The Calgary Wranglers are sending one of their most important players to Rockford, Illinois for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic.

On Thursday, the American Hockey League announced the rosters for its upcoming all-star festivities. Representing the Calgary Wranglers at the event will be rookie forward Matvei Gridin.

The 19-year-old Gridin is in his first year of professional hockey. He made the Flames out of training camp and played six games in the NHL, scoring his first NHL goal in the process. When Jonathan Huberdeau got healthy, Gridin was assigned to the AHL and he quickly found his footing with the Wranglers. In 32 games, he has 10 goals and 18 assists for 28th points. He’s currently 41st in AHL scoring, and second among all AHL rookies.

(The only player ahead of him is Edmonton Oilers prospect Quinn Hutson, of the Bakersfield Condors, and he’s five years older than Gridin.)

Gridin is one of three teenagers named to the All-Star Classic, along with Hershey’s Ilya Protas and Rochester’s Konsta Helenius.

Gridin’s actually fifth on the Wranglers in scoring, part of a cluster of five players having good offensive seasons alongside Rory Kerins (33 points), Martin Frk (31 points), Dryden Hunt (31 points) and William Stromgren (29 points). Hunt and Stromgren are currently with the Flames, Kerins and Gridin have previously been with the Flames this season, while Frk is on an AHL contract and isn’t eligible for an NHL call-up.

Gridin was the second of two first-round selections the Flames made in the 2024 NHL Draft, selected at 28th overall with the pick the Flames acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade. He played two years with the United States Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks, then moved onto the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Shawinigan Cataractes. He was named the QMJHL’s Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2024-25 season.

The 2026 AHL All-Star Classic takes place Feb. 10-11 in Rockford, Illinois and will be hosted by the Rockford IceHogs, the Chicago Blackhawks’ AHL farm team.

This article is a presentation of Platinum Mitsubishi, family owned and operated by lifelong Calgarians. Home of the industry-leading 10-year, 160,000-kilometre powertrain warranty. Check out their showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca.