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William Stromgren reflects on season success as anticipation of an NHL debut draws closer
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Photo credit: David Moll/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
Jan 3, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 3, 2026, 08:08 EST
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William Stromgren has been putting himself on the map this season. Especially in the last string of games with the Calgary Wranglers. The Calgary Flames prospect has been impossible to ignore as of late and is making the case to be the next Wrangler to make his debut in the NHL. His current run of points includes nine points over the span of four games and he has been a staple player on the Flames’ affiliate’s top line. 
Since the brief Christmas break, Stromgren has been on an absolute heater. As of Jan. 3, he has nine points in four straight games including a two goal, two assist performance in the Wranglers overtime loss against the Colorado Eagles on Dec. 30. Stromgren has consistently been playing on the top line for the Wranglers, mostly with Rory Kerins and Dryden Hunt, depending on call-ups and a few occasional games with Matvei Gridin and Justin Kirkland earlier in the season. 
Stromgren himself credits his success to his teammates. He said:
“They make it really easy for me. You can have a bad game, but your team can help you through the struggle and I think you can’t just do it by yourself, if I could, it’d be pretty easy, but no, I’m just thankful for them. I’m just happy to have good teammates that help me out when it’s bad and help when it’s good.”
Stromgren’s been surrounded by NHL experience nearly all season and it’s getting close to the time to put him in that category. However, when it comes to talking to his linemates and teammates about NHL experience, they tend to keep the conversation focused on the task at hand.
Stromgren said:
“I think it’s Wranglers focus for the most part. I mean some moments you can talk about it but it’s not a lot. Especially with how things are going down here. I think we just try to stay in the Wranglers side of everything.”
He isn’t completely unaware of the Flames conversation, however, as a prospect in this market wouldn’t be, but he really wants to focus on what he can do to help the Wranglers at this point rather than what could be an experience for him in the coming months. Stromgren said:
“I don’t try to think about it too much. I just try to play my game right now. If it’s going well, then I just keep it going. If you think too far ahead, you probably lose what’s good in the moment. So I think like leave that behind, leave that to the people that can decide it. I’ll do what I can. Play a hard game and play my game and where that takes me is up to the guys that decide it.”
William Stromgren was not completely content with his season last year and the ups and downs really played their toll on his overall consistency. This year, lack of consistency is not something you can even put in the same sentence as Stromgren. In the 32 games he’s played with the Wranglers to date, he has yet to go more than three games without a point and he’s creeping up on a point per game average with 29 points in that span. What may come as a surprise is how long it actually took this top-liner to score his first of the season. His first goal of the year came against the Henderson Silver Knights on Nov. 15, where he had a four point night. 
His game felt like it transitioned into a setup role that he started to lean into more in the back half of the 2024-25 season. That is part of something that came out of training camp and pre-season for number 11 as well. He shared some feedback he’s received about his game, including being more selfish with the puck and taking the shot when he has it. 
Stromgren said:
“I got a couple pointers. I got to be quicker. I’d say quite fast as we call it, just moving my feet, not draft as we call it. Just flat-footed, just try to keep my feet moving, try to keep my pace to play up, and then shoot. I think it’s easier for me to send a pass instead of shooting it so I got to focus more on getting some shots on net. Being selfish sometimes. You can make a nice pass, but sometimes you gotta shoot it too.”
William Stromgren has been a big part of the success that players like Rory Kerins are having on the team. Obviously, Kerins carries a talent of his own, but their line is clicking on another level at this point in the season. Rory Kerins commented on how Stromgren has been playing of late and said:
“Strommer’s been playing amazing. I know whenever I played with him, he gets a lot of pucks and stuff. Likes to make plays.”
Stromgren currently leads the Wranglers in assists with 23 and is in the top three on the team in overall scoring under Rory Kerins and Martin Frk. He has a total of 29 points and cracks the top 20 in the AHL for scoring. After Friday’s games, Stromgren is tied with six other AHL players for the 14th spot in league scoring. 
It’s not just his linemates that have been singing his praises, either. Head coach Brett Sutter also commented on Stromgren’s stretch as of late and said after their overtime loss on Dec. 30 against the Eagles:
“I thought Strom, that was his third game in a row where he was the best player on the ice, so good on him.”
Despite the success William Stromgren, Rory Kerins and Dryden Hunt have been having on the top line, the Wranglers’ record is not completely reflecting their efforts. Calgary has lost four of their last five games and have a 3-3-4-0 record in their last 10. They’re still getting points in many of these games, but need other guys to help follow the lead the top line is setting for them.
Stromgren spoke on this and said:
“I just think that because we’re doing good, I think we just try to help the team, give momentum. You can score all these points or whatever, but you want to make momentum for the next line that comes on the ice and if we can push that, for sure we like it. If other lines can do it, then we’re also saying thank you to that. But I just think like if it’s going great, you just want to push the momentum for the team. For your teammates. Some guys can be having a couple bad shifts but another line might have a good one, which helps the whole team just play good hockey.”
Stromgren’s shown his one-ice leadership and certainly has matured as a player this season. He is in the right company to continue down the path he’s on and has all the tools at his disposal. He is on pace for a career year and it will be a shock if he doesn’t suit up for the Flames at least once this season. This season is the last year of his entry-level contract and he’s doing everything in his power to keep the spotlight on him and prove he is a worthy prospect to keep around the Flames organization.

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