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Flames prospect Mace’o Phillips joining the Western League’s Medicine Hat Tigers for 2026-27 season
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Ryan Pike
Jun 30, 2026, 19:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 30, 2026, 20:05 EDT
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We have a trade to announce… in the Western Hockey League.
On Tuesday, the Western League’s Medicine Hat Tigers announced that they’ve acquired the rights to Calgary Flames prospect Mace’o Phillips from the Portland Winterhawks in exchange for a pair of draft picks. He’s expected to be joining the Tigers for the upcoming 2026-27 season, per reporting from Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg and the Medicine Hat News’ James Tubb.
A product of Wayzata, Minnesota, Phillips is a 6’6″, 234 pound left shot defenceman. The Flames selected him in the third round, 80th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. He spent 2023-24 with the U.S. National Development Program’s Under-17 Team and the 2024-25 season with their Under-18 Team before moving to the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers for the 2025-26 season.
Phillips’ season in Green Bay was fine, as he posted one goal, 11 points and 187 penalty minutes over 44 games. (He was also suspended a few times.) But considering his size, playing style and intangibles, moving to the Western League could do a lot to get him ready for the rigours of college hockey and his potential as a future pro. He’s slated to join the University of Minnesota for the 2027-28 season, and he would be a 20-year-old for his freshman season.
Meanwhile, after being selected by the Calgary Hitmen in CHL Import Draft earlier Tuesday, Steinberg is reporting on social media that Flames prospect Jakob Leander will be joining the Hitmen for the 2026-27 campaign.
Pat Steinberg
Pat Steinberg
@Fan960Steinberg
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On top of Mace'o Phillips going to Medicine Hat this fall, d-man Jakob Leander is joining the Calgary Hitmen next season. The #Flames 2025 seventh-round pick was selected by the Hitmen in Tuesday's CHL Import Draft.

Pat Steinberg
Pat Steinberg
@Fan960Steinberg

Some #Flames prospect news today... D-man Mace'o Phillips has been acquired by WHL Medicine Hat from Portland. The 2025 third-round pick will join the Tigers for this coming season.

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Presuming that 2007-born Czech defender Jakub Seidl and 2008-born Russian forward Andrei Molgachev are returning to the Hitmen, the Swedish-born Leander would be using up the third Hitmen import player slot for the coming season. The Hitmen also hold the North American rights to Swedish forward Theo Stockselius, signed to an entry-level deal by the Flames in May, but indications were that he would be returning to Swedish on a loan to his old club team, Djurgardens IF, for the coming season – though nothing had been confirmed or announced as of yet.
In addition to Phillips (Medicine Hat) and Leander (Calgary), the Flames will have Bode Laylin (Everett), Joe Iginla (Vancouver) and Chase Harrington (Spokane) playing in the Western League this coming season.
We’ll have more on the many developments with the Flames and their many prospects in the coming weeks.

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