logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
FlamesNation Mailbag: Preparing for prospects training camp
alt
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Ryan Pike
Sep 8, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 7, 2025, 05:26 EDT
Comments
The Calgary Flames play hockey this week.
Okay, fine, it’s “just” their annual prospects training camp, the precursor to main camp and all that competitive fun. But let’s enjoy the fun chaotic energy of prospects camp as things get ramped up and we get to see some of the organization’s prospects start to make names for themselves.
Onto the mailbag!
Morgan Frost scored 14 goals in 2024-25 despite being traded mid-season and having pretty tough underlying numbers (in terms of both his personal shooting percentage and on-ice shooting percentage). I think he gets to (at least) 20 goals in 2025-26.
Blake Coleman scored 30 goals in 2023-24 as he went on an absolute shooting percentage heater. He was ice-cold for stretches of 2024-25 and still scored 15 goals. He seems like a good bet for 20 in 2025-26.
Yegor Sharangovich had a similar experience as Coleman: 31 goals on a shooting percentage heater in 2023-24, and 17 goals with a more modest shooting percentage in 2024-25. He should be a decent bet for 25 goals.
Justin Kirkland and Adam Klapka are harder to peg, since they’ve never been NHL regulars. We’ll ballpark them both at three-to-five and see if they can help us set more realistic expectations going forward.
Most hockey nicknames are someone’s last name with a Y or an S added. So I’m a sucker for creative ones. There are three decent ones on the Flames:
  • Joel Farabee is known as “Beezer,” a nickname Morgan Frost brought over from Philadelphia.
  • Joel Hanley is “Nacho,” which stems from Hanley’s time in Dallas where he (and, jokingly, his teammates) had to remind assistant coach Derek Laxdal that he’s “not Joe,” a reference to Joe Pavelski.
  • Yegor Sharangovich is, to some teammates, “Legor,” a reference to his love of Lego. (Some teammates do seem to refer to him more often as “Sharky,” which is also a pretty good nickname.)
We’ll get into this in a bit more detail in another column, but I think the Flames remain pretty motivated both as individuals and as a collective. Hardly anybody that’s not drawing income from the Flames thought they would make the playoffs last season. They missed on tiebreakers, and the hockey establishment still seem to think they’ll miss the playoffs again in 2025-26.
I think the same people in the locker room that felt their group was being disrespected prior to 2024-25 probably feel similarly right now. And I think it’ll drive a lot of the same commitment to a tough style of play that nearly got them into the post-season this past April.
C of Dead is resurrecting one of their classics, the famous Hangin’ In The Dome Chillin’ With Jarome shirt, as part of their quest to help raise $10,000 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of KidSport. If you’re a person that likes cool shirts, or helping out a great charity, or both!, check it out.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)

The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda

Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.
Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at www.villagehonda.com.

Editorials

Breaking News