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In a way, Aydar Suniev represents the true beginning of the Calgary Flames’ current rebuild process.
Just over a year ago, when Craig Conroy took over from Brad Treliving as the Flames’ general manager, he faced an impending (and inevitable) mass exodus of veteran talent. His very first move was to trade Tyler Toffoli, who led the Flames in scoring during the 2022-23 season, to the New Jersey Devils.
In return, the Flames received the rights to restricted free agent forward Yegor Sharangovich, who scored a team-leading 31 goals in 2023-24, as well as a third-round selection in the 2023 NHL Draft — and they proceeded to use that pick on Suniev, a little-known BCHL winger committed to the University of Massachusetts.
After slotting in at No. 12 in our 2023 prospect rankings here at FlamesNation, Suniev did more than enough as a freshman at UMass to maintain his position (and even gain a spot from last year’s list) during the 2023-24 season despite the Flames adding a ton of new young talent into their pipeline. Here’s a closer look at how Suniev stacks up against the field one year into his tenure as a Flames prospect.

Aydar Suniev

Left wing, shoots left
Born November 16, 2004 (age 19) in Kazan, Russia
6’2″, 192 pounds
Drafted in the third round (80th overall) by Calgary in the 2023 NHL Draft
Although he was born in Russia, Suniev has been in North America for a long time. He initially joined the Yale Junior Academy in New Haven, Connecticut back in 2019, ultimately moving on to play at St. Andrew’s College in Aurora, Ontario before finally landing with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees midway through the 2021-22 season.
After a successful trial run with the Vees to close out the 2021-22 campaign, Suniev outright exploded offensively the following year as Penticton’s de facto No. 3 scoring option behind Bradly and Josh Nadeau. He tied Bradly Nadeau, a first-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023, for the team lead with 45 goals and finished third on the Vees with 90 points in 50 games.
Suniev tacked on nine goals and 23 points in 15 BCHL playoff games as the Vees made it to the league championship, where they defeated the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to capture their second BCHL title in as many years. In total, Suniev managed 65 goals and 137 points in 92 regular season and playoff games over his tenure in Penticton.
The Flames drafted Suniev directly out of the BCHL, which remains a relatively uncommon practice but has become slightly more prevalent in recent years. Speaking to the media after last year’s draft, Conroy said he had tried to move up from pick No. 80 to 64 to land Suniev but was unsuccessful in doing so; however, in the end, he got the guy he wanted all along.
Suniev rewarded the Flames for their faith in him during his first year at UMass, tying 20-year-old Jack Musa for the team lead with 12 goals and finishing fourth on the Minutemen with 25 points in 36 games. Among NCAA players drafted as first-year-eligibles in 2023, Suniev ranked ninth in goals and 11th in points — behind such names as Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Gavin Brindley, Oliver Moore, Matthew Wood, and, of course, Bradly Nadeau.
It’s worth noting that Suniev didn’t have a ton of help at UMass last season. Although the Minutemen had plenty of NHL-affiliated prospects on their 2023-24 roster, only three (Suniev, Scott Morrow, and Michael Hrabal) were drafted with top-80 picks, and none went in the first round. As such, they won just 20 of their 37 games and ultimately lost in the Hockey East semifinals.
For a little bit of extra insight on Suniev’s freshman year in Amherst, we reached out to the good folks at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian and received the following write-up from Minutemen hockey beat writer Matt Skillings:
Aydar Suniev is a gifted goal scorer with above average intelligence in the offensive zone. Suniev possesses a killer wrist shot, but he’s not someone who overplays his hand with the puck on his stick. He picks his shots wisely and uses screens to effectively pick corners, while also having the ability to beat a goalie one on one.
Suniev also has strong playmaking abilities; when he trusts his instincts and doesn’t second-guess himself with the puck, he’s usually able to create high danger scoring opportunities for his teammates. I would like to see him be more consistent this season in both offensive zone possessions and coming through the neutral zone. His ability to spot plays before they happen is there, it just seemed like at times, he was working on adjusting to the speed of college hockey and would pass up opportunities to create offense. I expect that will be one of the main things the UMass coaching staff will work on with him this season.

Expectations for 2024-25

Entering his second (and potentially final) NCAA season at UMass, Suniev will likely be looked upon to carry the mail for a Minutemen team that lost two of its top scorers in Morrow and Ryan Ufko to their respective NHL clubs this past spring.
While UMass should still be competitive in Hockey East next season, Suniev might have to make a go of it as more of a solo performer than a part of a well-rounded ensemble. For that reason, it’s easy to imagine the Flames wanting to get him under contract and into their professional development system as soon as possible, perhaps even next March or April. The better Suniev performs as a sophomore, the greater the chance the Flames seek to pull him out of school within the next 12 months.
Here’s a bit more from Skillings at the Collegian about Suniev’s growth potential and what he expects from the 19-year-old winger in his second year with the Minutemen:
Suniev has a solid frame at 6’2″, 192 pounds, and what he needs to work on is using that size to expand his offensive game around the net. Many of his goals in 2023-24 came from the perimeter where he used his elite shot to score, but he can greatly improve his danger in the offensive zone if he begins to use his size to score rebound and deflection goals.
Aydar finished the 23-24 season with 12 goals and 13 assists, a strong number for a freshman in college hockey, but what will determine how quickly he makes the jump from college to pro hockey is if he can take a step forward in his sophomore season, a jump that UMass head coach Greg Carvel is always looking for from his returning sophomores. He got his feet wet in 36 games last season, so it’s safe to expect a season where he turns some heads and puts himself in the Hobey Baker conversation in 2024-25, especially with the combination of returning and new talent surrounding him at UMass.
The Flames have a fair amount of U-23 talent on both wings, including Sam Honzek, William Strömgren, and Andrew Basha on the left side and Matt Coronato, Matvei Gridin, and Jacob Battaglia on the right. But with a big second year at UMass, Suniev could put himself firmly in the conversation to play NHL games not long after he signs his first pro contract.
(Editor’s Note: Big stick-taps to Matt and the whole crew of the Daily Collegian for their contributions to this report.)