Two Flames prospects headed to NCAA Frozen Four

A pair of Calgary Flames prospects will get an opportunity to take home college hockey’s biggest prize. Freshmen Demetrios Koumontzis and Emilio Pettersen will be participating in the annual NCAA Frozen Four tournament.

Pettersen, 18, was the Flames’ sixth round selection in last June’s NHL Draft (taken 167th overall). He had a brilliant first season of college hockey with the University of Denver Pioneers, with six goals and 29 points in 38 games. He just missed being named to his conference’s all-rookie team.

The Pioneers will be playing in the West Region in Fargo, ND. They face the Ohio State University Buckeyes on Friday, March 29 (and potentially play Saturday, March 30 against the St. Cloud State/American International winner).

Koumontzis, 19, was one of the Flames’ fourth round selections in the latest NHL Draft (going 108th overall). His season wasn’t quite as impressive as Pettersen’s – with four goals and 20 points in 34 games – but he was a key cog for the very impressive Arizona State University Sun Devils.

Despite not having a home conference, and only being a full-time hockey program for three seasons, the Sun Devils turned a lot of heads and won a lot of games. They’re seeded as an independent – the first in a couple decades at the Frozen Four – and they’ll face the Quinnipiac University Bobcats in the Midwest Region in Allentown, PA on Saturday, March 30. If they advance, they’ll face the winner of the Minnesota-Duluth/Bowling Green game on Sunday, March 31.

Both players are expected to stay in school for at least another year, but it’ll be interesting to see how well they stack up against the other top teams in college hockey.