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Wranglers sign forward Alex Gallant and right shot defenceman Kent Anderson to AHL deals
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Photo credit: David Moll/Calgary Wranglers
Paige Siewert
May 16, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: May 16, 2026, 10:17 EDT
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The Calgary Wranglers announced their first two of the likely many contract signings expected this off-season on Friday.
Alex Gallant and Kent Anderson are set to return to the Wranglers on one year AHL deals. Gallant is a 33 year old leader and enforcer. He’s a 5’11”, 180 lb forward who has no hesitation in fighting outside his size and weight class. Anderson is a Calgary native and a 6’3”, 205 lb right shot defenceman. Anderson joined the Wranglers in the last week of the season on an ATO after winning a National Championship with the University of Denver in the same week.
Alex Gallant has been with the Flames affiliate for seven seasons and has served as the Wranglers ‘ alternate captain since the team’s inaugural season. Prior to that, he spent three years with the Stockton Heat. Gallant’s main attribute to his game is his physical play. He tends to play between 40-45 games a season and his PIMs have been over 100 minutes in the last nine of his 11 seasons in the AHL. 
Last season, Gallant played in 42 games and put up three assists. His PIMs were at a career high of 179. Alex Gallant is one of the few remaining enforcers playing an old time hockey style of game. This isn’t just a random selection of fights either. Gallant researches the fighting styles of some of the other fighters in the league. You can feel when he’s on the bench and a game is getting out of hand and he’s very quick to stand up for his teammates after a cheap shot or heavy hit. 
Gallant is very aware of his role in the AHL at this point in his career and as he gets older, you start to wonder how much longer he wants to go before he hangs up the skates. However, at exit meetings this season, he was very adamant that he has more gas in the tank. When talking about his plan for the summer, he said:
“Just got home this summer, back east and enjoy the summer. Get ready to go for next year. I feel great. My body feels great and I really want to play again. So go home and get ready and try to do that again.”
Alex Gallant did miss a bit of time with an upper body injury this season but was not away for an extended period of time. When the Wranglers were looking to get some things going during a rough stretch in the back half of the season, Gallant actually suited up to man the bench with the coaching staff.
As the Wranglers sign the longest-standing veteran, they also welcome one of their newest faces for his first full professional season. Kent Anderson had a whirlwind of a week in mid-April, going from a National Championship, to celebrating the win, to practicing with the Wranglers to making his professional debut in his college state, Colorado. Anderson played in both the Wranglers’ final two games against the Eagles in some of their best games of the season. He appeared a little shaky at first, but not out of place by any means. He was on a pairing with Nick Cicek for both games with another older blueliner who served a role all season, helping mentor multiple young prospects on the back end.
Anderson had just the two game preview and finished with a plus/minus of plus-2, and no points or PIMs. He captained the University of Denver’s squad last season and played on the team with Flames prospect Eric Jamieson. He also played three seasons with Carter King and they won a National title in the 2023-24 season. King helped Anderson make the quick transition and was a friendly face among a crowd of new teammates.
In his week with the team, Anderson took some time to talk to the media at practice and talked about King. He said:
“Yeah he’s helped me out a little bit, getting used to the drills. Making sure I’m at all the meetings and everything like that. So he’s been great.”
He continued:
“Denver is the relationships you make along the way. Coming back and getting to see Carter today. Those are the things you remember for the rest of your life. So those relationships you build and the memories are the best part of it.”
Even at the time of his preview with the Wranglers, the conversation around a spot for Anderson next season was a relevant one and to have that opportunity was something the 22-year-old defenceman was very proud of. He said:
“It would be a dream come true. Obviously, being from Calgary, putting on a Wranglers jersey is a special feeling. So that would be something that would be pretty special.”
The dream lives on for Anderson and he will make his home debut in the Fall. Anderson was a product of the Calgary Northstars, Calgary Canucks and Drumheller Dragons programs and officially gets to be a pro in his home province for a full season. 
Many members of the 2025-26 Wranglers roster are UFAs and RFAs this off-season, including Justin Kirkland, Clark Bishop, Nick Cicek, Ivan Prosvetov, Rory Kerins, Brennan Othmann, William Stromgren, Sam Morton, Parker Bell, Lucas Ciona, Carter King, Artem Grushnikov, Gavin White and Owen Say. This starts a string of decisions and signings expected for the AHL squad out of this late spring and summer. 
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