Some players need time to adjust to new situations. Case in point: Calgary Wranglers winger William Strömgren, who’s in his second year in North American hockey and really impressing.

A second-round selection by the Flames back in 2021, Strömgren had the physical tools that scouts loved – listed at 6’3″ and 190 pounds – and pretty well-rounded game, but his offensive numbers didn’t pop in limited duty in Swedish pro hockey in the seasons following his selection.

Flash forward to 2023, when Strömgren opted to sign his entry-level deal with the Flames and make the jump to North America, joining the Wranglers. He had a slow start, but he seems to have really found his footing in the AHL.

Strömgren got off to a slow start with the Wranglers, a product of him being eased into the league and having to figure out the many differences between Swedish and North American hockey. He posted just three points – a goal and two assists – in the 26 games that made up the 2023 portion of the season.

But he seemed to start figuring things out in the 2024 half, which saw him register six goals and 18 assists over 42 games. Strömgren still had some ups and downs, but he was able to build some momentum and carve out a niche as a reliable middle-six winger that could provide key passes at key times.

He came in at eighth spot in FlamesNation’s summer prospect rankings.

When the 2024-25 season began, our thought process was “Man, it’d be great if Strömgren doesn’t have a sophomore slump and back slide.” Plenty of rookies have good first seasons, think they have their league figured out, and then regress. Progress, they say, isn’t a straight line.

Strömgren has played 47 AHL games in his sophomore season. If you take the 2024 production he had as a rookie and pro-rated that over 47 games, it would be about seven goals and 20 assists. Well, he’s beaten that, with 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points. He’s not on his game all of the time, but his “off” nights are a lot better than they were a year ago, and that improvement alone has made him one of the more reliable Wranglers forwards.

Quietly, Strömgren is 30th in the AHL in points – Wranglers teammates Martin Frk, Dryden Hunt and Rory Kerins are ahead of him – and he’s making a good case for himself as a potential call-up option if the Flames need a middle-six winger. Strömgren’s still learning and developing, and he’s not nearly a finished product yet, but you can see his size and skills and his production thus far at the AHL level and understand why the Flames’ scouts liked him during his draft year.