News Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

Zayne Parekh watch begins in Calgary as Saginaw eliminated from OHL playoffs

With their 6-3 loss to the Erie Otters on Saturday night, the Saginaw Spirit have been eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs after just five games — but it doesn’t look like Zayne Parekh’s season is over just yet.

Parekh, who the Flames selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, is now eligible to enter the organization’s pro ranks at any time. But while it’s technically possible for him to join the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, it’s far more likely he jumps right from the frying pan and onto the Flames’ roster.

Prior to the end of Saturday’s series-clinching win for Erie, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Ron MacLean discussed Parekh’s future during the “Saturday Headlines” segment on Hockey Night in Canada. At the time they recorded the segment, Saginaw was leading Erie by a 3-2 score in the second intermission of Game 5.

Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the #Flames have a plan to bring Zayne Parekh to Calgary if Saginaw is eliminated in the playoffs.

The Spirit are currently down 3-1 in their series against Erie.

But Saginaw is winning 3-2 tonight heading into the 3rd period. pic.twitter.com/dPJ9gB77AV

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 6, 2025

“He’s having a marvellous season, 107 points in 61 games. His team, Saginaw, was down 3-1 to Erie in this series but they are playing tonight as we speak,” Friedman said. “The Flames are just waiting here patiently. I do believe there is a plan to bring him to Calgary and how that would all look.

“We’ll see how it plays out. The Flames are prepared to welcome him, but they’ll be more than happy if the [Spirit] keep winning and he keeps playing.”

To his credit, Parekh recorded two assists and six shots on goal in the series finale, but he also finished with a minus-3 rating and was in the penalty box for Martin Misiak’s game-tying goal in the third period. Parekh finished the series with two goals, nine points, and 21 shots in five games.

The Flames made Parekh the third defenceman off the board when they nabbed him with the No. 9 pick in 2024, following Chicago selecting Artyom Levshunov at No. 2 and Ottawa taking Carter Yakemchuk at No. 7. After being snubbed from Team Canada’s roster at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, Parekh went on a ridiculous tear in the second half of the 2024-25 season, collecting 75 points in his final 32 games.

With seven games to go in the 2024-25 NHL season, the Flames currently sit five points back of the Minnesota Wild for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Parekh’s arrival could give them a huge boost in their chase, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be given a spot over the likes of experienced NHLers like Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, and Brayden Pachal.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/zayne-...lgary-as-saginaw-eliminated-from-ohl-playoffs

 

[Calgary Flames]

Recap: Early jump earns Wranglers 3-1 win over the Reign on Saturday

The Calgary Wranglers are in the playoff qualification race and are just points away from securing a spot. They helped their own cause on Saturday when they hosted the Ontario Reign and earned the win on home ice. With some work from newcomers Ty Tullio, Calgary kid Carter Wilkie and an insurance marker from Yan Kuznetsov in the third period, the Wranglers earned a 3-1 win.

Wranglers lines​

Rory Kerins – Sam Morton – Ty Tullio

William Stromgren – Sam Honzek – Martin Frk

Lucas Ciona – Clark Bishop – Parker Bell

Carter Wilkie – Kaden Bohlsen

Ilya Solovyov – Jonathan Aspirot

Yan Kuznetsov – Hunter Brzustewicz

Artem Grushnikov – Jeremie Poirier

Joni Jurmo

Devin Cooley

Game at a glance​

Devin Cooley was back between the pipes for this game after picking up the win earlier this week against the Tucson Roadrunners. On the other end, Phoenix Copley got the start for Ontario. The Reign had a bit of a shaky start and the Wranglers picked up on this early.

Just 3:24 into the game, Rory Kerins fed the puck up to Ty Tullio from behind the net, and Tullio, the birthday boy, scored the opening lamp lighter. Sam Morton also assisted on this first goal.

GOAL FOR THE BIRTHDAY BOY pic.twitter.com/i1hNnEcMEB

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) April 5, 2025

Shortly after this goal, the Wranglers had another look when Parker Bell was able to win the puck battle along the boards and this knocked the puck free for Carter Wilkie to score his first professional goal off a sharp-angled shot. Jonathan Aspirot and Ilya Solovyov picked up the assists.

What a way to make his return home!! Wilkie pockets his first AHL goal pic.twitter.com/4LSefu3LCj

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) April 5, 2025

The action didn’t stop after these two goals either when just about a minute and a half later, Parker Bell and Kaleb Lawrence dropped the gloves for one of Bell’s best tilts of the season at 6:40. They took their respective fighting majors and still had some chirps to exchange once they made it to the box.

The Reign were able to get a few shots off after being caught on their heels to start the period. At 14:50, the Reign were called for holding, then another penalty at 16:18 for delay of game. The Wranglers didn’t add to their lead on either of these opportunities but still finished the first period ahead 2-0. Calgary also doubled up Ontario 10-5 in shots in the opening frame.

Early in the second Ty Tullio was called for roughing but on this delayed penalty call, the Reign were able to get about 30 seconds of extra zone time before the whistle was blown. The next player to the box was Glenn Gawdin at 3:19 for hooking then William Stromgren for delay of game at 8:02.

Gawdin used this chance on the man advantage to score on a redirection in the Wranglers’ zone and cut Calgary’s lead in half. Gawdin’s goal came at 8:44 on the power play.

The Wranglers had a couple more penalties to kill off before the second period came to a close but managed to prevent any further scoring from their visiting competition. The score after 40 minutes was 2-1 Calgary and shots in this frame were 9-6 Ontario.

There were only a handful of shots from each side to start the third before Jonathan Aspirot and Francesco Pinelli were called for offsetting minors. Later in the period, the Reign rang a shot off the post at 6:02, then the officials reviewed it and confirmed it was no goal.

Around the midway mark of the period, the Wranglers were stringing some chances together and at 12:49, Sam Morton won a faceoff, which dropped the puck back to Yan Kuznetsov, who corralled the puck and ripped a shot past Copley to put Calgary up 3-1.

A BULLET!!! pic.twitter.com/RfwoJl3c5v

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) April 5, 2025

The more comfortable Wranglers braced themselves for the final push from the Reign in the last half of the period. Ontario pulled their netminder at 16:31 and got three shots on Devin Cooley before regulation ran out. Calgary picked up the win with a 3-1 final score and shots finished 24-23 for Ontario. All three stars of the game went to Wranglers, with Carter Wilkie getting the first, Sam Morton getting the second and Devin Cooley getting the third.

Scoring stat summary​

Rory Kerins – 1A

Ilya Solovyov – 1A

Ty Tullio – 1G

Carter Wilkie – 1G

Yan Kuznetsov – 1G

Sam Morton – 2A

Jonathan Aspirot – 1A

Highlights​

Next up​

The Wranglers and Reign’s rematch is less than 24 hours later at the Saddledome. The back end of this back-to-back will get started at 1:00 p.m. MT.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/recap-early-jump-earns-wranglers-3-1-win-over-the-reign-on-saturday

 

[Calgary Flames]

BARN BURNER CANDY BRACKET: THE FINALS ARE HERE!

VOTE LINK

https://commoninja.site/d2258fc2-2c23-444d-b89e-c1a853e20231

After a sugar-fueled showdown that’s seen fan-favorite candies go head-to-head in heated matchups, we’ve officially reached the final round of the Barn Burner Candy Bracket!

It’s all come down to Skittles vs Sour Patch Kids – two powerhouse sweets that chewed through the competition with ease.

How We Got Here:​

• 
  Sour Patch Kids cruised past Gummy Bears, Mike & Ike, and Fuzzy Peaches, proving that sour-then-sweet is a winning formula.
  
• 
  Skittles battled through Twizzlers, Swedish Berries, and the always-popular Cola Bottles to claim their spot in the final.
  

The full bracket shows a wild ride of upsets, blowouts, and razor-thin victories – from Gummy Bears vs Nerds to Cola Bottles dominating Blue Whales. (Check the attached bracket and voting rounds to relive the path to the finals!)

Now it’s up to you to crown the ultimate candy champ. Will it be the rainbow chew of Skittles, or the tangy punch of Sour Patch Kids?

Voting runs from Monday, April 7th at 10 AM until Friday, April 11th at 11 AM.

This is it. No second chances. Only one candy will reign supreme.

Let the finals begin!

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/barn-burner-candy-bracket-the-finals-are-here