logo
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
What prospect reinforcement options could the Wranglers have before the end of the season?
alt
Photo credit: Todd Boone, Flint Firebirds
Paige Siewert
Feb 14, 2026, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 13, 2026, 22:13 EST
Comments
It’s approaching the time of the year when some of the prospects in the Calgary Flames’ systems are going to close off their seasons and the potential for them to make an appearance in the affiliation system becomes possible. There are quite a few names in the mix and this spring should bring a few professional tryout opportunities with the Wranglers for skaters listed below.
The timelines will vary depending on when their respective seasons end and how far (if at all) they go in post-season. 

WHL

Hunter Laing (C/RW) – Saskatoon Blades
Andrew Basha (LW/RW) – Medicine Hat Tigers
Axel Hurtig (D) – Calgary Hitmen 
(Regular season ends Mar. 22.)
Out of this list, Andrew Basha is the only player to have played a game with the Wranglers. He started the season in the AHL and played in 27 games, putting up five points. The assignment to the WHL was the right move as Basha needed some confidence building and more ice time to get back to his game after being robbed of most of his season last year due to injury. With the Tigers, Basha has 22 points in 15 games, consisting of seven goals and 15 assists. The Tigers have already clinched a playoff spot and sit second in the Eastern Conference. 
For Laing and Hurtig, the Blades and Hitmen are more near the middle of the pack in the standings. The Hitmen are fourth in the Eastern Conference and the Blades are sixth. Unless there is an upset, these two may be some of the first available players. Hunter Laing is one of the alternate captains on the Blades and sits at 19 goals and 21 assists in 47 games this season so far. Axel Hurtig has 14 points in 47 games as captain of the Hitmen. 

OHL

Jacob Battaglia (RW/LW) – Flint Firebirds
(Regular season ends Mar. 21.)
Battaglia and the Flint Firebirds have already clinched a spot and sit second in the Western Conference. Battaglia was previously with the Kingston Frontenacs and played 14 games with them this season. His other 36 games this year have been played with Flint. He has 35 points in 50 games, consisting of 19 goals and 16 assists. Battaglia was just traded to the Firebirds in early January. 

USHL

Mace’o Phillips (D) – Green Bay Gamblers 
(Regular season ends Apr. 4.)
Mace’o Phillips serves as the alternate captain for the Gamblers and has put up 12 points in 47 games this season. Green Bay is in a decent position in the standings, sitting third in the Eastern Conference. However, there are four teams in the top five that are just separated by five points between them. None of the teams in this league have clinched playoff spots just yet but their season runs a few weeks longer than the leagues mentioned above. 
(Editor’s Note: We’re not entirely sure if joining the Wranglers on an amateur try-out would impact Phillips’ NCAA eligibility or not.)

NCAA

Ethan Wyttenbach (LW/RW) – Quinnipiac University 
Trevor Hoskin (RW/C) – Merrimack College
Cole Reschny (C/LW) – University of North Dakota
Abram Wiebe (D) – University of North Dakota
Eric Jamieson (D)  – University of Denver
Luke Misa (C/RW) – Penn State University
Cade Littler (C/RW) – University of North Dakota
Aidan Lane (RW/LW) – Harvard University 
Jaden Lipinski (C/RW)  – University of Maine
(Conference regular seasons end Feb. 28; NCAA national tournament ends Apr. 11.)
In the case of the NCAA, the Flames system would benefit from an early post-season exit for the University of North Dakota, just for the sole reason that they have three players there. Otherwise, it’s invaluable for these young athletes to play as long as possible. The Fighting Hawks lead the NCHC Conference with a 13-5-0 conference record and a 21-7-0 overall record. The NCAA regular season ends on Feb. 28, then conference playoffs commence in early to mid-March, then regionals take place the last week of the month before the Frozen Four and National Championships the second week of April. 
Reschny leads the way out of the three in scoring, sitting third on the team in points. He has 25 points in 24 games, consisting of four goals and 21 assists. Abram Wiebe still cracks the top 10 in team scoring as a defenceman with 19 points in 28 games. Cade Littler is more in the middle of the pack in scoring with 11 points in 26 games.
Eric Jamieson is also in the same conference as North Dakota and his team sits second in the conference standings. Denver’s conference record is 13-6-1 and their overall record is 17-11-3. Their win percentage would put them lower in the conference but points in conference match-ups hold more weight. Jamieson is averaging about a point every second game and currently has 15 points in 31 games so far. 
Ethan Wyttenbach is perhaps the most interesting player on this list as he leads the entire NCAA in scoring with 47 points in 30 games. At this point, he holds that lead by seven points. This stat line is made up of 19 goals and 28 assists. He’s on a level that has people in and outside of the Flames organization buzzing, and it begs the question of whether or not he’s too good for the NCAA? If this is a prospect the Flames think is ready, they’re going to want him in games as soon as he’s available. He may also be a player who gets an NHL debut towards the end of the Flames’ season. (Editor’s Note: Unless the plan is for Wyttenbach to play a second college season.) Quinnipiac is in the ECAC Conference and leads the conference with a 13-2-1 conference record and a 22-5-3 overall record. 
As far as the other NCAA prospects go, here’s what their stat lines and places in the conference standings look:
  • Trevor Hoskin – 26GP, 8G, 19A – Merrimack College (T6th in Hockey East Conference, 7-9-1-1)
  • Luke Misa – 26GP, 4G, 7A – Penn State University (3rd in Big10 Conference, 10-6-0)
  • Aidan Lane – 24GP, 5G, 5A – Harvard University (5th in ECAC Conference, 10-6-0)
  • Jaden Lipinski – 23GP, 3G, 6A – University of Maine (T6th in Hockey East Conference, 8-9-3-2)
Keep in mind that if any of these players come for a PTO or ATO and end up signing an ELC, it’s very rare that they would return to the NCAA. In that case, if the player’s intention is to continue playing university hockey next season, it might not make sense to come up to Calgary with no promise of playing time. However, being around the team to get excited about the future doesn’t tend to be a bad thing. They can still sign ATOs and return to school for the next season. (Editor’s Note: there are a handful of NCAA players who played full-time pro hockey in the past, so the rules are really fuzzy right now.) It just gets a bit complicated when contracts are involved. That’s a conversation for Flames management and the players to have if it gets to that point.

Injured/Unavailable

Henry Mews (D) – University of Michigan (season-ending injury)
Cullen Potter (C/LW)  – Arizona State University (season-ending injury)
Unfortunately for Mews, his season was really over before it started. He was injured on Nov. 3 against Notre Dame and ruled out for the rest of the season. It was a knee-on-knee hit in just his 10th game of the year. He was averaging almost a point per game as a right shot defenceman with nine points prior to this injury. There will be no sense trying to push anything for Mews even if recovery is going well and his next appearance will likely not be until late summer or early fall. Similarly, Potter has also suffered a season-ending injury.
The overall list of options is plentiful and while players will become available at different times, there is still work for the likes of the Calgary Wranglers to do to qualify for the playoffs. They’re a mostly healthy squad at the moment but if that changes in the next month or so, having young reinforcements can be extremely beneficial. Calgary is currently tied for eighth in the Pacific Division and needs to place in the top seven to qualify. They are six points behind the Tucson Roadrunners, who hold the last playoff spot. They have 25 games remaining to make up some ground and hopefully give the current and future prospects more time to shine.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi

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.
The Mitsubishi Motors lineup includes the industry-leading Outlander and Outlander PHEV, as well as the compact Eclipse Cross and RVR models. New for February, take advantage of available 0% financing for up to 84 months on all in-stock 2025 Outlander PHEVs! Check out Platinum’s inventory here.

Editorials

Breaking News