logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
Flames prospect round-up: All three prospects in the WHL advance to the second round
alt
Photo credit: Jenn Pierce/Calgary Hitmen
Ryley Delaney
Apr 8, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 8, 2026, 01:19 EDT
Comments
At least one Calgary Flames prospect will play in the Western Hockey League’s Conference Finals.
This is the Mar. 31-Apr. 7 edition of the Calgary Flames prospect round-up, where we look at how Flames prospects have done every week. Specifically, we’ll look at players playing overseas, in junior hockey, or at the college level, as the American Hockey League prospects will have an article of their own in the Wranglers Recaps.
We’ll take a look at what happened in the first round of the WHL playoffs, what’s happened overseas, set up the United States Hockey League’s playoffs, and look at the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Junior

Three Flame prospects for three different WHL teams began their post-season, with all three of their teams winning. Additionally, Mace’o Phillips and the Green Bay Gamblers will begin their post-season this week.

WHL

In last week’s edition of the roundup, Andrew Basha and the Medicine Hat Tigers had their series knotted up at one with the Regina Pats. That didn’t last long, as they won 8-2 in Game 3, 4-2 in Game 4, and 5-4 in Game 5. Basha scored twice in Game 3, picked up two assists in Game 4, and had an assist in Game 5. That gives him three goals and nine points in five games.
Axel Hurtig and the Calgary Hitmen won both Game 1 and 2 in overtime, and continued their winning ways over the Brandon Wheat Kings in the next two games. The Hitmen won 3-1 in Game 3 and 4-2 in Game 4. Hurtig picked up an assist in Game 3, giving him a goal and three points in four games.
The lone series to go seven games in the WHL was the Saskatoon Blades against the Edmonton Oil Kings. What a series this one was. Game 3 saw the Blades win 4-3, with Flames prospect Hunter Laing picking up two assists. He scored one of two goals in their 5-2 defeat in Game 4, but scored again in their 4-2 victory in Game 5. The Oil Kings responded with a 3-2 double overtime victory in Game 6, with Laing picking up an assist, setting up a winner-take-all Game 7.
It seemed fitting that Game 7 also went to overtime, the third time in the series. On a power play, the Blades ended up scoring as Miroslav Holinka deflected it Rowan Calvert deflected it past the netminder to move on to the second round. Laing picked up two assists in this game, giving him three goals and eight points in seven games.
The Blades have a second-round date with the Prince Albert Raiders, who finished first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. Game 1 is on Friday, Game 2 is on Saturday, and Game 3 is on Tuesday in Saskatoon.
In the other bracket, Basha and Laing will go head to head to determine who’ll head to the third round. Game 1 is on Friday, Game 2 is on Saturday, and Game 3 is on Monday. Elsewhere in the WHL, the Everett Silvertips will take on the Kelowna Rockets, while the Prince George Cougars will take on the Penticton Vees.

USHL

The Green Bay Gamblers needed to win their last two remaining games to even have a chance to earn a bye in the first round. They did just that, defeating the Madison Capitols 3-2 and 3-1, but it wasn’t enough, as they fell two points shy. Mace’o Phillips was held pointless in both games, finishing with a goal and 11 points in 44 games this season, with 187 penalty minutes.
While they won’t get a bye, the Gamblers face the Capitols in a best-of-three in the first round. Game 1 is on Friday at 6:05 p.m. MT, Game 2 is the following day at 5:05 p.m. MT, and if needed, Game 3 is on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. MT.

Overseas

Four players overseas were in action last week, two in Sweden and two in Russia. One player has been eliminated from the playoffs, and another plays a winner-take-all game later this series.

Sweden

Starting in Sweden, Jakob Leander’s HV71 U20 took on Västerås IK U20, defeating them 7-4. A few days later, they beat Karlskoga U20 by a score of 3-2 in a shootout to move to 6-1-0-0 in the relegation phase. It looks like they’ll stay up. Leander was held pointless in both games, giving him three assists in seven games.
Theo Stockselius’ Djurgårdens IF U20 are a wagon. They lost two games in the opening series, but swept the quarterfinals and have the opportunity to sweep the semi-finals. Taking on Leksands IF U20 in the semis, Theo Stockselius scored an empty-netter in Game 1’s 5-3 victory. In Game 2, a 2-0 victory, Stockselius picked up an assist. Through his seven games this post-season, Stockselius has five goals and 11 points.
Djurgårdens IF U20 has a chance to head to the finals on Wednesday. If they don’t get it done in Game 3, Game 4 will be on Apr. 9, then Game 5 on Apr. 11. Assuming they win, their opponent in the finals will either be Örebro HK or Frölunda HC. This week, HV71 U20 plays Tingsryd U20 on Wednesday, Grums U20 on Saturday, and Västerås IK U20 on Sunday.

Russia

Unfortunately, Kirill Zarubin and Mikhailov Academy have been eliminated from the post-season. In their best of three, Mikhailov Academy fell 1-0 in overtime, with Zarubin stopping 41 of 42 shots. In their 5-1 win in Game 2, Zarubin stopped 22 of 23 shots. Game 3 was another 1-0 overtime loss, as Zarubin stopped 41 of 42 shots. He struggled in Game 4, allowing 11 goals on 14 shots in a 5-1 loss. In the four post-season games, Zarubin finished with an incredible .950 save percentage.
As for Yan Matveiko’s Red Army, they defeated SKA-1946 in Game 1 by a score of 4-3, then lost Game 2 by a score of 5-1. Game 3 went to overtime, with SKA-1946 scoring the game-winning goal to win 4-3 and push the Red Army to the brink. However, Red Army responded with a 5-2 win in Game 4. Matveiko scored a goal in Game 1, his lone point. That sets up a winner-take-all Game 5, which is on Thursday at 9 AM MT.

College

This week will be the final week in the 2025-26 NCAA season, as the Frozen Four kicks off on Thursday. North Dakota, featuring Flames prospects Abram Wiebe, Cole Reschny, and Cade Littler, face Wisconsin at 3:00 p.m. MT on Thursday. In the other bracket, Eric Jamieson’s Denver takes on Henry Mews’ Michigan at 6:30 p.m. MT on Thursday.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

This Article is a presentation of LeaseBusters

LeaseBusters is Canada’s premier lease takeover marketplace, helping drivers get out of their current vehicle leases without costly penalties or negative equity. Instead of paying thousands to break a lease, sellers connect with qualified buyers ready to take it over—saving money and avoiding financial stress. Buyers benefit from shorter-term commitments and often better monthly payments, while dealerships retain a replacement customer and leasing companies keep contracts active. It’s a smarter, more efficient solution for everyone involved. Four parties, four wins—only with LeaseBusters.  For more information, check out www.LeaseBusters.com

Editorials

Breaking News