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Series preview: Wranglers host the Condors for the battle of the AHL’s best rookies
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Photo credit: David Moll/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jan 16, 2026, 13:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 16, 2026, 08:56 EST
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The Calgary Wranglers kick off a four game homestand on Friday and are looking for a big push through the second half of the season. The Flames’ AHL squad has faced some challenges over the past few weeks and are struggling to get things done in regulation. As conversations around the playoff picture start to loom, they need some improvement to guarantee they qualify. The Wranglers only have two wins in their last 10 games but have been picking up points outside of regulation. Their record is creeping below .500 with a 15-14-7-2 season record and a sixth place spot in the Pacific Division standings. 

Last game’s lines

Calgary
Dryden Hunt (inactive) – Sam Morton – Matvei Gridin 
Aydar Suniev – Rory Kerins – Martin Frk 
Carter King – Clark Bishop – David Silye 
Alex Gallant – Parker Bell
Artem Grushnikov – Daniil Miromanov
Nick Cicek – Jeremie Poirier
Turner Ottenbreit – Simon Mack
Etienne Morin
Arsenii Sergeev (starter) 
Connor Murphy
Bakersfield 
James Stefan (inactive) – Viljami Marjala – Seth Griffith
Daniel D’Amato – James Hamblin – Quinn Hutson
Brady Stonehouse – Sam Poulin – Rem Pitlick
Matthew Brown – Matt Copponi (inactive) – Ethan Keppen
Damien Carfagna – Beau Akey 
Riley Stillman – Josh Brown
Mason Millman – Tyson Feist
Connor Ungar (starter)
Matt Tomkins 

Leaders

Calgary
Rory Kerins – 35GP, 13G, 20A
Martin Frk – 38GP, 14G, 17A
Dryden Hunt – 26GP, 11G, 20A
Bakersfield
Quinn Hutson – 30GP, 23G, 15A
Seth Griffith – 35GP, 11G, 25A
Viljami Marjala – 35GP, 10G, 22A

Notes and expectations

There was a little bit of roster action this week for the Wranglers. On Tuesday, it was announced that Martin Pospisil was ready to return from the injury that has kept him away from game action at any level this season so far. He joined the Wranglers on a conditioning loan and practiced with the team this week. He is expected to play in one or both games. Also assigned to the team on Tuesday was Xavier Bernard from the Rapid City Rush. Bernard is a left-shot defenceman with 12 points in 33 games with the Rush this season. 
On Wednesday, Dryden Hunt was called up to the Flames again, leaving Carter Wilkie and Lucas Ciona as other remaining forward options currently on the roster. Connor Murphy is also still with Calgary after Owen Say took himself out about halfway through his game in Abbotsford last Saturday. Say’s status is a lower body injury with no timeline attached to it yet. 
For the roster that remains, good news came out this week for rookie, Matvei Gridin. On Thursday, he was announced as the Wranglers representative for the AHL All-Star game. This year’s event is hosted by the Rockford IceHogs in Rockford, IL and will be on Feb. 10 and 11. Gridin is third in scoring by active Wranglers with 10 goals and 18 assists in 32 games. Despite missing some time to start the season with the Flames and a minor injury last month, he still stands at second in rookie scoring in the league. He’s 10 points behind Quinn Huston, who will be Bakersfield’s All-Star selection and on the ice against Calgary this weekend. 
This home series for Calgary starts on Friday at 7:00 p.m. MT and wraps up on Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. matinee game. Tickets are still available to catch the AHL’s battle between the Flames and Oilers affiliates and streaming options are available for a fee on FloHockey. FlamesNation contributors Ryan Pike and I will have updates on X (formerly Twitter).

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