On Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames begin a crucial five game road trip against the Montreal Canadiens. And it’ll be a really important night for one of the organization’s most exciting prospects, as forward William Stromgren makes his National Hockey League debut.

Speaking with the media after an optional morning skate at Bell Centre, Flames head coach Ryan Huska disclosed the big news. (Via Flames TV.)

“William’s going to see action tonight,” said Huska. “So he’s going to play for us. So we’re excited about him, and sometimes when you have a new guy come in to the lineup when he’s playing his first NHL game, there’s a different level of energy around that player for sure, but also the team.”

Stromgren was called up to the Flames on Monday, following the suspension (and injury) to John Beecher on Saturday. The 2021 second-round pick was in the midst of a really strong run with the American League’s Calgary Wranglers, posting 29 points over 33 games in his third North American pro season.

Huska was asked what he’s hoping to see from Stromgren in the winger’s debut.

“I think with any guy playing their first game, it’s just keep your game very simple,” said Huska. “You want him to enjoy the moments and have a blast. We mentioned to him about how fortunate he is to play in this building for your first NHL game. And he’s all smiles. So really, it’s just make sure he uses his speed. He does some smart things with the puck and really tries to establish his game on the forecheck tonight.”

Stromgren becomes the 13th player to make their NHL debut for the Flames since Huska became head coach to begin the 2023-24 season. He joins Ilya Solovyov, Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil, Yan Kuznetsov, Adam Klapka, Sam Honzek, Rory Kerins, Zayne Parekh, Sam Morton, Hunter Brzustewicz, Aydar Suniev and Matvei Gridin as youngsters receiving rookie laps while wearing the Flaming C. More than half of those debuting players ended up carving out full-time NHL gigs for themselves, though Pospisil and Honzek are currently sidelined.

We’ll see how Stromgren fares in his first opportunity at the NHL level.

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