On a day where other National Hockey League clubs have done some wild stuff, general manager Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames have focused on quiet depth moves. Case in point? After the announcement of adding four depth players via free agency, the club announced that they’ve re-signed forward William Strömgren, a restricted free agent, to a one year, two-way deal that carries a $850,000 cap hit at the NHL level.

A product of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, Strömgren was a second-round selection by the Flames back in the 2021 NHL Draft. (He was selected a round after the Flames nabbed Matt Coronato.)

Drafted out of the MODO Hockey system, Strömgren bounced around Swedish organizations for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons – playing with Rögle BK and Brynas IF on both team’s junior and pro squads – before signing his entry-level deal with the Flames at the end of the 2022-23 season.

In three seasons so far in the Flames system, primarily in the AHL, Strömgren’s been quite solid. He had seven goals and 27 points as a rookie in 2023-24, 14 goals and 49 points in 2024-25 and 11 goals and 47 points in 2025-26. He made his NHL debut played three games with the Flames back in January, playing on the fourth line and posting zero points.

A left shot winger, Strömgren has proven himself as a reliable, if not especially flashy, AHL two-way forward. He might not lay out crushing hits or show off with any sweet dekes, but he’s a player with good skating, good positioning and great fundamentals. He’s shown that he can be an effective top six or top nine forward in the AHL. If he can find a way to find another level and show that he’s a really good top six or top nine forward in the AHL, he may find himself getting a longer look at the NHL level.

Strömgren has a ton of tools. We’ll see if he’s able to put them all together.

The Flames have two remaining RFAs left to sign: blueliner Simon Nemec and forward Brennan Othmann.