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Matvei Gridin joins an exclusive list of teenage Flames
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Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Pike
Oct 8, 2025, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 8, 2025, 00:46 EDT
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Gang, it’s really tough to make a National Hockey League roster at any age. It’s virtually unheard of for a teenager, given their lack of physical and mental maturity – relative to their older counterparts – and just how much NHL clubs tend to skew towards reliable veterans over uncertain kids.
The Calgary Flames will begin the 2025-26 season with two teenagers on their roster. One of them, Zayne Parekh, has already made his NHL debut. The other, Matvei Gridin, will become the 36th teenager to appear in a game for the Flames franchise.
To put Gridin’s really impressive accomplishment in context, here’s a brief look at the 35 teenagers who have appeared for the Flames.

Teenage Flames in chronological order

1: Guy Chouinard – Feb. 2, 1975 (18 years, 105 days) vs. Minnesota
  • 1974 second-round pick.
  • Spent 1974-75 with the CHL’s Omaha Knights (Atlanta’s farm team), called up for five games mid-season.
2: Bobby Simpson – Oct. 5, 1976 (19 years, 323 days) at Washington
  • 1976 second-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
3: Paul Reinhart – Oct. 10, 1979 (19 years, 277 days) at Quebec
  • 1979 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
4: Kevin LaVallee – Oct. 9, 1980 (19 years, 23 days) vs. Quebec
  • 1980 second-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
5: Jim Peplinski – Oct. 9, 1980 (19 years, 351 days) vs. Quebec
  • 1979 fourth-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
6: Denis Cyr – Nov. 11, 1080 (19 years, 295 days) at Montreal
  • 1980 first-round pick.
  • Spent 1980-81 with the QMJHL’s Montreal Juniors, called up mid-season (and ended up playing two separate four-game recalls before his junior season ended). The first call-up was as Flames were on a road swing through Quebec.
7: Steve Konroyd – Jan. 15, 1981 (19 years, 340 days) vs. Detroit
  • 1980 second-round pick.
  • Spent 1980-81 with the OMJHL’s Oshawa Generals, called-up mid-season for four games with Flames facing injuries.
8: Tony Curtale – Jan. 24, 1981 (18 years, 361 days) at Pittsburgh
  • 1980 second-round pick
  • Spent 1980-81 with OMJHL’s Brantford Alexanders, called up mid-season for two games with Flames facing injuries.
9: Carl Mokosak – Dec. 12, 1981 (19 years, 81 days) vs. NY Islanders
  • Undrafted free agent.
  • Spent 1981-82 with WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, called up mid-season for one game with the Flames facing injuries.
10: Randy Turnbull – Dec. 28, 1981 (19 years, 324 days) vs. Philadelphia
  • 1980 fifth-round pick.
  • Spent 1981-82 with WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings, called up mid-season for one game with the Flames facing injuries.
11: Al MacInnis – Dec. 30, 1981 (18 years, 172 days) vs. Boston
  • 1981 first-round pick.
  • Spent 1981-82 with OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, called up mid-season for two games with the Flames facing injuries.
12: Bruce Eakin – Feb. 27, 1982 (19 years, 152 days) vs. Philadelphia
  • 1981 10th-round pick.
  • Spent 1981-82 with WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, joined Flames when junior season ended.
13: Mike Vernon – Dec. 12, 1982 (19 years, 191 days) at Detroit
  • 1983 third-round pick.
  • Spent 1982-83 with WHL’s Calgary Wranglers, called up mid-season for two games with the Flames facing injuries.
14: Richard Kromm – Nov. 19, 1983 (19 years, 245 days) vs. Philadelphia
  • 1982 second-round pick.
  • Started 1983-84 with WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, but joined Flames mid-season and stuck.
15: Dan Quinn – Dec. 6, 1983 (18 years, 188 days) at Quebec
  • 1983 first-round pick.
  • Started 1983-84 with OHL’s Belleville Bulls, but joined Flames mid-season and stuck.
A note from Ryan: the current CHL transfer agreement amounts to “Once you send junior-aged players back from training camp, you can’t bring them back until their junior season is over.” The older version of the agreement was more permissive, but teams had only 10 games per season with junior-aged players before they had to decide if they were sticking with the NHL team or not.
16: Brian Glynn – Oct. 8, 1987 (19 years, 319 days) vs. Detroit
  • 1986 second-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
17: Robert Reichel – Oct. 8, 1990 (19 years, 105 days) at Winnipeg
  • 1989 fourth-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
18: Trevor Kidd – Mar. 3, 1992 (19 years, 343 days) vs. Pittsburgh
  • 1990 first-round pick.
  • Spent 1991-92 with Canadian National Team, then joined Flames after the Winter Olympics.
19: Jamie Allison – Jan. 26, 1995 (19 years, 258 days) at Detroit
  • 1993 second-round pick.
  • Spent 1994-95 with OHL’s Detroit Jr. Red Wings, joined Flames for one game as emergency injury fill-in. (The Flames were playing in Detroit and were short players.)
20: Jarome Iginla – Apr. 21, 1996 (playoffs) (18 years, 295 days) vs. Chicago
  • 1995 first-round pick by Dallas. Traded to Flames in Joe Nieuwendyk trade.
  • Spent 1995-96 season with WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, joined Flames after junior season ended.
21: Derek Morris – Oct. 1, 1997 (19 years, 38 days) vs Detroit
  • 1997 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
22: Steve Begin – Oct. 1, 1997 (19 years, 109 days) vs. Detroit
  • 1996 second-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, played five games, then was re-assigned to QMJHL’s Val-d’Or Foreurs.
23: Sergei Varlamov – Apr. 17, 1998 (19 years, 270 days) at Vancouver
  • Undrafted free agent.
  • Spent 1997-98 season with WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, joined Flames after junior season ended.
24: Rico Fata – Oct. 9, 1998 (18 years, 239 days) vs. San Jose
  • 1998 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, played 20 games, then was re-assigned to OHL’s London Knights.
25: Oleg Saprykin – Oct. 2, 1999 (18 years, 232 days) at San Jose
  • 1999 first round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, played four games, then was re-assigned to WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds.
26: Robyn Regehr – Oct. 28, 1999 (19 years, 192 days) at Ottawa
  • 1998 first-round pick by Colorado. Traded to Flames in Theo Fleury trade.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, spent time in AHL on conditioning loan related to off-season car accident, returned to NHL and stuck.
27: Mikael Backlund – Jan. 8, 2009 (19 years, 297 days) vs. NY Islanders
  • 2007 first-round pick.
  • Started 2008-09 in Sweden, then moved to WHL’s Kelowna Rockets after World Juniors. Played a game for Flames as emergency injury replacement.
28: Sven Baertschi – Mar. 9, 2012 (19 years, 156 days) vs. Winnipeg
  • 2011 first-round pick.
  • Spent 2011-12 with WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, joined Flames for three games on emergency recall due to several NHL injuries.
29: Sean Monahan – Oct. 3, 2013 (18 years, 356 days) at Washington
  • 2013 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
30: Sam Bennett – Apr. 11, 2015 (18 years, 295 days) at Winnipeg
  • 2014 first-round pick.
  • Spent 2014-15 with OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, joined Flames after junior season was over.
31: Oliver Kylington – Apr. 9, 2016 (18 years 326 days) at Minnesota
  • 2015 second-round pick.
  • Spent 2014-15 with AHL’s Stockton Heat, called up at end of regular season.
32: Matthew Tkachuk  – Oct. 6, 2016 (19 years, 300 days) at Edmonton
  • 2016 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp and stuck.
33: Juuso Valimaki – Oct. 3, 2018 (19 years, 362 days) at Vancouver
  • 2017 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, suffered an injury and was eventually re-assigned to AHL’s Stockton Heat.
34: Sam Honzek – Oct. 9, 2024 (19 years, 331 days) at Vancouver
  • 2023 first-round pick.
  • Made Flames out of training camp, suffered an injury and was eventually re-assigned to AHL’s Calgary Wranglers.
2023 first-rounder; made team out of camp, demoted to AHL after a few games.
35: Zayne Parekh – Apr. 17, 2025 (19 years, 61 days) at Los Angeles
  • 2024 first-round pick.
  • Spent 2024-25 with OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, joined Flames after junior season was over.
As you may have noted here, it’s extremely rare for teenagers to make the NHL roster out of camp (just 15 times), and even rarer for those players to stick around for the entire season (just 10 times). We’ll see if Gridin (and Parekh, for that matter) can buck that trend and stick around for awhile.
The Flames begin their 2025-26 season on Wednesday night at Rogers Place against Edmonton.

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