a useful niche on the Wranglers as a bottom six energy wingers. He forechecks. He throws his body around. He doesn’t really get points, but that’s not really the point of his gig.
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 the past week in the AHL. He was reassigned back to the Wranglers on Saturday night.
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 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 40 | 30.07 |
| 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 seems to be getting his rhythm back after the World Juniors. He hasn’t had a monster week offensively yet and he hasn’t produced a ton at five-on-five, but he’s still getting reps and points consistently on the power play.
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 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 31 | 17.30 |
| SHL season to date | 2 | 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 |
Due to a bunch of players being out with an illness, Hurtig played (again) for Rögle’s SHL team. He dressed as the seventh defender and logged 41 seconds of ice time.
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 | 39 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 98 | 25.55 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Jones keeps plugging along, though his output has slowed a bit in recent weeks. He had a power play assist over the weekend.
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 | 31 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 20 | 14 | 11 | 74 | 30.85 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins’ offensive output has slowed down a bit after his torrid start – his slowdown coincides with some of the team’s best players getting pulled up to the NHL or being injured – but he still chips in with assists here and there.
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 the past week in the AHL. He was reassigned back to the Wranglers on Saturday night.
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 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 42 | 4.99 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Koumontzis remains a bottom-six winger on a pretty decent ECHL team. Our understanding is the Flames hold his rights until mid-August.
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 | 35 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 9.11 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov, a shutdown defender primarily, is generating way more shots per game than a year ago, and he’s putting up goals and points at more or less the same pace. He’s nothing if not consistent.
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 | 46 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 29 | 16 | 11 | 119 | 22.61 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
Lipinski, Mr. Consistency for the Giants this season, had three points in three games (in three nights) this weekend.
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 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 3 | – | 5.40 |
| 2022-23 (BCHL) | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | 8.75 |
Littler scored a power play goal this week.
Brady Lyle – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
24; Free agent signing
| GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P | 5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
| Season to date | 38 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 89 | 14.68 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 51 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 124 | 24.22 |
Lyle, a power play specialist, scored a power play goal this week.
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 | 38 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 22 | 15 | 10 | 131 | 22.06 |
| 2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
Morin had three points over two games. But Morin missed Moncton’s game on Tuesday; he was listed by the club as out with illness or injury.
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 |
Nikolaev didn’t dress in either Wranglers game this week.
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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
Good news! Pelletier returned to action over the weekend. He played just once, as the Wranglers are doing a bit of load management with him and Kevin Rooney as they ramp back up to full activity, but Pelletier played well and generally looked like himself on the ice.
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 | 39 | 7 | 19 | 26 | 20 | 19 | 13 | 61 | 26.57 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 61 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 35 | 35 | 29 | 118 | 28.75 |
Pettersen has gone seven games without registering a point. He’s still consistently registering a few shots per game, but he’s just gone a bit cold offensively.
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 sidelined after suffering a serious laceration from a skate back in October. He’s resumed skating, though.
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) | 13 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 35 | 26.49 |
| 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 three points in two games for Tappara’s junior team.
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 spent the past week in the AHL. He was reassigned back to the Wranglers on Saturday night.
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 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 55 | 11.57 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
Solovyov had a two point game in the Wranglers’ win over the Barracuda. He’s scoring at just over his pace from last season.
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 | 36 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 9.96 |
| 2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Strömgren had an assist this week. He’s playing a defensive role for the Wranglers, but he keeps chipping in points here and there.
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 |
UMass was off this week.
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 | 3 | 178 | .931 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
After barely dressing as backup during his time with Ryazan thus far, Chechelev played twice this week. He made 44 saves in a 2-0 shutout win, and made 26 saves in a 4-1 loss.
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 | 9 | 520 | .928 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
Sergeev and netminding partner Ethan Haider split UConn’s two games this weekend. Sergeev backstopped the Huskies to a win over Sacred Heart with 34 saves, while Haider took a loss against Quinnipiac.
That’s three strong outings for Sergeev in as many weeks.
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 | 25 | 1460 | .928 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
Back in the NHL, Wolf played two games against the Barracuda and performed well. He wasn’t given much run support, though, so he ended up splitting the two games with a win and a loss.
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 | 21 | 1160 | .926 |
| 2022-23 (MHL) | 15 | 786 | .915 |
Yegorov played twice this week. In one game, he made 28 saves in a win. In another game, he was chased after 44 minutes after allowing five goals on 28 shots. (If you’re asking yourself why he saw that much rubber… it’s Russian junior hockey, friends.) Despite this up-and-down week, Yegorov is one of the better-performing netminders in the MHL.
This article brought to you by Alberta Blue Cross!
There’s only one thing better than sharing memories—and that is making new ones. Alberta Blue Cross travel insurance protects your memories – and more – wherever travel takes you. Visit ab.bluecross.ca/travel
Recent articles from Ryan Pike
