One thing is clear: The Calgary Flames 2024 draft class is insanely deep.
This is the second week of a new series on FlamesNation, looking at how Flames prospects are doing, specifically at the junior level as the American Hockey League level prospects are covered in the Wranglers’ recaps.
Let’s take a week at the week that was!
Editor’s note: All stats are from Saturday afternoon. Any games on Saturday (aside from early Russian games) will be covered in next week’s prospect roundup.
Zayne Parekh
The Saginaw Spirit played a pair of barn burners this past week, with Flames top prospect Zayne Parekh picking up at least a point in each game. They fell 8-6 to the Peterborough Petes and 7-6 in shootout to the Kingston Frontenacs.
Parekh picked up a lone assist in the game against the Petes, as they were at one point up 7-4 over the Spirit. The right-shot defenceman was far more involved in the 7-6 shootout loss to the Frontenacs, as he picked up two goals and an assist. Through 38 games this season, Parekh has 18 goals and 55 points.
As for the Spirit, they have a 22-19-2 record with 46 points, fifth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference. The top eight teams get into the post-season in each conference and the highest realistic spot the Spirit can obtain is fourth in the conference.
Matvei Gridin
This past week, Matvei Gridin and the Shawinigan Cataractes went 1-1, with a 2-1 win over the Gatineau Olympiques and a 7-5 loss to the Blainville Boisbriand Armada. It’s worth noting that Gridin didn’t play in their loss due to illness.
Gridin picked up an assist on the first goal against the Olympiques though, as they won 2-1 in overtime. For the season, the 18-year-old winger has 24 goals and 51 points. He’s looking like a pretty good pick for the Flames.
The Cataractes currently sit fifth in the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Western Conference thanks to a 24-17-2 record with 50 points. Of the eight teams in the conference, seven teams get into the post-season, with the Cataractes being just five points from being second in the conference.
Andrew Basha
Andrew Basha is still out with an injury – and he will likely be for the rest of the season barring a deep playoff run, but the Medicine Hat Tigers are doing a good job of upping their chances of going on a deep run. This past week, they defeated the Regina Pats 10-4 and the Spokane Chiefs 3-2.
They sit at the top of the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference with a 29-15-2 record with 60 points. The top eight teams in the 11-team conference get into the post-season, so their post-season spot is all but confirmed.
Jacob Battaglia
The Kingston Frontenacs are starting to look like a wagon in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference. This past week, they defeated the Erie Otters 6-2, the Ottawa 67’s 7-2, and the Saginaw Spirit 7-6 in a shootout.
Battaglia had a four-point night against the Otters, scoring two goals and two assists. The second-round pick had a lone assist in the Frontenacs’ 7-2 win but followed that up with a two-goal, three-point night against Zayne Parekh and the Spirit. This season, he has 27 goals and 61 points in 43 games and it’s a matter of time before he breaks his career-highs.
Thanks to a three-win week, the Frontenacs have a 25-11-7 record with 57 points, third in the Eastern Conference. However, they are just a point behind the Barrie Colts and Oshawa Generals with at least one fewer game played than those two teams.
Henry Mews
The Sudbury Wolves and Henry Mews played a home-and-home with the Ontario Hockey League-leading London Knights this past week. It went as expected, as they fell 8-1 in London and 5-2 in Sudbury.
Mews had an assist in each of the games though, bringing his season totals to 12 goals and 59 points in 44 games. He still leads all OHL defencemen in points, with Zayne Parekh tied for third with 55.
With a 22-16-5 record, the Wolves’ 49 points have them sixth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference. Their post-season spot looks safe though, as the ninth-placed North Bay Battalion has 35 points.
Kirill Zarubin
Over in Russia, third-round pick Kirill Zarubin didn’t feature in Mikhailov Academy’s 2-1 overtime victory over JHC Atlant. The netminder backed up for Ilya Kanarsky but hasn’t appeared in a game since Jan. 11.
With a 27-9-2 record, Mikhailov Academy sits third in the Western Conference’s Gold Division. The top five teams make the playoffs, while teams ranked six through eight play the top three teams from the Silver Division in a qualifier.
Trevor Hoskin
Niagara University only played one game this past week, a 7-0 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology.
Hoskin performed well in that game, picking up a goal and two assists. This season, the 20-year-old forward has nine goals and 26 points in 25 games in his freshman season. Pretty solid.
With the win, their in-conference record sits at 11-5-2 with 35 points, third in the conference behind Bentley and Sacred Heart. All 11 teams play in the post-season, with the six teams playing in the opening round.
Luke Misa
The Brampton Steelheads played just one game this past week, falling 3-2 to the Barrie Colts in overtime.
Flames prospect Luke Misa was held pointless in the game as he now has 24 goals and 57 points in 42 games. The 19-year-old is just two goals shy of matching his career high while he’s on pace to notch a career-high 92 points.
As for the Steelheads standing in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, they have a 19-15-8 record with 46 points for seventh in the conference. However, they have a 10 point lead over the eighth-placed Ottawa 67’s and 11 points over the North Bay Battalion.
Hunter Laing
It wasn’t a great week for the Saskatoon Blades, as they fell 3-2 to the Swift Current Broncos and 6-3 to the Prince Albert Raiders.
However, Hunter Laing had a solid week, scoring a goal in each of the two games. The forward now has two goals and four points in six games with the Blades. Overall, he has 12 goals and 26 points in 42 games this season, surpassing a career-high in points with his goal against the Raiders.
Despite the rough week, the Blades are still in a post-season posting with their 23-16-5 record with 51 points. They’re tied with the Raiders for the lead in their division, meaning an additional point would have them second in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference because the top teams are the two division leaders.
Eric Jamieson
The last Flames’ 2024 draft pick, Eric Jamieson, saw his Everett Silvertips fall 3-2 to the Spokane Chiefs and 3-2 to the Wenatchee Wild in overtime.
Jamieson picked up an assist in their loss to the Chiefs while registering three shots in their loss to the Wild. Jamieson has eight goals and 27 points in 44 games but recently committed to the University of Denver for the 2025-26 season. Despite the two losses, the Silvertips are still one of the best teams in the Canadian Hockey League. They have a 32-6-7 record with 71 points, top of the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference and second in the entirety of the CHL.
Étienne Morin
Moving to players selected in the 2023 draft, defenceman Étienne Morin’s Moncton Wildcats had a 1-1 week, falling 2-1 to the Acadie-Bathurst (soon-to-be Newfoundland Regiment), before destroying them 7-1 in the following game.
Morin was held off the scoresheet in both games and now has 10 goals and 39 points in 41 games. In both goals and points, Morin is third in the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League for defencemen.
The Wildcats are the wagon of the QMJHL, as they have a 34-7-2 record with 70 points. Along with being the top team in the Eastern Conference and the QMJHL, they have the third-most points in the Canadian Hockey League.
Aydar Suniev
UMass took on the University of Alaska Fairbanks this past week, defeating them 4-2. Unfortunately, Alaska Fairbanks is notoriously not in the eastern United States and isn’t in the Hockey East conference, meaning that this game doesn’t matter toward their in-conference record.
In-conference, UMass has a 4-7-2 record with 15 points, 10th in the 11-conference league. However, they are within striking distance of fifth-placed UMass Lowell, who have 19 points. Every team in the conference makes the post-season, as seeds six, seven, and eight host the ninth, tenth, and eleventh-placed teams in the “opening round”, afterwards, the quarterfinals will be played.
Jaden Lipinski
Jaden Lipinski’s Vancouver Giants went 1-1 this past week, defeating the Brandon Wheat Kings 3-1 before falling 7-1 to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Sadly, Lipinski was held off the scoresheet in both games, snapping his 11-game point streak in the process. In those 11 games, he had four goals and 18 points. In total, he has seven goals and 33 points in 35 games.
The good news is that the Giants still occupy a post-season position with their 22-17-5 record with 49 points, as they sit sixth in the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference. They are 12 points clear of the ninth-placed team.
Yegor Yegorov
Yegor Yegorov had a mixed week with Krylya Sovetov. They defeated SKA-Yunior 6-0, before falling 7-4 to Khors-Kareliya on Saturday.
Yegor x2 played in both games, saving all 32 shots he faced in a shutout against SKA-Yunior. However, he allowed five goals on 21 shots on Saturday morning for a .762 save percentage, oof. Coming into the game, he had a .921 save percentage, but it dropped to .911.
Krylya Sovetov has an 18-15-4 record, third in the Western Conference’s Silver Division. The top three teams make the qualifying round, but they have a one-point lead over Russkie Vityazi.
Axel Hurtig
It was a good week for Axel Hurtig and the Calgary Hitmen, as they went 2-0. First up was a 4-1 victory over the Regina Pats, before defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-4.
Hurtig picked up an assist in the game against the Pats and was a -1 in the game against the last-placed Warriors. This season, the 19-year-old left-shot defenceman has three goals and 11 points in 35 games for the Hitmen.
The Hitmen sit fourth in the Western Hockey League’s Eastern Conference with a 26-12-5 record and 57 points. They actually have the third most points, but the Prince Albert Raiders are first in their division, hence why they occupy the second spot. Moreover, the Hitmen are just three points behind the division-leading Medicine Hat Tigers.
Cade Littler
Cade Littler’s North Dakota Fighting Hawks didn’t play this past week. Their next game is on Jan. 31 against St. Cloud State.
Areseni Sergeev
Penn State picked up a big 7-6 win over Ohio State on Friday.
Arensei Sergeev didn’t have a particularly good game between the pipes though, as he allowed six goals on 33 shots, but saved shots when it mattered in the shootout.
Penn State sits last in the Big Ten with an in-conference record of 1-9-3. Thankfully, all seven teams in the conference play in the post-season.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.
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