In the hockey world, results in September and October can be dismissed as flukes or aberrations. Strong early numbers are hot streaks or a team taking advantage of an opponent having a slow start. Or, similarly, weak early numbers can be dismissed as a slow start.

But by November, it’s not really early anymore, is it? And that makes it tougher to hand-wave off a player’s results.

Case in point: Calgary Flames prospect Jacob Battaglia. In the first 10 games (or so), you can remark “Oh hey, Battaglia’s having a good start.” But as we approach December, with Battaglia nestled firmly in the top 10 of the Ontario Hockey League’s offensive leaderboard, it’s not just a good start anymore. Battaglia’s flat-out having a really impressive season and he’s taken a big step forward.

You can say similar things for a lot of other players in the Flames system. To cherry-pick a few names: Rory Kerins, Jakob Pelletier, Battaglia, Henry Mews, Luke Misa, Zayne Parekh and Aydar Suniev are all producing at north of a 30 NHLe level. And just below that arbitrary cut-off, there are players like Ilya Solovyov, William Strömgren, Andrew Basha and Matvei Gridin.

We’re quietly entering the meat of the hockey season, friends. And a lot of Flames youngsters are having seasons worth your attention.

Jonathan Aspirot – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

25; signed as a free agent; 6’0″, 200 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	13	1	4	5	2	3	2	11	15.53
2023-24 (AHL)	66	6	27	33	19	12	9	94	19.93

Aspirot scored a goal this week, his first of the season.

Andrew Basha – LW/C, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (41st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 174 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 5th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	17	7	13	20	17	7	5	56	29.13
2023-24 (WHL)	63	30	55	85	69	52	41	189	33.41

Bad news, gang: Basha is nursing a lower body injury, and he’s listed as week to week by the WHL’s weekly report. You’ve got to imagine the Flames and Tigers are gonna err on the side of caution given how important he is to both teams.

Jacob Battaglia – LW, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (62nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 11th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	22	14	17	31	27	21	18	62	37.32
2023-24 (OHL)	67	31	34	65	54	39	34	168	25.70

Three points is a disappointing week for Battaglia.

Parker Bell – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 192 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	1	0	1	1	1	1	10	3.32
2023-24 (WHL)	59	33	31	64	50	35	31	231	26.86

Bell was scratched over the weekend against San Jose.

Jake Boltmann – D, Northeastern University Huskies, NCAA/Hockey East

22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 188 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	0	3	3	0	3	0	2	11.70
2023-24 (NCAA)	30	0	2	2	2	2	2	36	1.82

Boltmann didn’t hit the scoresheet over a pair of weekend games for the Huskies.

Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

19; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 3rd-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	0	2	2	1	1	1	10	4.98
2023-24 (OHL)	67	13	79	92	46	65	34	140	36.37

Brzustewicz was the victim of a bad bounce in overtime against San Jose, as the overtime winner glanced off of him and beat netminder Waltteri Ignatjew. He played it right, but it just took a weird bounce.

SJ Barracuda

@sjbarracuda

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LUCA OT WINNER🤩

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2:10 AM · Nov 18, 2024

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Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 210 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	1	5	6	6	3	3	9	19.93
2023-24 (AHL)	55	4	2	6	5	6	5	67	4.35

In 43 fewer games, Ciona has matched last season’s points output.

Matt Coronato – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 183 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	2	0	2	2	2	2	6	39.85
2023-24 (AHL)	41	15	27	42	28	27	17	140	40.82

Coronato is in the NHL.

Matvei Gridin – RW, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL

18; Calgary’s first round pick (28th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 182 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 6th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	9	13	22	15	11	8	72	26.97
2023-24 (USHL)	60	38	45	83	67	49	42	208	31.76

Gridin had a five point week, including a two goal game.

Artem Grushnikov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas; 6’1″, 203 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 17th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0.00
2023-24 (AHL)	63	1	5	6	5	6	5	65	3.80

Grushnikov is still looking for his first point of the season.

Sam Honzek – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

19; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 186 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 4th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	1	2	3	2	1	1	6	19.93
2023-24 (WHL)	33	10	21	31	22	16	11	86	23.26

Honzek had two assists in two games. He’s starting to get a bit more involved in offensive plays after looking like he was settling in a bit in his first week or two.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Niagara University Purple Eagles, NCAA/AHA

20; Calgary’s fourth round pick (106th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 175 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	13	4	8	12	9	8	7	22	14.68
2023-24 (OJHL)	52	42	58	100	85	60	50	189	5.36

Hoskin was held pointless this week.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 202 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	21	0	4	4	3	2	1	18	4.72
2023-24 (J20)	27	3	8	11	7	11	7	54	15.10

Hurtig had an assist this week. He’s a really steady WHL blueliner, and one of the WHL’s plus/minus leaders.

Eric Jamieson – D, Everett Silvertips, WHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	4	4	8	5	8	5	40	10.43
2023-24 (WHL)	66	10	22	32	21	27	18	174	12.01

Jamieson is one of the WHL’s plus/minus leaders.

Joni Jurmo – D, Rapid City Rush, ECHL

22; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’3″, 190 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	1	4	5	4	2	2	8	19.13
2023-24 (Liiga)	46	1	4	5	3	4	3	63	4.03

Jurmo continues to have a really nice start to his run in the ECHL.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 175 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	13	4	17	14	11	10	45	42.34
2023-24 (AHL)	54	16	16	32	27	22	18	115	23.62

Kerins played two games and had three goals. He leads the AHL in goals.

Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Free agent signing; 6’8″, 235 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 15th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	5	3	8	8	6	6	26	45.55
2023-24 (AHL)	65	21	24	45	34	31	22	182	27.59

Klapka had three points over two games, then received another call-up to the NHL.

Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 209 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 20th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	1	4	5	3	5	3	17	12.45
2023-24 (AHL)	63	5	8	13	9	12	8	88	8.22

Kuznetsov was held off the scoresheet, but remains a steady presence for the Wranglers.

Hunter Laing – C/RW, Prince George Cougars, WHL

18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (170th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’5″, 205 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	20	7	5	12	11	10	9	35	14.86
2023-24 (WHL)	66	11	14	25	18	20	14	101	9.38

Laing scored a goal this week.

Jaden Lipinski – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Vancouver Giants, WHL

19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 204 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 16th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
WHL season to date	10	1	8	9	8	6	5	21	22.29
AHL season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2023-24 (WHL)	67	24	42	66	47	33	23	181	24.39

Lipinski played a couple of games, and registered a couple of assists.

Cade Littler – C/RW, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA/NCHC

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 197 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	9	2	1	3	3	3	3	5	12.00
2023-24 (BCHL)	24	9	12	21	17	9	6	–	5.51

Littler had a quiet week and didn’t hit the scoresheet for North Dakota.

Henry Mews – D, Ottawa 67’s, OHL

18; Calgary’s third round pick (74th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 181 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 9th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	5	18	23	17	9	7	82	32.06
2023-24 (OHL)	65	15	46	61	38	35	24	153	24.86

Mews had a really good week, posting five points over three games.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Brampton Steelheads, OHL

18; Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 170 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 13th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	10	13	23	16	18	12	46	32.06
2023-24 (OHL)	66	26	55	81	56	58	39	210	32.51

Misa had two goals and two assists over two games this week.

Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL

19; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 180 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 10th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	5	15	20	11	12	8	64	24.51
2023-24 (QMJHL)	58	12	37	49	32	21	13	191	19.67

Morin scored a goal this week.

Sam Morton – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

25; Free agent signing; 6’0″, 185 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	3	9	12	10	5	5	36	29.89
2023-24 (NCAA)	37	24	10	34	32	20	19	151	24.00

Morton continues to play a really steady, productive style of hockey in the AHL. He had two points over two weekend games.

Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	9	0	4	4	3	2	1	7	17.71
2023-24 (AHL)	29	3	3	6	6	6	6	33	8.25

Nikolaev was scratched this weekend.

Zayne Parekh – D, Saginaw Spirit, OHL

18; Calgary’s first round pick (9th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 179 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 1st-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	18	6	17	23	14	11	7	76	33.84
2023-24 (OHL)	66	33	63	96	66	54	39	224	38.53

Parekh had eight points over three games for the Spirit. That’s a pretty solid week.

Jakob Pelletier – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 5’9″, 170 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	2	14	16	8	10	5	36	39.85
2023-24 (AHL)	18	5	7	12	8	7	6	45	26.57

Pelletier had a pair of assists over a pair of games this week.

Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 7th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	0	6	6	2	5	1	29	14.94
2023-24 (AHL)	23	3	10	13	5	5	2	44	22.53

Poirier registered an assist this week, but he remains behind last season’s offensive pace.

Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 208 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 14th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	3	5	8	3	7	3	12	26.57
2023-24 (AHL)	51	5	10	15	10	14	10	88	11.72

Solovyov continues his consistent, strong play for the Wranglers.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 8th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	2	9	11	8	6	5	23	27.40
2023-24 (AHL)	68	7	20	27	23	18	15	74	15.82

Strömgren had four assists across two games against San Jose. After a slow start offensively, he’s continued to play quite well and rack up points. Over his past eight games, he has 10 points.

Aydar Suniev – LW/C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA/Hockey East

19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 12th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	8	6	14	12	6	6	44	37.60
2023-24 (NCAA)	35	12	13	25	19	16	12	100	23.02

Suniev is among the top offensive players in all of college hockey. He had four points in a weekend set against Providence, including two goals on Saturday.

Jonny Lazarus

@JLazzy23

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Catching up on some @UMassHockey from last weekend, Aydar Suniev is a guy all hockey fans should pay attention to. 8 goals in 12 games (tied for 2nd in NCAA) and has a ton of swagger to his game.

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6:52 PM · Nov 19, 2024

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Daniil Chechelev – G, Yunison-Moskva, VHL

23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 187 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	3	125	.825
2023-24 (VHL)	5	271	.908

Chechelev didn’t dress this week.

Waltteri Ignatjew – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Signed as a free agent; 6’3″, 200 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	5	292	.888
2023-24 (SWE-1)	45	2614	.918

Ignatjew was in net for a 5-4 overtime loss against San Jose.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA/Big 10

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 192 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	9	487	.905
2023-24 (NCAA)	16	934	.913

Penn State played a pair of weekend games against Wisconsin. It didn’t go great, with Penn State losing both games. Sergeev started both games, but was chased from the second game, a 6-3 loss, after allowing two goals on four shots. Let’s see how he bounces back next weekend against Michigan.

Yegor Yegorov – G, HC Tambov, VHL / MHC Tambov, NMHL

19; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 183 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
VHL season to date	4	160	.870
NMHL season to date	8	449	.891
2023-24 (MHL)	25	1319	.917

Yegorov continues to be a depth goaltender for Tambov’s VHL team, but he’s getting regular games in with their junior team in the second-tier NMHL. His numbers are decent, but he hasn’t been dominant anywhere.

Kirill Zarubin – G, AKM Tula, MHL

18; Calgary’s third round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 178 pounds; FN’s 19th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	7	368	.918
2023-24 (MHL)	45	2473	.927

Good news: Zarubin was the goaltender of record in an 8-1 AKM Tula win over AKM Junior. The bad news is he left early in the third period, presumably with some sort of injury or ailment.

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