Waiting for the AHL’s playoffs: a Calgary Flames prospect update
By Ryan Pike
9 days agoThe Calgary Flames will play their final game of the 2023-24 season on Thursday night. The end of the Calgary Wranglers season? Well, we’re not sure when that’ll be quite yet, as they’ve qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs.
The top seven teams in the Pacific Division advance to the playoffs and those teams have been decided. And while there’s like to be a bit of a standings shuffle – Tucson and Ontario are tied in points, for instance – here’s how the playoffs would look if they started today:
- Coachella Valley [1] gets a bye
- Tucson [2] vs. Calgary [7]
- Ontario [3] vs. Bakersfield [6]
- Colorado [4] vs. Abbotsford [5]
The Wranglers haven’t been on much of a roll lately, but they’re dealing with a hectic schedule and missing key players such as Matt Coronato and Dustin Wolf. That duo – plus Ilya Solovyov and Adam Klapka – are expected to return to the AHL for the final pair of games this coming weekend. At that point, maybe we’ll see the Wranglers get some swagger back.
They’re gonna need some swagger if they want to advance past the opening playoff round. But this is a team that’s shown the ability to get hot and stay hot in the recent past, so don’t rule anything out just yet.
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 sat twice last week as the Wranglers are juggling a lot of bodies.
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 |
London eliminated Kitchener from the playoffs.
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 | 55 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 67 | 4.35 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
Ciona dressed in one of the Wranglers’ two games last week.
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 | 66 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 94 | 14.49 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 59 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 87 | 20.94 |
Damiani dressed for both Wranglers games last week.
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 | 62 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 65 | 3.86 |
| 2022-23 (OHL) | 65 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 116 | 6.93 |
Grushnikov played both games last week. He plays a pretty effective, ow maintenance game and aside from the occasional crushing hit or smart defensive play, you can not notice him for big stretches.
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 |
Honzek hasn’t officially been assigned to the Wranglers yet, as he’s dealing with a minor injury. But the hope is he could be available for the final weekend of the AHL season.
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 has bounced between the second and third defensive pairing for Kristianstads as they play their playoff round robin. As of this writing, Kristianstads has two games left and is in first place. Hurtig has an assist in seven games.
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 | 70 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 34 | 28 | 22 | 205 | 24.48 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Jones continues to be a really reliable, low-risk/low-reward presence for the Wranglers. He’s played every game for them this season.
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 has yet to dress for the Wranglers, as they continue to juggle many, many bodies on their blueline.
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 | 53 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 18 | 114 | 24.06 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins remains on a bit of a scoring hot streak of late. He scored a goal over 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 | 64 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 34 | 31 | 22 | 180 | 28.02 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
Klapka played twice and then was called up to the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.
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 | 47 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 84 | 9.28 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Koumontzis finished the ECHL’s regular season as a scratch 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 | 61 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 85 | 7.84 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov has bounced in and out of the lineup of late due to the glut of defencemen the Wranglers are carrying.
Jaden Lipinski – C, Vancouver Giants, WHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
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 | |
| WHL season to date | 67 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 47 | 33 | 23 | 181 | 24.39 |
| AHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
Lipinski made his AHL debut this past week. He drew praise from head coach Trent Cull for his play.
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 has been out since February with an injury. The hope is he could appear in the post-season if the Vees last a couple rounds. (They’ve already advanced past the first round.)
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 / Calgary Wranglers, AHL
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 | |
| QMJHL season to date | 58 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 13 | 191 | 19.67 |
| AHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| 2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
Morin made his AHL debut last week. He didn’t play a ton, though.
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 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 22 | 18.11 |
| 2022-23 (NCAA) | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 21.00 |
Morton rotated out of the lineup for a game last week as the Wranglers try to get fresh bodies in. Morton’s gone a bit quiet offensively in recent weeks.
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 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 30.61 |
| 2022-23 (ECHL) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
Nikolaev’s brief ECHL run ended last week, as Rapid City’s season ended and he was re-assigned back to the Wranglers.
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 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 37 | 27.40 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
Pelletier played twice but didn’t register a point.
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 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 41 | 24.67 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
Poirier played twice but didn’t register a point.
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 | 64 | 14 | 21 | 35 | 26 | 22 | 14 | 123 | 21.79 |
| 2022-23 (AHL) | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
Schwindt played twice and registered an assist.
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 is in 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 | 66 | 7 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 16 | 14 | 73 | 15.10 |
| 2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Strömgren played twice and didn’t register a point.
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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