It sounds like you think Misa deserves to get signed. I think the fans would like to see Mews signed too. My mailbag question can be: where do you think the members of the Flames 2024 draft class will play in the 2025-26 season?
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FlamesNation Mailbag: Talking prospects to kick off 2025!
Photo credit: Mike Gould
Friends, Happy New Year! This is the first mailbag of 2025 and we hope everyone had a great holiday season.
We received a ton of great questions for this week’s mailbag, primarily focused on the Calgary Flames and their many (many) prospects. Let’s dive in!
(We also got a few questions asking about whether Flames prospects in Canadian junior system could go to the NCAA next season…)
So here’s how AHL eligibility works: With a few exceptions, players have to be 20 or older to play in the AHL – so for next season, 2025-26, players need to be born in 2005 or earlier to play in the AHL. So of the Flames’ up-and-comers, that means Andrew Basha, Etienne Morin, Luke Misa, Axel Hurtig and Eric Jamieson would be eligible for AHL games – or returning to junior as overage players – while everybody younger than them would not be eligible. (Basha and Morin have already signed NHL deals.)
So could the younger players go to college? Our current understanding is this: if you’re signed to an NHL contract – like Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin are – you’re considered a pro player and aren’t NCAA eligible. Everyone else – like Henry Mews, Jacob Battaglia and Hunter Laing – would still be considered amateurs based on how the current NCAA rules are being interpreted. That said, these things could change because the NCAA just changed their rules in August and they’re figuring things out.
Now to answer the question, where do I think the 2024 draftees will be playing in 2025-26?
- First-rounders Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin have NHL deals and we imagine they’ll be given long looks at Flames camp… but it’s a big jump, so we suspect they’ll both end up back in junior.
- Andrew Basha has an NHL deal and we suspect he’ll probably be with the Wranglers. Luke Misa hasn’t signed (yet), but he’s age eligible for the AHL and he’ll probably be given every chance to stick with the Wranglers, too. (Both of these guys are eligible to go back to junior as overagers, but both of them seem to have outgrown that level of competition.)
- Jacob Battaglia, Henry Mews and Hunter Laing aren’t AHL eligible and we suspect they’ll all end up back in junior.
- Eric Jamieson is age eligible for the AHL, but depending on what the Wranglers defensive situation looks like we suspect he could go back to the Dub as an overager.
- Kirill Zarubin will probably be back with his Russian team.
- Trevor Hoskin will probably be back with his college team.
Where do you stand on the Flames acquiring Elias Petterson ?
I like Elias Pettersson. He’s a good player. But I’m not convinced that the price tag that Vancouver would want from Calgary would be palatable, and based on where the Flames are in their development towards being a strong team, it feels early to make that type of a move. When you’re an Elias Pettersson away from being a powerhouse, you make the move to bring in Pettersson and live with the price of getting him. But the Flames aren’t there yet.
If Pettersson was a younger asset or a right shot centre – or both – it would be a different story for me, though.
Hi there Ryan. What’s going on with Sharangovich? Is he still injured did the club rush him from his injury? He’s been barely noticeable this season in my opinion? And what does the future look like for Kuzmenko as a flame too?
I think Yegor Sharangovich was activated from the injury reserve when he was meant to be – I don’t think he was rushed – but for a lot of players, getting training camp disrupted and losing the rhythm of ramping up for a regular season can be pretty challenging. Hockey players are creatures of habit and routine, and it can be rough when that’s disrupted. Offensive production is often pretty streaky, too, and Sharangovich seems to be on a cold streak. We’ll see if he can turn it around.
In terms of Andrei Kuzmenko: unless his season turns around, big-time, I don’t see him getting another contract with the Flames.
@RyanNPike @FlamesNation #FlamesMailbag I've been on #TeamTank for the whole season, but does the fact that the Flames DON'T have their own 1st rounder this year allow fans to just cheer without worrying about all the other hot stove strategy?
The Flames owe Montreal a first-round pick this season and, either their own or Florida’s. They’ll also likely have New Jersey’s pick at their disposal. Based on current trends, the Flames will send Montreal their own first-rounder, and they’ll have Florida and New Jersey’s – both in the late first round – available to pick with.
We’ll get into this in more detail in the coming weeks, but the fact that the Flames have a coherent team concept, a consistent playing style and their young players have taken big steps and taken on significant roles this season are gigantic positives. Arguably more so than the Flames struggling on the ice but getting a top 10 draft choice out of it. They’ll still have a couple first-rounders and will get some good players out of the 2025 NHL Draft class regardless.
I noticed that Zary gets so many great chances using his skating and stickhandling but isn't able to score as often. He seems right on the cusp of being a star player. What do you think his next step is to get there?
Man, Connor Zary’s been such a fun player to watch this season. He’s able to skate and stick-handle at the same time, and that makes him a really dynamic presence on the ice. He seems like a great set-up man for a player who can finish the chances he tees up – you can kind of understand why they have Yegor Sharangovich on his line, can’t you? Zary is nowhere near a finished product and we suspect he’ll keep building his game, developing confidence, and rounding out his game. We’re pretty optimistic about his upside.
What are the chances we ever see Ignatjew in a flames jersey or is his ceiling at the AHL level?
If Vladar isn’t resigned and Cooley is the NHL next year, what flames goalies prospects could be signed and be in the AHL next season?
Waltteri Ignatjew is still pretty raw, young and inexperienced in North American hockey. There’s some upside there, but if Devin Cooley graduates to the NHL, we would probably prioritize signing a veteran goaltender to work with Ignatjew in the AHL next season. The goalies the Flames have draft recently – Arsenii Sergeev, Yegor Yegorov and Kirill Zarubin – might not be ready for the AHL, and probably wouldn’t be a good fit in a tandem with another inexperienced goalie.
Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan [at] TheNationNetwork.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)
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