Nemo’s new number 🔥
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What the new Flames’ jersey numbers may hint about the incoming college prospects
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Pals, the Calgary Flames began the 2026-27 regular season with a roster that was pretty similar to how they looked at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. However, the Flames added a trio of players during off-season trades.
The jersey numbers for the three new Flames are kind of interesting. Especially for the clues they may provide in terms of what jersey numbers may be left for a quartet of pretty exciting college prospects that are aiming to go pro at the end of their NCAA seasons.
Let’s explain what we mean…
Simon Nemec
The Flames acquired Simon Nemec in a swap with New Jersey that sent three draft picks and Etienne Morin to New Jersey and Nemec and Maxim Tsyplakov to Calgary. (We’ll get to Tsyplakov shortly.)
Nemec previously wore #17 with the Devils, Utica and the Slovak national team and #7 with HK Nitra in Slovakia. Well, Yegor Sharangovich has #17 and Kevin Bahl has #7. So, Nemec’s usual digits got reversed – a fairly common tactic when your preferred number is taken – to become #71.
Jacob Middleton
Jake will be wearing 5️⃣5️⃣ with the #Flames!
The Flames added Jake Middleton as part of a big trade with Minnesota. The Wild received Olli Maatta and Blake Coleman, the Flames received Middleton and three draft picks.
Middleton wore #67 and #21 during his tenure with the San Jose Sharks, but wore #5 during his run with the Wild. The Flames haven’t issued #5 to anybody since longtime captain Mark Giordano left the club via the Seattle expansion draft and it’s seemingly out of circulation. Consequently, Middleton doubled his digits – another common tactic – and gets #55.
Maxim Tsyplakov
Maxim's new #️⃣
As mentioned, the Flames acquired Tsyplakov from New Jersey as part of the Nemec trade.
Tsyplakov wore #7 with the Islanders and #42 with New Jersey. #7 is Bahl’s, as previously noted. #42 is also seemingly taken (we”ll get to that in a second) so Tsyplakov combines his two prior numbers into #72.
Reading between the lines a bit
Okay, stay with us for a minute here.
At development camp, the Flames had the following numbers for their quartet of college players who could – and potentially will – be going pro at the end of the season. Carson Carels had #55, Ethan Wyttenbach wore #91, Cole Reschny got #77 and Cullen Potter had #42.
Most of these assignments are pretty straight-forward:
- Reschny wore #7 in the WHL with Victoria and wears #17 at North Dakota, so #77 is a pretty simple variant.
- Potter had #54 with the U.S. National Development Program, #12 at Arizona State and #21 with Michigan State, so #42 is another combination/variant.
- Wyttenbach wears #19 at Quinnipiac. Zayne Parekh has #19 with Calgary but with Nazem Kadri now elsewhere, Wyttenbach inherits a reversal of his college number.
Now, Middelton was acquired and issued #55 just after after development camp, which leaves Carels without a number right now. In theory. But we will point out that Carels wore #4 in prior stops in hockey, including with Prince George and North Dakota, and the Flames issued Abram Wiebe #52 just weeks after veteran MacKenzie Weegar departed.
We wouldn’t be shocked if a significant prospect like Carels got a low number previously worn by a long-time Flame. Rasmus Andersson left pretty big shoes to fill at #4, but Carels seems up for the challenge. (After all, his nickname is C4, for crying out loud.)
We’ll see if our theory is correct in the spring.
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Calgary FlamesTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
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Projected Cap Hit
$90,091,666
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$43,458,334
Current Cap Space
$14,352,217
$43,458,334
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'27
'28
1
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1
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2
2
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1