News Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

The Spengler Cup remains the wackiest tournament in hockey

Gang, the holiday season means spending time with your family, eating snacks and enjoying lots of sports.

And one of the most enduring holiday traditions in hockey is the annual Spengler Cup tournament in Switzerland. Held every year in Davos – in one of the most breath-taking buildings in all of sports with its iconic wooden roof – the Spengler Cup is an invite-only tournament that sees HC Davos welcome five teams for a sprint of a tournament.

The 2025 edition of the event will be the 97th time the Spengler Cup has been held, and features a mix of familiar teams and a brand-new entry. Here’s a rundown of the six teams headed to Davos on Boxing Day and what we’ll be looking for during the event.

HC Sparta Praha​

Hailing from Prague, Czechia, HC Sparta Praha compete in the Czech Extraliga, Czechia’s top domestic league. They were the top regular season team in 2024-25 but lost to the eventual champions Kometa Brno, in the semi-final round.

Former Flame forward Roman Horak and former Wranglers defender Mark Pysyk play for HC Sparta Praha.

HIFK​

Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, HIFK competes in the Liiga, Finland’s top domestic league. They finished fourth in the regular season in 2024-25.

HIFK features zero former Flames or Wranglers players, but their head coach is Olli Jokinen and one of his assistants is Toni Lydman.

HC Fribourg-Gotteron​

Hailing from Fribourg, Switzerland, HC Fribourg-Gotteron competes in the National League, Switzerland’s top domestic league. They finished sixth in the regular season in 2024-25. They won last season’s Spengler Cup.

HC Fribourg-Gotteron features former Flames netminder Reto Berra.

Canada​

Every year, Hockey Canada puts together a rag-tag group of Canadians – a mixture of players from European club teams and, more recently, the American Hockey League – to compete for the Spengler Cup. And Canada’s entry is tied with the hosts, HC Davos, for the most championships won at this event.

Canada’s entry this season features former Flames forward Derek Grant.

HC Davos​

The hosts of this event, HC Davos hails from Davos, Switzerland and competes in the National League. They were fifth in their league in the 2024-25 regular season. As mentioned, they’re tied with Canada for the most Spengler Cup championships over the years with 16.

HC Davos features former Flames forward Joakim Nordstrom, and Rasmus Andersson’s big brother, Calle, also plays for them.

U.S. Collegiate Selects​

A new wrinkle in this year’s Spengler Cup is the presence of the U.S. Collegiate Selects team. So, y’know how USA Hockey puts together a strong World Junior team every year? Well, they’ve also put together a group of college players – all too old to compete in the World Juniors – that will vie for the Spengler Cup instead. They’re led by Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky, and features 14 NHL prospects – notably, Calgary product Aidan Fink and T.J. Hughes, tied for second in the NCAA in scoring as of right now.

Usually the Spengler Cup is an exercise in “Oh hey, I guess that former NHLer is still playing in Europe!” but the inclusion of the Collegiate Selects means that NHL clubs will be paying attention, as a standout performance could nudge some of the unsigned college prospects towards an NHL deal.

The Spengler Cup runs Dec. 26-31 in Davos, Switzerland and the games can be seen on TSN’s programming – check your listings for times and specific channels.

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.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-spengler-cup-remains-the-wackiest-tournament-in-hockey

 

[Calgary Flames]

Can Zayne Parekh and Cole Reschny lead Canada to gold at the 2026 World Juniors?

It’s the holiday season, friends, and when it comes to the world of hockey, that means one of the best tournaments in sports: the IIHF’s World Junior Championship!

Held every year, the World Juniors pit the 10 top under-20 national teams head-to-head for supremacy, glory, and medals. If you want a preview of the upcoming NHL Draft, or a snapshot of the quality and quantity of prospects on their way to the NHL, the World Junior is a tremendous event. Plus, the hockey is fantastic.

The Calgary Flames will be represented by 2024 first-round pick Zayne Parekh and 2025 first-round pick Cole Reschny, who are both suiting up with Team Canada at this year’s event. But we ran through the rosters and schedule to provide a quick rundown of this year’s festivities.

For a more detailed snapshot, head over to Daily Faceoff, where our pal Steven Ellis is on the ground in Minnesota for the whole tournament! We also recommend Steven’s recent Top 50 ranking for the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, as many of the top prospects are in action at the World Juniors.

The teams​

Generally-speaking, the teams with more NHL prospects on them are more competitive at the World Juniors. But there are always exceptions, and those exceptions can lead to chaos in a short tournament like this.

Canada

• NHL Prospects: G Carter George (LAK), G Jack Ivankovic (NSH), G Joshua Ravensbergen (SJS), D Kashawn Aitcheson (NYI), D Harrison Brunicke (PIT), D Ben Danford (TOR), D Zayne Parekh (CGY), D Cameron Reid (NSH), F Carter Bear (DET), F Cole Beaudoin (UTA), F Braeden Cootes (VAN), F Caleb Desnoyers (UTA), F Liam Greentree (LAK), F Michael Hage (MTL), F Tij Iginla (UTA), F Jett Luchanko (PHI), F Brady Martin (NSH), F Porter Martone (PHI), F Michael Misa (SJS), F Sam O’Reilly (TBL) and F Cole Reschny (CGY)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D Carson Carels (7th, DFO), D Keaton Verhoeff (2nd, DFO), F Gavin McKenna (1st, DFO)

Czechia

• NHL Prospects: D Vashek Blanar (BOS), D Jakub Fibigr (SEA), D Adam Jiricek (STL), D Radim Mrtka (BUF), D Max Psenicka (UTA), F Adam Benak (MIN), F Vojtech Cihar (LAK), F Max Curran (COL), F Stepan Hoch (UTA), F Vaclav Nestracik (CHI), F Tomas Poletin (NYI) and F Petr Sikora (WSH)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D Vladimir Dravecky (40th, DFO), F Adam Novotny (15th, DFO)

Denmark

• NHL Prospects: F Mads Kongsbak Klyvo (FLA)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: none

Finland

• NHL Prospects: G Petteri Rimpinen (LAK), G Kim Saarinen (SEA), D Lasse Boelius (ANA), D Aron Kiviharju (MIN), D Daniel Nieminen (NSH), D Veeti Vaisanen (UTA), F Emil Hemming (DAL), F Atte Joki (DAL), F Aatos Koivu (MTL), F Julius Miettinen (SEA), F Kasper Pikkarinen (NJD), F Heikki Ruohonen (PHI), F Joona Saarelainen (TBL) and F Max Westergard (PHI)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D Juho Piiparinen (20th, DFO), F Oliver Suvanto (16th, DFO)

Germany

• NHL Prospects: D Carlos Handel (MTL), F David Lewandowski (EDM), F Maxim Schafer (WSH)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: none

Latvia

• NHL Prospects: G Mikus Vecvanags (MTL), D Darels Ujanskis (ANA)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: F Alberts Smits (8th, DFO)

Slovakia

• NHL Prospects: G Michal Pradel (DET), F Jan Chovan (LAK), F Michal Svrcek (DET)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D Adam Goljer (34th, DFO), F Tomas Chrenko (23rd, DFO)

Sweden

• NHL Prospects: G Mans Goos (DAL), G Love Harenstam (STL), D Sasha Boumedienne (WPG), D Alfons Freij (WPG), D Viggo Gustafsson (NSH), D Victor Johansson (TOR), D Leo Sahlin Wallenius (SJS), F Jack Berglund (PHI), F Wilson Bjorck (VAN), F Victor Eklund (NYI), F Linus Eriksson (FLA), F Anton Frondell (CHI), F Eddie Genborg (DET), F Milton Gastrin (WSH), F Loke Krantz (SEA), F Eric Nilson (ANA) and F Lucas Pettersson (ANA)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D William Hakansson (29th, DFO), F Viggo Bjorck (24th, DFO), F Ivar Stenberg (3rd, DFO)

Switzerland

• NHL Prospects: G Christian Kirsch (SJS), G Elijah Neuenschwander (ANA), D Ludwig Johnson (UTA), D Leon Muggli (WSH), D Basile Sansonnens (VAN)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: F Lars Steiner (35th, DFO)

United States

• NHL Prospects: G Caleb Heil (TBL), G Nicholas Kempf (WSH), D Asher Barnett (EDM), D E.J. Emery (NYR), D Logan Hensler (OTT), D Cole Hutson (WSH), D Adam Kleber (BUF), D Luke Osburn (BUF), F Kamil Bednarek (NYI), F Cole Eiserman (NYI), F James Hagens (BOS), F Will Horcoff (PIT), F Ryker Lee (NSH), F Cole McKinney (SJS), F Brendan McMorrow (LAK), F L.J. Mooney (MTL), F Max Plante (DET), F A.J. Spellacy (CHI), F Teddy Stiga (NSH), F Shane Vansaghi (NSH), F Will Zellers (BOS), F Brodie Ziemer (BUF)
• 2026 NHL Draft Prospects: D Chase Reid (6th, DFO), D Dakota Rheaume-Mullen

The schedule​

Dec. 26 (Friday):

• 11 a.m. MT: Slovakia vs. Sweden (TSN1/3)
• 1:30 p.m. MT: Denmark vs. Finland (TSN1/4)
• 4 p.m. MT: Germany vs. United States (TSN1/3)
• 6:30 p.m. MT: Canada vs. Czechia (TSN2/3/4/5)

Dec. 27 (Saturday):

• Noon MT: Germany vs. Slovakia (TSN3)
• 2:30 p.m. MT: Latvia vs. Canada (TSN1/4)
• 4 p.m. MT: United States vs. Switzerland (TSN3)
• 6:30 p.m. MT: Czechia vs. Denmark (TSN1/3)

Dec. 28 (Sunday):

• Noon MT: Switzerland vs. Sweden (TSN1)
• 2:30 p.m. MT: Finland vs. Latvia (TSN1/3/5)

Dec. 29 (Monday):

• 11 a.m. MT: Germany vs. Sweden (TSN1)
• 1:30 p.m. MT: Czechia vs. Finland (TSN1/4)
• 4 p.m. MT: United States vs. Slovakia (TSN1/2)
• 6:30 p.m. MT: Denmark vs. Canada (TSN1/4)

Dec. 30 (Tuesday):

• Noon MT: Switzerland vs. Germany (TSN1)
• 2:30 p.m. MT: Denmark vs. Latvia (TSN1/3)

Dec. 31 (Wednesday):

• 11 a.m. MT: Switzerland vs. Slovakia (TSN1/5)
• 1:30 p.m. MT: Latvia vs. Czechia (TSN1/4)
• 4 p.m. MT: Sweden vs. United States (TSN1/5)
• 6:30 p.m. MT: Canada vs. Finland (TSN1/2/5, CTV)

Medal round:

• Quarterfinals are on Jan. 2 (Friday).
• Semi-finals are on Jan. 4 (Sunday).
• Gold and bronze medal games are on Jan. 5 (Monday).

Which team or players are you most excited to see at the World Juniors? Let us know in the comments!

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market​

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/can-za...lead-canada-to-gold-at-the-2026-world-juniors

 

[Calgary Flames]

The Flames have decisions to make on nine minor-league RFAs this spring

Friends, if you look at our rundowns of Calgary Flames prospects toiling in college and major junior hockey, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Oh boy, there are a lot of players I’d like to see suit up with the Wranglers or Flames pretty soon.”

And yeah, the Flames have a lot of players they want to get into their pro development system and get on the path to the NHL. (Spoiler: for some players, the path is very short and direct.)

So, uh… who’s leaving to make room for these youngsters?

Well, the primary spot to look is usually pending restricted free agents at the minor-league level. These are usually guys that have been in the system and working on their game, but for one reason or another haven’t quite found the thing that’ll make them a successful pro and move them up the ladder.

This coming spring, the Flames have nine players on expiring deals that are eligible to become RFAs: goaltender Owen Say, blueliners Artem Grushnikov and Jeremie Poirier, and forwards William Strömgren, Carter King, Parker Bell, Lucas Ciona, Rory Kerins and Sam Morton.

We would say there are four guys we’re a bit concerned about right now: Grushnikov, Poirier, Bell and Ciona. In particular, we’re wondering about the two blueliners – Bell and Ciona have been in and out of the lineup, but when they’ve been in and playing their physical, up-tempo games, they’re quite good. But Grushnikov and Poirier have both been healthy scratches this season. With the Flames having oodles of young defenders in their pipeline, those two gentlemen may be under the gun in the second half to prove that they should remain in the Flames system.

Onto the updates!

Andrew Basha – LW/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

20; Calgary’s second round pick (41st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 174 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 8th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	24	1	4	5	4	5	4	18	8.30
2024-25 (WHL)	23	9	20	29	24	12	9	73	31.22

Basha had an assist over two games.

Jacob Battaglia – LW/RW, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL​

19; Calgary’s second round pick (62nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 7th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	32	12	11	23	17	17	13	92	19.65
2024-25 (OHL)	68	40	50	90	67	57	45	239	35.06

Battaglia missed a game for undisclosed reasons – we’re assuming illness – and then got tossed for boarding in the game he played.

Parker Bell – LW/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 192 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	23	1	0	1	1	1	1	31	1.73
2024-25 (AHL)	61	7	5	12	9	12	9	67	7.84

Bell had a goal in two games.

Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

20; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 3rd-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	23	4	8	12	9	6	5	28	20.79
2024-25 (AHL)	70	5	27	32	19	20	13	75	18.22

Brzustewicz is in the NHL.

Nick Cicek – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

25; free agent signing; 6’3″, 201 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	30	3	9	12	7	9	4	32	15.94
2024-25 (DEL)	50	3	14	17	10	16	9	75	9.81

Cicek had an assist over two games. With Brzustewicz, his usual partner, in the NHL, he’s been paired with Etienne Morin.

Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 210 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	21	2	1	3	3	2	2	25	5.69
2024-25 (AHL)	68	8	14	22	18	17	14	91	12.89

Ciona had a goal over two games.

Matvei Gridin – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

19; Calgary’s first round pick (28th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 182 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 4th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	28	10	15	25	18	18	14	83	35.58
2024-25 (QMJHL)	56	36	43	79	58	40	32	236	32.85

Gridin had a goal over two games. His offensive output has slowed a little bit, but he’s still among the AHL’s freshman scoring leaders – he’s third currently behind Bakersfield’s Quinn Hutson (28 points) and Rockford’s Nick Lardis (26).

Artem Grushnikov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas; 6’1″, 203 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	26	0	0	0	0	0	0	23	0.00
2024-25 (AHL)	61	1	4	5	3	4	3	43	3.27

Grushnikov had no points in two games.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Merrimack College Warriors, NCAA​

21; Calgary’s fourth round pick (106th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 175 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	17	4	13	17	10	9	6	25	32.23
2024-25 (NCAA)	36	12	27	39	29	28	23	80	17.23

Merrimack was off this week. They face Vermont on Dec. 29.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL​

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 202 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	28	3	5	8	7	8	6	48	7.08
2024-25 (WHL)	55	5	11	16	12	14	10	66	7.20

Hurtig had an assist in the lone Hitmen game this week.

Eric Jamieson – D, University of Denver Pioneers, NCAA​

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	19	6	7	13	7	12	7	39	24.63
2024-25 (WHL)	66	14	22	36	26	27	19	175	13.51

Denver is off until Jan. 2.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

23; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 15th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	27	11	14	25	20	16	14	55	36.90
2024-25 (AHL)	63	33	28	61	52	40	35	135	38.59

Kerins had a goal and an assist over two games.

Carter King – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

23; free agent signing; 5’11”, 190 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	26	2	2	4	3	4	3	24	6.13
2024-25 (NCAA)	44	21	22	43	31	16	14	116	35.18

King had an assist over two games.

Hunter Laing – C/RW, Saskatoon Blades, WHL​

19; Calgary’s sixth round pick (170th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’5″, 205 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	30	15	17	32	24	17	15	69	26.41
2024-25 (WHL)	64	25	23	48	40	35	29	153	18.57

The Blades are in the middle of a break. They’re back at it on Dec. 27.

Aidan Lane – LW/RW, Harvard University Crimson, NCAA​

18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 192 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	11	5	1	6	6	6	6	31	12.52
2024-25 (OHL)	13	7	6	13	10	10	7	36	26.49

Harvard is off until Jan. 2.

Jakob Leander – D, HV71, U20 Nationell​

18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 196 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	22	1	5	6	5	6	5	26	4.47
2024-25 (J20)	39	1	5	6	3	5	3	33	2.52

HV71 is off until Jan. 10.

Jaden Lipinski – C, University of Maine Black Bears, NCAA​

20; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 204 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	17	3	5	8	6	8	6	26	15.17
2024-25 (WHL)	59	17	41	58	45	30	27	134	24.34

Maine is back in action on Jan. 2.

Cade Littler – C, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA​

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 197 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	4	4	8	7	6	5	33	18.00
2024-25 (NCAA)	33	7	2	9	8	9	8	30	9.82

North Dakota is back in action on Jan. 2.

Yan Matveiko – C, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL​

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (211th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 150 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	29	13	15	28	17	22	13	46	11.32
2024-25 (MHL)	42	10	14	24	20	21	17	68	6.70

Matveiko is injured.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA​

19; Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 170 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 13th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	2	1	3	2	3	2	33	5.12
2024-25 (OHL)	67	34	51	85	58	63	43	211	33.60

Penn State is off until Jan. 3.

Etienne Morin – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL/Rapid City Rush, ECHL​

20; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 180 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 10th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	12	1	0	1	1	1	1	11	3.32
ECHL season to date	7	1	3	4	2	1	1	20	13.12
2024-25 (QMJHL)	62	14	44	58	29	40	24	222	21.79

Morin had no points in two games. He’s been playing on the Wranglers’ de facto second pairing with Nick Cicek.

Mace’o Phillips – D, Green Bay Gamblers, USHL​

18; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’6″, 228 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	17	1	3	4	2	3	2	39	5.54
2024-25 (USHL)	25	2	1	3	3	3	3	31	2.76

Phillips is back in action with Green Bay on Dec. 27.

Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

23; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	23	1	4	5	2	4	1	36	8.66
2024-25 (AHL)	71	5	37	42	23	26	15	132	23.57

Poirier had an assist in one game.

Cullen Potter – C, Arizona State University Sun Devils, NCAA​

18; Calgary’s first round pick (32nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 172 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 5th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	18	6	10	16	14	5	4	56	32.00
2024-25 (NCAA)	35	13	9	22	16	17	13	118	22.63

The Sun Devils were off this week. They’ll face those stuffed shirts at Dartmouth on Dec. 27.

Cole Reschny – C, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA​

18; Calgary’s first round pick (18th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 183 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 2nd-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	2	16	18	12	8	7	31	40.50
2024-25 (WHL)	62	26	66	92	70	48	46	213	36.75

Reschny is with the Canadian national junior team.

Theo Stockselius – C, Djurgårdens IF, U20 Nationell/SHL​

18; Calgary’s second round pick (54th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 181 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 12th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
U20 season to date	7	1	8	9	6	7	5	23	21.09
SHL season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2024-25 (J20)	40	22	29	51	38	35	29	93	20.91

Djurgardens is off until Jan. 10. Stockselius has been out since mid-October with a skate cut.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 16th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	27	2	18	20	13	13	8	25	29.52
2024-25 (AHL)	70	14	35	49	35	26	20	107	27.90

Strömgren had no points in two games.

Aydar Suniev – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

20; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 9th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	25	7	2	9	9	5	5	34	14.35
2024-25 (NCAA)	35	20	18	38	31	21	17	119	34.99

Suniev is out week-to-week with an injury.

Ethan Wyttenbach – RW, Quinnipiac University Bobcats, NCAA​

18; Calgary’s fifth round pick (144th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 180 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 20th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	18	9	16	25	21	13	12	38	31.89
2024-25 (USHL)	44	24	27	51	42	38	30	127	26.61

Quinnipiac is off until Jan. 2.

Owen Say – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

24; free agent signing; 6’2″, 185 pounds

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	15	759	.894
2024-25 (NCAA)	27	1531	.920

Say started once and made 46 saves in an overtime loss.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Rapid City Rush, ECHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 192 pounds

GP	TOI	SV%
AHL season to date	1	60	.981
ECHL season to date	12	714	.922
2024-25 (NCAA)	33	1982	.919

Sergeev made his AHL debut this past week, stopping a franchise record 52 pucks in a win during Winter Wranglerfest.

Yegor Yegorov – G, MHK Spartak-MAX, MHL​

20; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 183 pounds

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	17	1011	.923
2024-25 (MHL)	20	1032	.904

Yegorov has been idle lately, as Spartak-MAX is juggling four or five goalies on their roster and leaning on some of their younger, lesser-used netminders.

Kirill Zarubin – G, AKM Tula, MHL​

20; Calgary’s third round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 178 pounds; FN’s 18th-ranked prospect 2025

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	25	1468	.936
2024-25 (MHL)	21	1157	.935

Zarubin played twice and tallied a win and a loss.

This article is brought to you by Crystal Waters​

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-flames-have-decisions-to-make-on-nine-minor-league-rfas-this-spring

 

[Calgary Flames]

The ECHL’s players began strike action on Boxing Day

The holiday season often features on-ice action in minor-league hockey, but 2025 will instead be remembered for labour action. On Boxing Day, the ECHL’s players, represented by the Professional Hockey Players Association (PHPA), began strike action.

The PHPA represents both American Hockey League and ECHL players, with separate collective bargaining agreements governing each league. The PHPA and the AHL have been working on a new CBA – their prior one reportedly expired at the end of August – and they’re operating under the terms of the prior agreement while they hash out the new one. That was also the case with the ECHL’s players, but things have apparently moved slowly enough that the union served the league a strike notice on Dec. 18.

ECHL MEMBERSHIP SERVES STRIKE NOTICE

: https://t.co/kchqpTmusm pic.twitter.com/j6JCk1oWKd

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 23, 2025

A full update, including details of our last, best, and final offer is available at https://t.co/6cShzEXK9Z pic.twitter.com/rtebD4pV5O

— ECHL (@ECHL) December 26, 2025

At issue with the strike are several challenges faced by ECHL players, including wages, health insurance and equipment standards. We recommend checking out Inside AHL Hockey’s piece on the strike, as it has a ton of helpful context.

"If we strike, we’re kicked out of our apartments the next day & they’re calling up players from the SPHL. If we don't strike as one, we're selfish assholes to the rest of the league."

As @ECHL players sit at home, the holiday break will be spent stressing about uncertainty. pic.twitter.com/OOSIKID6b0

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) December 24, 2025

An update from the Professional Hockey Players’ Association.

The PHPA would like to express its gratitude for the continued support shown by fans, the broader hockey community, our brothers and sisters in sport, active and retired players, and communities in and out of the… pic.twitter.com/qQ6IAwuHhi

— PHPA (@thephpa) December 26, 2025

My thoughts on the ECHL strike and how we got here. pic.twitter.com/t2JtXl3hO5

— Brayden Low (@braydenlow) December 26, 2025

The Calgary Flames have an affiliate team in the ECHL, the Rapid City Rush. The Rush have home games scheduled for Dec. 27, 28 and 31. As of this writing those games are still on the books, but that will likely change on a day-to-day basis as the labour action continues.

For those curious, here’s roughly how pro hockey works, and we’ll use the Flames as an example – we’re simplifying things by ignoring one-way and two-way deals.

The Flames have 45 players on active NHL deals. They’re all paid by the Flames, even if they’re playing in the minor leagues (such as the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers or the ECHL’s Rush).

The Wranglers are owned by the Flames, and they have 14 players on AHL deals. Again, these players are all paid by the Wranglers, even if they’re playing for Rapid City. As of this writing, there are eight players with AHL deals on Rapid City’s roster – the most prominent is goalie Connor Murphy, who was briefly on an NHL deal last season. More than half of the AHL’s teams are directly owned by their NHL parent.

Finally, there are players on ECHL deals that are paid directly by the Rush. Based on who’s listed on the Rush’s roster on the ECHL website, this category covers 13 players. All of the ECHL’s teams are independently owned – e.g., they’re not directly owned by an NHL or AHL parent. And while having a good chunk of your roster paid for by your AHL partner is great, the economics for ECHL teams can vary wildly throughout the league depending on the local market – average attendance is 4,700, but it’s propped up immensely by a handful of teams who do really well at the gate.

Nobody – players or owners – get involved in minor-league hockey to get rich. Usually involvement is fuelled by love of the game. Here’s hoping that the ECHL and its players can hash out a fair agreement that provides stability and security for everyone involved.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-echls-players-began-strike-action-on-boxing-day

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames Game Day 38: The 269th Battle of Alberta (8pm MT, CBC/SNW)

On Tuesday night in Edmonton, the Calgary Flames (15-18-4, 34 points) weren’t all that good in a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers (19-13-6, 44 points). But after a few days off to stew about the result, it’s time for a rematch at the Saddledome. Can the Flames prove that Tuesday’s disappointment was just a blip? Or will the Oilers take the lead in this year’s season series?

Today’s broadcast begins at 8 p.m. MT on CBC, Sportsnet West, Ontario and East, and Sportsnet 960 The Fan. (Sportsnet Pacific, One and City TV have Vancouver/San Jose.)

For a view from the other side, head over to OilersNation!

The Flames​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Yegor Sharangovich – Nazem Kadri – Joel Farabee
Jonathan Huberdeau – Morgan Frost – Matt Coronato
Connor Zary – Mikael Backlund – Blake Coleman
Ryan Lomberg – Justin Kirkland – Adam Klapka

Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley – Hunter Brzustewicz

We’re projecting Dustin Wolf to start in net, backed up by Devin Cooley. The projected extra skaters are John Beecher and Brayden Pachal.

The Flames were decent enough in the first period against Edmonton on Tuesday, but the game got away from them (a) when they allowed a late first period power play goal and then another early in the second period and (b) when MacKenzie Weegar got tossed for the game for protesting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Beating Edmonton at full strength is tough: doing so without one of your top blueliners is a bridge too far.

The Flames need to stay out of the box and keep things at five-on-five if they want a chance in this hockey game.

The Oilers​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Jack Roslovic
Andrew Mangiapane – Adam Henrique – Matthew Savoie
Max Jones – Trent Frederic – Mattias Janmark

Mattias Ekholm – Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse – Alec Regula
Spencer Stastney – Ty Emberson

Connor Ingram is expected to start in net, and he’ll be backed up by Calvin Pickard. The projected extras are Curtis Lazar, Riley Stillman and David Tomasek (who will be waived on Sunday when the roster freeze is lifted to terminate his deal). We’re not anticipating many changes for the Oilers. In a unique quirk of the first game back from Christmas, it’s day-of travel for Edmonton, who are flying down prior to Saturday’s morning skate.

Connor McDavid had five assists on Tuesday. He leads the NHL in points in December with 31. Leon Draisaitl had three goals on Tuesday. He’s second in the NHL in points in December with 24. The next-best point output this month is San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini with 18. McDavid and Draisaitl dominated the Flames on Tuesday. They’ll need to do a better job trying to contain them on Saturday night.

Unavailable players​

The Flames are without Martin Pospisil, Zayne Parekh, Sam Honzek and Jake Bean.

The Oilers are without Jake Walman, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Clattenburg, Noah Philp and Tristan Jarry.

The numbers​

Flames	Oilers
15	Wins	19
34 (.459)	Points (%)	44 (.579)
51.0% (12th)	xGF%	49.9% (17th)
13.6% (30th)	PP%	34.3% (1st)
80.5% (17th)	PK%	78.4% (20th)

Head to head​

This is the third of four Battles of Alberta this season. The Flames won Round 1 in October, while the Oilers won Round 2 on Tuesday. They’ll close things out in Calgary on Feb. 4.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-game-day-38-the-269th-battle-of-alberta-8pm-mt-cbc-snw

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames grind out victory in Battle of Alberta rematch

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

On Tuesday night, the Calgary Flames visited the Edmonton Oilers. It didn’t go all that well for them, with the Oilers winning by a 5-1 score – in a game that probably could’ve been even more one-sided. The two teams met again on Saturday night at the Saddledome, and the game was much more even-keeled than Tuesday’s clunker.

The Flames never trailed en route to a 3-2 win over the Oilers.

The rundown​

The Flames opened the scoring seven minutes into the opening frame. Adam Klapka battled and chased down a loose puck behind the Oilers net. He threw a pass into the slot for Yegor Sharangovich, who fired the shot past Connor Ingram to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Adam Klapka finds Yegor Sharangovich alone in the slot and he buries it!

It's great to see that dangerous shot from Yegor again.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/fjyFiF77Z5

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

A little later, though, the Oilers got a power play after Yan Kuznetsov was called for hooking. A bit of passing later, and an Evan Bouchard one-timer beat Dustin Wolf to tie the game up at 1-1.

Now that's the definition of a Bouch Bomb.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/3Rx3zMfWjV

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) December 28, 2025

Connor McDavid had a couple nice scoring chances in the first period, but Wolf made some big stops. (And Joel Hanley broke up another near-breakaway chance, too.)

First period shots were 14-9 Flames. Via Natural Stat Trick, 5v5 scoring chances were 14-7 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 6-4 Flames.

The Flames retook the lead 3:28 into the second period. The game got a bit scrambly and both teams had some plays broken up in the neutral zone. On one such play, Justin Kirkland chased down a 50/50 puck and an Oilers defender swiped the puck away from him… but right to Ryan Lomberg. Lomberg grabbed the puck, went in alone against Ingram and fired the puck past the netminder to give the Flames a 2-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

WHAT A GOAL BY RYAN LOMBERG!!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/BVPAlz48Qw

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

The Oilers got a couple of power play opportunities later in the period, but the Flames killed them off.

Second period shots were 10-10. 5v5 scoring chances were 6-5 Oilers and high-danger scoring chances were 3-2 Oilers.

The Oilers pushed back in the third period, but the Flames did a pretty credible job keeping them to the outside and minimizing second chances.

The Flames added some insurance 12:31 into the third period off a nice passing sequence from Mikael Backlund’s line. Blake Coleman finished things off with a wrister that beat Ingram to make it 3-1.

FLAMES GOAL

What a passing play by Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund! They put the Flames up by two!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/9rTlGdYv4h

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

But the Oilers kept pressing and got one back, as Connor McDavid sniped a chance past Wolf to cut the Flames’ lead to 3-2 with just 4:37 left in regulation.

Connor McDavid cuts the Flames lead in half.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/qrRVN95XmK

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

The Oilers kept pressing for the equalizer. Klapka nearly scored on Ingram late in the period, but the puck took a bounce and stayed off the goal line. The Oilers pulled Ingram for the extra attacker, but the Flames held on for the victory.

Third period shots were 12-8 Oilers. 5v5 scoring chances were 15-11 Oilers and high-danger scoring chances were 5-4 Oilers.

Why the Flames won​

This is the game the Flames needed to play on Tuesday night in Edmonton. Were they perfect? Nope. But they did a pretty good job at keeping Edmonton’s big guns to the outside and not feeding their cycle or rush game too much. Combined that with a nice forecheck and some opportunistic scoring, and it was enough for the red team to get two points.

Red Warrior​

Man, Adam Klapka was very noticeable in this hockey game, making smart moves with the puck and crashing and banging like a whirling dervish. We’ll give him the nod.

But honourable mention to Dustin Wolf, who occasionally had to be really sharp.

Turning point​

The Oilers had a pair of power plays in the second period, but the Flames came up with a pair of big kills to make it to the intermission with a 2-1 lead. This was the type of thing that didn’t happen for them on Tuesday.

This and that​

This was Dustin Wolf’s 100th NHL appearance. A seventh-round pick in 2019, he’s now played more games than nine first-rounders from his draft class.

We got a @RyanNPike shoutout on Hockey Night in Canada

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/p8Nn4L9Eo1

— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) December 28, 2025

Joel Farabee went down hard in front of the Oilers net early in the first period off a shove from Mattias Ekholm. He left the game briefly but returned late in the first period.

Looks like Joel Farabee might have been knocked out on this play when his head hit the ice.

Hopefully he is ok

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/vVhQ3M9nYP

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

After Burner​

Join Jordan and Mike from the In The Dome podcast right after the game for After Burner! (Confession: I legitimately don’t remember which one is Jordan and which one is Mike.)

Up next​

The Flames (16-18-4) are back in action on Monday when they host the Boston Bruins at the Saddledome.

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 best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-grind-out-victory-in-battle-of-alberta-rematch

 

[Calgary Flames]

World Juniors: Cole Reschny scores, Zayne Parekh picks up assist as Canada wins nail-biter

The World Juniors opened on Boxing Day with four exciting games, with the tournament’s top four teams all picking up victories. With four more games on the docket for Day 2, Switzerland made their tournament debut, while Latvia looked to upset Canada for a second straight year. Here’s how the day’s action unfolded.

Slovakia 4 – Germany 1​

Both teams entered the game coming off losses on opening day, leaving little time to dwell on the disappointment. With a win all but guaranteeing a quarterfinal berth, the stakes were high.

After pushing Sweden to the limit in their opener, Slovakia wasted no time getting back to business and capitalized on some German penalty issues. Eighteen-year-old Tomáš Chrenko led the way with a natural hat trick, scoring twice in the first period before completing the feat midway through the second – all goals being on the powerplay.

Germany got on the board in the third period when Saskatoon Blades forward Dustin Willhoft turned on the jets, blew past the Slovak defence and finished with a nice goal. Slovakia added an insurance marker late to seal a valuable 4-1 victory.

Germany now gets a day off before facing Sweden and Switzerland on Dec. 29 and 30, games in which they’ll likely need to steal a win to avoid a potential relegation matchup.

Canada 2 vs. Latvia 1 (OT)​

Two games into the tournament, Canada once again stumbled out of the gate. Latvia came out determined to prove last year’s upset win was no fluke, and at times Canada appeared willing to help. Multiple turnovers led to four quality scoring chances for the Latvians, though Canadian goaltender Jack Ivankovic stood tall and kept the scoresheet clean. Latvia thought it had opened the scoring, but the goal was reviewed and overturned due to a kicking motion. Canada failed to capitalize on a late first-period power play, and the opening frame ended scoreless.

Early in the second period, Zayne Parekh took a high hit along the boards. The Latvian player was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Parekh appeared none the worse for wear and did not miss a shift. On the ensuing five-minute power play, Canada generated just three shots, but the most important one came from Flames prospect Cole Reschny. Reschny walked into the middle of the ice and snapped home the game’s opening goal to give Canada a 1-0 lead.

Cole Reschny scores his first goal of the World Juniors! pic.twitter.com/rXCQQ6JfC3

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

Canada played with some fire when Ben Danford took a double-minor penalty for high-sticking. Canada rolled just two forward pairs for the entire four minutes but successfully killed off the penalty to keep its lead intact. The remainder of the period was relatively quiet, and Canada headed into the third period up by one.

The opening half of the third period was uneventful. As the clock ticked down, Canada began to generate chances, including a shot off the crossbar, but couldn’t find the insurance goal. Then déjà vu struck. Just like last year, Latvia found a late equalizer in the third period to stun the Canadians. A last-minute Canadian power play failed to produce a regulation winner, sending Canada to overtime for the second straight year — this time with the man advantage.

On the power play in overtime, Canada created a couple good looks before Michael Hage buried a one-timer to seal the victory and allow the entire country to exhale.

Full credit goes to Latvia, which has been a thorn in Canada’s side over the past two years. The Latvians blocked shots and clogged the neutral zone. It may not be the most entertaining style of hockey, but it has proven effective. Latvian goaltender Nils Maurins stopped 34 of 36 shots and was a major reason Latvia stayed in the game.

It was a strong bounce-back performance for Cole Reschny. Though he was moved from the third line to the fourth and saw reduced five-on-five minutes, he was impactful on special teams. He won key face-offs on the penalty kill and played a significant role in killing off the double minor. On the power play, he scored Canada’s opening goal in the second period and further established himself as one of the team’s most trusted face-off options. Reschny was sent out repeatedly for critical draws, including the face-off in overtime that helped set up the game-winning goal. He led Canada in face-offs, taking 13 draws and won nine of them – a stat line that should excite Flames fans.

Zayne Parekh was Canada’s best player in a sluggish first period and continued to play at a high level throughout the game, creating multiple scoring chances. He led the team in ice time for the second straight game, logging just over 23 minutes and firing four shots on goal. Parekh played the full power play late in the third period and again in overtime, cementing his role as the go-to option when Canada needs offence. He recorded an assist for his third point of the tournament.

Canada now gets a day off before facing Denmark on Dec. 29. The Canadians will look to rediscover their offensive touch in what should be the easiest game of group play — though at this tournament, no win feels easy anymore.

United States 2 vs. Switzerland 1​

Switzerland entered the game intent on silencing the home crowd and did a pretty good job on keeping things under control. The Americans held the shot advantage in the first period, but the game remained tied heading into the second.

The pace picked up in the middle frame as the Americans broke the deadlock just over a minute in. Switzerland responded midway through the period to tie the game, but the stalemate was short-lived. Will Zellers scored his third goal of the tournament a couple of minutes later to restore the U.S. lead.

There was a scary moment in the second period when U.S. defenceman Cole Hutson was struck in the back of the neck by a shot. He was stretchered off the ice and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

Switzerland pushed hard for the equalizer in the third period, but the breakthrough never came. With the extra attacker on in the final minute, the Swiss rang a shot off the crossbar, coming inches away from tying the game. That was as close as they would get, as the United States shut the door and held on for its second win of the tournament.

Denmark 2 vs. Czechia 7​

Denmark opened tournament play widely expected to be the weakest team in Group B. Czechia was far from an ideal opening opponent, but Denmark managed to stay competitive for much of the game.

The teams traded goals in the opening six minutes. A dangerous hit later in the period led to Denmark forward Jesper Olesen being assessed a major penalty and a game misconduct. On the ensuing power play, Czechia scored to regain the lead. Denmark nearly tied the game as the power play expired when Andrew Bjergstad — who had been serving the penalty — broke in alone out of the box, but he was unable to beat the Czech goaltender.

Early in the second period, Czechia converted again on the power play to extend its lead to two. Denmark answered back a few minutes later to pull within one, but the response was short-lived. Czechia pulled away with two more goals in the period to take a 5-2 lead into the second intermission.

The third period belonged entirely to Czechia. Denmark generated a few chances, including a pair of breakaways, but couldn’t convert, hitting a post and being turned aside by several strong saves from the Czech netminder. Czechia added two more goals in the final frame to seal a 7-2 victory and record its first win of the tournament.

Czechia had seven different goal scorers, with Tomáš Galvas leading the way with three points.

On the schedule for Day 3 (Dec. 28)​

Sweden vs. Switzerland – 12 p.m. MST
Finland vs. Latvia – 2:30 p.m. MST

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/world-...ekh-picks-up-assist-as-canada-wins-nail-biter

 

[Calgary Flames]

Recap: Wranglers fall 5-2 in frustrating game against Roadrunners

The Calgary Wranglers played their first post-holiday game on Saturday on the road against the Tucson Roadrunners. The Roadrunners had the edge for most of the game and got scoring going early. They got out to a 4-0 lead by the halfway mark of the game and penalties stacked up in the back half of the game. Despite the frustrations, the Wranglers managed to get two goals but fell in this game with a final score of 5-2.

Lineup notes​

Alex Gallant made his return to the lineup after serving a two game suspension. Him back on the fourth line kicked out Lucas Ciona from the lineup. This and a swap between the pipes were the only changes from the last game the Wranglers played on Sunday, Dec. 21st.

Wranglers lines​

Dryden Hunt – Rory Kerins – Martin Frk

William Stromgren – Sam Morton – Matvei Gridin

Carter King – Clark Bishop – Parker Bell

Alex Gallant – David Silye – Andrew Basha

Artem Grushnikov – Daniil Miromanov

Nick Cicek – Etienne Morin

Jeremie Poirier – Turner Ottenbreit

Owen Say

Game at a glance​

Calgary went back to Owen Say to kick off this series and the Roadrunners opted to start Matthew Villalta for this game. There weren’t many shots in the first few minutes of the game and the first penalty came at 6:13, when Owen Allar was called for tripping. Calgary wasn’t able to register any shots on goal on this chance and about a minute after this penalty expired, the Roadrunners opened the scoring off a one- timer from Sam Lipkin at 9:19 he put between Say and the near post.

The Roadrunners continued to push then Calgary was able to take the puck back the other way for a few minutes before the home team added another tally to their lead at 18:33. It was a very similar goal with Tucson beating Say this time over the other shoulder. That was the last of the scoring action in the first period and the Wranglers trailed the Roadrunners 2-0 after 20 minutes. Shots through the first were 6-5 Tucson.

Early in the second period, Clark Bishop was called for tripping. This call game just 28 seconds in and the Utah Mammoth affiliates managed four shots on this special teams opportunity. At 3:03, Martin Frk appeared to have scored and jammed the puck over the line but after it was reviewed, the play was whistled dead before the goal and Martin Frk made contact with Villalta, so it did not count.

It continued to be mostly Tucson through the opening minutes of the frame and at 4:12, the home team made it a 3-0 game off another one timer on an odd man rush. Owen Allard was the goal scorer for this one.

At 6:42, the Wranglers were back in the box when Nick Cicek was called for holding. Seconds before this penalty expired, the Roadrunners added another goal at 8:39 off a bar down shot from the offensive zone faceoff circle to make it a 4-0 game.

Calgary got a bit of life after this goal and were on the power play at 11:06. After this power play, they scored their first goal of the night at 14:09. Artem Grushnikov took the shot and Martin Frk redirected it in front to make it a 4-1 game. Rory Kerins picked up the secondary assist.

Artem Grushnikov's shot is redirected by Martin Frk to put the Wranglers on the board pic.twitter.com/4dgYgGCnQW

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) December 28, 2025

The Wranglers had six more shots on goal before the end of the period then at 19:32, Turner Ottenbreit and Ben McCartney were called for offsetting roughing minors that carried into the third. At the end of 40 minutes, the Wranglers were behind 4-1 and outshot the Roadrunners 14-12 in the middle frame.

Calgary led the charge in the third but lost a bit of momentum at 4:17 when Rory Kerins was called for slashing. The visitors managed to keep the Roadrunners at bay on this power play, not allowing any shots. Calgary put up a few shots on goal then at 8:28, right after Sam Morton’s shot, he snowed the goalie and a scrum erupted.

Matvei Gridin was pushed down to the ice and Nick Cicek and William Stromgren were being quite vocal. After a lengthy review, it resulted in a power play for the Roadrunners with four Wranglers and three Roadrunners in the box. Calls were roughing minors for Scott Perunovich, Matvei Gridin, Owen Allard and Sam Morton then 10 minute misconducts against Owen Allard, William Stromgren and Sam Morton.

At 10:56, the Wranglers got another one on the board with a smooth one timer set up from Martin Frk to the stick of Dryden Hunt. Rory Kerins also picked up his second assist of the night on this marker.

A smooth one timer from Dryden Hunt gives the Wranglers their second goal of the night pic.twitter.com/LXIQJUSlFG

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) December 28, 2025

The next penalty went against the Roadrunners when Scott Perunovich was called for interference. At 17:29, the Wranglers pulled Owen Say for the extra attacker then at 18:51, Martin Frk tried to defend a shot into the empty net and accidentally deflected it in. Frk sat on his knees on the ice in frustration and Dmitri Simashev was credited with the goal.

Owen Say came back out to finish the game and at 19:29, every guy on the ice was given a 10 minute misconduct call and they all left the ice early. On the Wranglers end, this affected Nick Cicek, Alex Gallant, David Silye, Sam Morton and Andrew Basha. Nick Cicek also got an unsportsmanlike conduct minor so the home team finished the game on the man advantage.

While they were making their way off, Maveri Lamoureux was egging on the crowd to cheer and Turner Ottenbreit took issue with that. This rink needed players to exit from the end of the boards rather than behind the bench so Ottenbreit went over to stop Lamoureux and give him a piece of his mind but the officials stopped this from escalating further. Lamoureux was escorted off after this.

This scenario also required quite a lengthy review from the officials and when the game finally ended, the Roadrunners won 5-2. Shots finished 29-22 for Calgary.

Scoring stat summary​

Artem Grushnikov – 1A

Rory Kerins – 2A

Dryden Hunt – 1G

Martin Frk – 1G, 1A

Next up​

This series continues into Sunday afternoon and if this game is any indication of what’s in store for their next meeting, it could be an emotional one. The tensions were firing up towards the end of this game and with the turnaround being so quick, there’s sure to be some boil over. Game two between these squads goes at 4:00 p.m. MT.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/recap-wranglers-fall-5-2-in-frustrating-game-against-roadrunners

 

[Calgary Flames]

FlamesNation Mailbag: One last mailbag for 2025

Friends, we’re at the tail-end of 2025 and it’s been a weird year for the Calgary Flames. But after a really ugly start to the season, going 2-9-2 over their first 13 games, they’re looking pretty good and finding ways to win.

As we ponder the future, and the start of 2026, let’s delve into the mailbag!

What are the chances the Flames upper management get delusional and decide to go for it and trade no-one other than Anderson? If and when they miss the playoffs without a trade for picks would this set the team back on a rebuild?

— Richard Junkar (@RichardJunkar) December 29, 2025

I mean this with nothing but love for the fanbase: uh, what has Craig Conroy done over the past two years that makes you think he’s going to suddenly decide to load up the team and try to make a playoff run? Since taking the job, aside from re-upping with Mikael Backlund twice, he’s pretty consistently moved on from their veteran players when the opportunity presented itself. And he’s gotten fairly decent value, we’d argue.

I’d put the chances they double-down on the existing group at 10%. I still fully expect some veterans to move out, though I don’t think they’ll do any sort of gigantic tear-down. “Strategic sell” is the watch word. The Flames want to get value for their players, but they’re not gonna push anyone overboard just because they can.

In your ideal world, if Cgy actually committed to a rebuild and you were the GM, what would you want the roster to look like?

— Ekim (@MichaelMcL83445) December 28, 2025

I agree with the premise that rebuilding teams need to have some veterans to (a) insulate their younger players and (b) mentor their younger players. I think in an ideal world, you have some “tough minutes,” defensive-minded veterans to allow your younger players to have opportunities to have puck touches and generate offence (and confidence with the puck). That’s why Mikael Backlund (and Blake Coleman) are so valuable to the Flames. Having a team full of rookies who lose 5-1 every night isn’t great for development, so you need to find ways to keep your team in games.

Ryan, seeing Parekh at the worlds excites me for what is to come for him as a Flame. How do you think this season would have played out for him if he was a full time Wrangler? Keep up the great work! Loving the walk and talks this season!

— Big Daddy (@bigdaddybustard) December 29, 2025

I would point to how the Wranglers brought along Hunter Brzustewicz last season: he played a ton, almost always with two-way ace Yan Kuznetsov, and he quickly figured out his 200-foot game because he was playing with someone who could help him with the things he wasn’t great at and help him figure things out as the season went along.

For Zayne Parekh, having someone like Joel Hanley to play with when he’s back with the big club after the World Juniors could be helpful for him. But I’m also very curious how the Flames will juggle all their defenders when the World Juniors are over.

How surprised are you to see the Flames being only a few points away from a wild card position at this point of the season?

— Ed Helinski (@MrEd315) December 28, 2025

I would say “not really,” and primarily because (a) the Flames aren’t as bad as they looked in October and (b) the Western Conference is, aside from a few great teams, pretty mediocre this season. As a result, basically everybody is within a stone’s throw of a playoff spot this season.

Any updates on Pospisil and when he may return?

— David McLean (@davidmclean81) December 28, 2025

Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson spotted Martin Pospisil skating prior to Sunday’s practice at Winsport. The Flames are hoping that Pospisil can keep progressing and join full practices in the New Year. We’ll see if that translates to Pospisil returning to game action in the first part of 2026.

How does it feel to get mentioned by the great Scott Oake on Hockey Night in Canada. What an honor. All your hard work is paying off.

— Mike Kennelly (@MikeKennelly7) December 29, 2025

Scott Oake is good people. It’s always surreal to be mentioned on television and pretty cool as someone that grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada. I will also point out that the real star here is Dustin Wolf, who’s played more NHL games than nearly one-third of the first-rounders from his draft class.

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flamesnation-mailbag-one-last-mailbag-for-2025

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames grind out overtime win over Bruins

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Calgary Flames were in action for the second-to-last time in the 2025 calendar year on Monday night when they hosted the Boston Bruins. And while there are some National Hockey League games that are excellent examples of skill and speed, Monday’s outing was a bit of a clunker for both teams.

In a game that was a bit of a slog for both units, the Flames skated to a 2-1 overtime win over Boston.

The rundown​

The first period was fairly back and forth, but a bit of a slog, as it seemed like both teams were struggling to really get traction with their games. Both teams traded first period power plays, with Boston getting a few good looks but failing to beat Dustin Wolf.

However, late in the period the Bruins managed to cash in. On a bit of a broken play, Andrew Peeke had the puck in the corner of the Flames zone and opted to drive the net. He didn’t seem to get good wood on the puck as he crashed the net, but the puck trickled through Wolf’s pads and into the net. The Flames challenged for goaltender interference, as Peeke’s foot did seem to make contact with Wolf’s right pad as he drove the net, but it was deemed a clean goal and Boston went up 1-0.

Andrew Peeke opens the scoring for Boston.

The Flames were unsuccessful with a goalie interference challenge. They are going to the PK because of it.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/JRnd5B8W9Z

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

First period shots were 8-8. Via Natural Stat Trick, 5v5 scoring chances were 10-5 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 4-2 Flames.

The second period remained back and forth, again with both teams having good looks.

Midway through the period, the Flames managed to get one back and tie the game. Mikael Backlund’s line got a bit of sustained zone time and got a bit of a cycle play going, with Backlund passing to Blake Coleman in the slot area. Coleman’s shot beat Jeremy Swayman to tie the game up at 1-1.

FLAMES GOAL

Blake Coleman scores his team leading 12th goal of the season!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/sLLECmYDnw

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

Second period shots were 9-7 Flames. 5v5 scoring chances were 6-5 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 2-2.

The third frame was a bit of a slog, with both teams getting looks but the Flames struggling to put the puck on the net and neither team really generating any dangerous-looking opportunities.

Third period shots were 8-1 Bruins. 5v5 scoring chances were 4-0 Bruins and high-danger scoring chances were 1-0 Bruins.

This game went to overtime, with the Flames starting with a four-on-three power play after Coleman drew a high-sticking minor at the tail-end of the third period. Wolf made a big shorthanded save on Pavel Zacha (and then Nikita Zadorov’s subsequent chance was also stopped).

Dustin Wolf makes a couple incredible saves in overtime!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/nhharaJJkW

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

Connor Zary jammed in a rebound off a Yegor Sharangovich initial chance to give the Flames a 2-1 overtime win.

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary wins the game in overtime for Calgary!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/IxaBN3gf8Y

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

Why the Flames won​

Sometimes, folks, getting offence going is like trying to get ketchup out of a bottle. The Flames just seemed to be fighting the puck a lot in this game. They were able to get zone time and near-miss chances, but this was one of those evenings where passes seemed to just elude their intended recipient (or the recipient couldn’t get good contact on a shot). Heck, if we’re being honest: neither team seemed to be feeling it offensively.

But the Flames finally managed to cash in on their fifth power play (after Wolf made a gigantic save in overtime) and it was enough to win this one.

Red Warrior​

We’ll give the nod to Blake Coleman, who scored the Flames’ lone goal in regulation and was consistently noticeable on the ice.

Honourable mention to Dustin Wolf: he wasn’t overly busy, but he had to make a few huge stops at key times.

Turning point​

Wolf’s overtime save(s) followed by Zary’s game-winner.

This and that​

Prior to the anthems, the Flames observed a moment of silence to recognize the passing of former Flames forward Guy Chouinard.

The Flames busted out some new line combinations, shuffling some players around: Connor Zary was with Jonathan Huberdeau and Morgan Frost, Matt Coronato was reunited with Blake Coleman and Mikael Backlund, and John Beecher slotted back in on the fourth line in place of Justin Kirkland.

After Burner​

Join Dean “Boomer” Molberg and Kent Wilson right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames (17-18-4) are back in action on New Year’s Eve when they host the Philadelphia Flyers.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-grind-out-overtime-win-over-bruins

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames Prospect Roundup: Cullen Potter has started to get hot

The holiday break is over for many prospects.

This is the Dec. 22-29 edition of the Flames prospect round-up, where we look at how Calgary Flames prospects have done every week. Specifically, we’ll look at players playing overseas, in junior hockey, or at the college level, as the American Hockey League prospects will have an article of their own in the Wranglers Recaps.

We’ll take a look at the games which were played, who’ll return to action this next week (and who is out with injury) as well as look at the standings.

Cullen Potter​

Cullen Potter has gotten hot for the Arizona State Sun Devils. They returned to action this past weekend, defeating Dartmouth 5-1 in the first game, but falling 4-1 in the second game. Potter scored a goal and had an assist in the win, and scored their only goal in the loss. For the season, the 18-year-old is up to eight goals and 19 points in 20 games.

Cullen Potter makes it THREE for the Devils pic.twitter.com/JA7ylFaRZC

— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) December 28, 2025

This week, the Sun Devils participate in the Desert Hockey Classic tournament, and will take on Alaska Anchorage on Friday. If they win that game, they’ll face the winner of Air Force and Michigan Tech.

Mace’o Phillips​

One storyline heading into the holiday break was the Green Bay Gamblers’ winning streak. Well, Mace’o Phillips and the Gamblers won two more games this past week to bring their winning streak to 13 games. They defeated the Dubuque Fighting Saints twice, once by a score of 6-3, then by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Mace’o Phillips was held pointless in both games.

The Gamblers return to action on New Year’s Eve, facing off against the Madison Capitols. They also play a two-game set against Des Moines Buccaneers on Saturday and Sunday.

Jacob Battaglia​

Jacob Battaglia and the Kingston Frontenacs played one game this week, falling 5-3 to the Ottawa 67’s to snap their five-game winning streak. Battaglia was held pointless in this game, as he has 12 goals and 23 points in 33 games, well below the 40 goals and 90 points he had in 68 games last season.

This week, the Frontenacs host the Guelph Storm on New Year’s Eve, head to Peterborough to face the Petes on New Year’s Day, then return home to host the 67’s on Friday.

Kirill Zarubin​

Kirill Zarubin and Mikhailov Academy were in action twice this past week, defeating Yegor Yegorov and JHC Sparktak-MAX 6-2, then beat Krylya Sovetov 4-3. The Russian netminder played both games, stopping 32 of 34 shots in the 6-2 win and 27 of 30 shots in the 4-3 win. This season, Zarubin has a .934 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average in 26 games played.

Mikhailov Academy isn’t in action again until Jan. 6, so they won’t be included in next week’s article.

Trevor Hoskin​

This article was going to be written on Monday, but both Mace’o Phillips and Trevor Hoskin played on Monday evening. Well, Hoskin picked up an assist in Merrimack’s 5-4 win over Vermont, giving the 21-year-old four goals and 18 points in 17 games this season.

This coming week, they’ll face off against Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. MT.

Hunter Laing​

Hunter Laing and the Saskatoon Blades defeated the Regina Pats in two different games this past week, winning 3-2 in overtime on Saturday and 4-0 on Sunday. Laing picked up an assist in the shutout win, giving him 15 goals and 32 points in 33 games this season.

They’re back in action for two games this week, facing the Brandon Wheat Kings in a home-and-home. The first game, in Brandon, is on New Year’s Day, before they host the Wheat Kings on Saturday.

Yegor Yegorov​

Yegor Yegorov’s JHC Spartak-MAX played twice this week, falling 6-2 to Mikhailov Academy and 3-2 to JHC Dynamo-M. The Flames’ prospect didn’t play in either game, as the 20-year-old has a .923 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average in 17 games played this season.

Like Kirill Zaurbin’s Mikhailov Academy, JHC Spartak-MAX don’t play this week, returning to action on Jan. 6.

Axel Hurtig​

The Calgary Hitmen played just one game this week, falling 9-5 to the Kamloops Blazers. Flames’ prospect Axel Hurtig was held pointless in that game and was a -1, giving him three goals and eight points in 29 games this season.

They return to action on Tuesday, heading to Vancouver to face the Giants. Moreover, the Hitmen also play the Victoria Royals on New Year’s Day and the Prince George Cougars on Saturday.

Other players to play this coming week…​

Cole Reschny is part of Team Canada’s squad at the World Junior Championship, and won’t be back until after Jan. 5. Theo Stöckselius, Henry Mews and Yan Matveiko remain out with an injury, while Jakob Leander’s HV71 U20 doesn’t return until Jan. 10.

Almost all the other Flames’ prospects play this week. Cade Littler’s University of North Dakota are back in action against Mercyhurst for a two-game weekend set beginning on Friday. Ethan Wyttenbach and Quinnipiac are back in action on Jan. 2 as well, hosting Aidan Lane and Harvard on Friday, before playing Dartmouth on Saturday. Lane and Harvard play Quinnipiac on Friday, then Princeton on Saturday.

Luke Misa and Penn State will be without Gavin McKenna for their two games over the weekend against RIT, with the first matchup coming on Saturday. Eric Jamieson and Jaden Lipinski’s schools will be in action against one another, as Denver (Jamieson) hosts Maine (Lipinski) on both Jan. 2 and 3.

How the standings look​

So how do the standings shape up entering the New Year? Starting with the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, Cade Littler and Cole Reschny’s North Dakota sit first thanks to an in-conference with 25 points, followed closely by Eric Jamieson’s Denver, who have 24 points. Arizona State sits fifth with 13 points. Eight of the nine teams in the conference make the end-of-season tournament.

In the Eastern College Athletic Conference, Aidan Lane and Harvard sit third in the conference thanks to 15 points. Quinnipiac is sixth in the conference with 11 points, as all 12 teams in the conference earn a berth to the end-of-season tournament, with the first, second, third, and fourth-placed teams getting a bye.

Over in the Big Ten conference, Henry Mews’ Michigan sits second in the conference with 20 points, but Mews will be out for the season. Luke Misa’s Penn State sits tied for fourth in the conference thanks to 13 points. All seven teams in the conference make the end-of-season tournament, with the first-placed team getting a bye.

The last collegiate division to house a Flames prospect (or two) is Hockey East. Jaden Lipinski’s Maine sits fourth in the conference with 16 points, while Trevor Hoskin’s Merrimack sits eighth with 13 points. All 11 teams enter the end-of-season tournament, with the first to fifth-placed teams getting a bye to the second round.

Moving to junior hockey, the Kingston Frontenacs sit seventh in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference thanks to a 15-17-4 record and 34 points. Teams ranked 1-8 make the playoffs, and they’re seven points clear of the ninth-placed team.

In the Western Hockey League, both Hunter Laing’s Saskatoon Blades and Axel Hurtig’s Calgary Hitmen are in a playoff spot. The Blades have a 19-14-3 record with 41 points, good enough for fifth. The Hitmen are just two points behind with a 17-10-5 record, albeit with four fewer games played. Teams 1-8 make the playoffs.

Thanks to a 13-game winning streak, the Green Bay Gamblers sit first in the United States Hockey League’s Eastern Conference. Six of the eight teams in the conference make the playoffs, with the first and second-placed teams getting a bye.

In Russia, Kirill Zarubin and Mikhailov Academy sit fifth in the Western Conference’s Gold Division, while Matveiko’s Red Army sits third. That’s good, teams 1-5 get a bye, while teams 6-8 play the top three teams in the Silver Division. As it stands, Yegor Yegorov’s JHC Spartak-MAX sits seven points out of third in the Silver Division, but have played six fewer games.

As for Sweden’s U20 league, there’s two different conferences with 10 teams. The top 10 teams from the two conferences make the winners’ stages, while the other 10 teams head to the losers’ stage. Despite being in the losers stage, the six best teams in that division will earn a playoff spot, while the bottom three teams are relegated. Theo Stöckselius’ Djurgårdens IF U20 would be in the winners’ stage, while Jakob Leander’s HV71 U20 would be in the losers’ stage.

---

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-prospect-roundup-cullen-potter-has-started-to-get-hot

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames weekly notebook: Zayne Parekh is getting his swagger back

There was a lot of hype surrounding Zayne Parekh entering his first full season in the NHL, and for good reason. He was coming off 96 and 107 point seasons in the OHL. He joined Bobby Orr as the only two OHA/OHL defencemen to put up multiple 30+ goal seasons.

Pretty good company for Zayne Parekh pic.twitter.com/V2Pciioo64

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

Unfortunately, his rookie campaign has not gone the way he and the Flames had planned, and he’s lost confidence because of it.

It all started with head coach Ryan Huska making Parekh a healthy scratch in the first two games of the season.

When Parekh did get in the lineup, he looked to be physically outmatched on a lot of nights. Yes, he made some things happen in the offensive zone. But he also struggled with the pace and physicality of the NHL game. And that shouldn’t worry Flames fans. He is 19 years old. It’s going to take Parekh some time to get used to playing in the NHL.

Parekh’s season was put on pause after getting checked into the boards in an awkward position by veteran, physical forward Nick Foligno.

Nick Foligno lays a heavy hit on Zayne Parekh.

Parekh has gone to the Flames locker room.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/M82dEYQkz5

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) November 8, 2025

Luckily for Parekh, the injury wasn’t too serious and he was able to be loaned to the Canadian World Junior team.

The World Juniors have been the perfect place for Parekh to get his swagger back. He has been able to play against players his own age. He’s been trusted by Dale Hunter and been put in positions to succeed playing on the top pairing at 5-on-5 and quarterbacking the top power play unit. This is exactly what he needed after a tough start to the season in Calgary. He admitted that this season has been tough on him mentally to TSN’s Mark Masters.

Zayne Parekh on two-goal #WorldJuniors debut:

“I needed this. Mentally, It’s been a grind”

On seeing 1st goal go in:

“A weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s been a tough year. I’ve dealt with a lot. It’s a confidence builder & I know I still got it”https://t.co/MDbGiylcpR

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 27, 2025

Through three games, Parekh is 2nd among all defensemen in scoring with five points (3 goals, 2 assists). And he could have more points had his teammates been able to put away some of the elite passes Parekh has put on their tape in scoring positions.

Parekh has been the most dangerous player on Team Canada up to this point of the tournament. It feels like something good happens every time he touches the puck in the offensive zone. He has a special ability to make high end tape to tape passes, walk the blueline, and get his shot through traffic.

Just look at some of the plays he has made.

Zayne Parekh is showing off his play making on the PP early in the 1st period.

: TSN | IIHF pic.twitter.com/RlEtbq0wZL

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

Zayne Parekh makes a great cross ice pass to find an open Brady Martin.

He’s made two passes tonight that have led to incredible scoring chances for Canada.

: TSN | IIHF pic.twitter.com/dpo8fAwvAd

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

What a shot by Zayne Parekh! pic.twitter.com/AOiP9kL9tg

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

That’s 2 goals tonight for Zayne Parekh! pic.twitter.com/eUxD9mzi1O

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

Zayne Parekh gets the puck in an awkward position but is able to turn it into a scoring chance for Michael Misa.

It’s stuff like this that make Parekh a special player.

: TSN | IIHF pic.twitter.com/J6xSUM7LSE

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 27, 2025

Zayne Parekh scores his third goal of the World Juniors! pic.twitter.com/I09T7D0Ae0

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

Great pass by Zayne Parekh to find Porter Martone.

That’s 5 points in 3 games for Parekh. pic.twitter.com/gdiDKoimT7

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 30, 2025

Now comes the question about what the Flames should do with Parekh once the World Juniors come to an end. That is not an easy question to answer.

He can go back to the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. Or the Flames can keep him up with the NHL team and sprinkle in a two week conditioning stint in the AHL at some point this season. I’ll do a deep dive into what the Flames should do with Parekh later this week.

But regardless of that decision, it’s clear the Flames organization is going to get back a highly skilled player with some reignited swagger and confidence after dominating a tournament of his peers.

Let’s take a look at a couple other Flames storylines.

Be patient​

The Calgary Flames are back in the playoff mix after getting off to their worst start in franchise history. Since Nov. 19, the Flames have the fourth-best points percentage in the NHL. You have to give the players and coaches in that dressing room credit for completely turning around their season.

There is a group of Flames fans who are worried that this group is going to finish in the mushy middle once again. Not good enough to make the playoffs. And not bad enough to get a top draft pick. Where the Flames have lived for the last 30+ years.

My message to Flames fans who are feeling this way is: be patient.

Here is how I see things playing out between now and the end of the season.

This team will be in the mix, or in a playoff spot, come the trade deadline. They will remain competitive as long as Rasmus Andersson, Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri are part of this team. Those three players and the goaltenders are keeping this team hovering around a wildcard spot in the Western Conference.

On top of that, the Flames don’t have an overly difficult schedule between now and Mar. 6.

But things are going to change after the Mar. 6 trade deadline.

Rasmus Andersson will most likely be traded. He has been the Flames best player this season. He is the heart and soul of this team right now. He touches every facet of the game for Ryan Huska. Who is going to replace those minutes when he is gone?

You would hope that Craig Conroy has the foresight to also move out a few more veterans. Say two of Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman, Joel Farabee, and Joel Hanley. That would be the final nail in the coffin to the Flames playoff chances.

Their schedule is incredibly difficult following Mar. 6. There is no way this Flames team, without Rasmus Andersson and one or two of the veterans I mentioned prior, will make the playoffs with this schedule.

Yes, it is frustrating to see this team get back in the mushy middle. I am right there with you if you are feeling that way.

But I don’t think it’s going to last for the entire season. Whenever Andersson and others are moved, the playoff hopes for the Flames will be extinguished.

Ryan Lomberg​

The Lombergini has become an important member of the Flames organization. And a lot of that comes from his contributions off the ice.

Yes, he does some good things on the ice. He brings speed, physicality, toughness, and a little bit of scoring touch, as he has proved over the last few weeks.

FLAMES GOAL

WHAT A GOAL BY RYAN LOMBERG!!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/BVPAlz48Qw

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 28, 2025

But he provides the most value off the ice. His positivity, energy and leadership are needed right now for this team, especially post trade deadline following trades of veteran leaders. This team will start to lose games again at some point, and when that happens they are going to need someone to keep some positivity going.

The last thing you want to happen is for Calgary to become a miserable place to play during a rebuild. You need guys to keep things loose in the room, and Lomberg does exactly that. He doesn’t need to be in the lineup every night, but I think it’s important to keep him around this team.

I would have no issues with the Flames re-signing Lomberg to a one or two year contract.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-weekly-notebook-zayne-parekh-is-getting-his-swagger-back

 

[Calgary Flames]

A Flame From the Past: Shean Donovan

Do you remember Shean Donovan?

Every once in a while, we take a look at a player who once played for the Calgary Flames in a series called “A Flame From the Past”. This player has to have played a significant number of games for the Flames. I’ll put every Flames’ season into a Wheel of Names, and this time, it landed on the 2005-06 season. In this article, we’ll take a look at Shean Donovan.

Born in Timmins, Ontario, but growing up in North Bay, Donovan began his junior career with the Kanata Valley Lasers of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (Junior A). In 1990-91, Donovan scored eight goals and 13 points.

Donovan began his major junior career the following season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s. In 1991-92, the right winger scored 11 goals and 19 points in 58 games. He broke out the following season, scoring 29 goals and 52 points in 66 games. That led to Donovan being drafted 28th overall in the 1993 draft by the San Jose Sharks.

He returned to junior the following season, scoring 35 goals and 84 points in 62 games, while adding 10 goals and 21 points in 17 post-season games. Donovan played in 14 National Hockey League regular season games in 1994-95, and seven post-season games.

The winger also made his American Hockey League debut that season, picking up two assists in five games, then five goals and eight points in 14 games. Most of Donovan’s 1994-95 season was spent with the 67’s, scoring 22 goals and 41 points in 29 games.

Aside from four games in the International Hockey League, most of Donovan’s 1995-96 season was spent with the Sharks, where he scored 13 goals and 21 points in 74 games. After three AHL games in 1996-97, Donovan scored nine goals and 15 points in 73 NHL games in 1996-97. Only 20 games were spent with the Sharks in 1997-98, where he scored three goals and six points, as Donovan was traded to the Colorado Avalanche.

On Nov. 20, 1997, the Avalanche traded Mike Ricci and a 1998 second to the Sharks for Donovan and a 1998 first-rounder, which was used to pick Alex Tanguay. Donovan scored five goals and 12 points in the remaining 47 games. The following season, Donovan scored seven goals and 19 points in 68 games, while also playing five post-season games.

In 1999-2000, Donovan scored a goal in 18 games with the Avalanche, before being traded to the Atlanta Thrashers midway during the season. He added four goals and 11 points over his next 33 games. The 2000-01 season was Donovan’s only full season with the Thrashers, as he scored 12 goals and 23 points in 63 games, which was a career-high at the time.

Playing 48 games with the Thrashers in 2001-02, Donovan scored six goals and 12 points before being claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Penguins. To end the 2001-02 season, the winger scored two goals and three points in 13 games. Donovan didn’t play a full season with the Penguins, as he scored four goals and nine points in 52 games during the 2002-03 season, before being traded to the Flames.

Ending his season in Alberta, Donovan scored a goal and three points in 13 games. The 2003-04 season was a career-best year for the winger, as Donovan scored 18 goals and 42 points in 82 games, then added five goals and 10 points in 24 games as the Flames went all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

His final season with the Flames was in 2005-06, where he scored nine goals and 20 points in 80 games, but was held pointless in seven post-season games. At the conclusion of the 2006-07 season, Donovan joined the Boston Bruins, where he scored six goals and 17 points in 76 games.

Donovan played his junior career in the Nation’s Capital region, and he returned to the area to finish his NHL career. In 2007-08, he joined the Ottawa Senators, scoring five goals and 12 points in 82 games. In 2008-09, Donovan scored five goals and 10 points in 65 games, then scored two goals and five points in 30 games during the 2009-10 season, his final season in the league.

The winger has remained in the Ottawa area, serving as a development coach for the Senators for some time. Donovan also served as the 67’s Assistant coach in 2013-14, and now serves as an associate coach for the Kemptville 73’s of the Central Canada Hockey League (formerly the CJHL).

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

This article is brought to you by Platinum Mitsubishi​

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-flame-from-the-past-shean-donovan

 

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames close out 2025 with victory over Flyers

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

The Calgary Flames hosted their annual New Year’s Eve game on Wednesday night, this year hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Facing an opponent that was playing on back-to-back nights, the Flames started slow but gradually found their footing.

A big second period offensive outburst powered the Flames to a 5-1 victory over the Flyers to close out 2025 on a winning note.

The rundown​

The opening period was pretty scrambly, with decent energy from both teams but execution being a bit off. The Flyers first shot on goal was 6:10 into the period. The Flames didn’t record their first shot until 10:17 in.

The third shot of the game was a goal, though. 13:30 into the period, the Flames got an odd-man rush off a Flyers turnover. Matt Coronato teed up a chance for Mikael Backlund, and Backlund’s one-timer from above the circles beat Sam Ersson to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Mikael Backlund scores his 10th goal of the season! This line has been incredible

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/JP4MUMVpMx

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

First period shots were 4-3 Flyers. Via Natural Stat Trick, 5v5 scoring chances were 10-8 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 3-1 Flames.

The Flames spotted themselves an insurance goal early in the second period. Morgan Frost won an offensive zone face-off and it led to (a) a bunch of traffic in front of Ersson and (b) a wrister from Jonathan Huberdeau from above the circles. With all that traffic, the seeing-eye shot found a way to beat Ersson inside the far post to give the Flames a 2-0 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Morgan Frost puts Calgary up 2-0!

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/Gd3zS3ZQRL

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

The Flyers seemed to cut the Flames’ lead to 2-1 on a delayed penalty midway through the second period. However, Carl Grundstrom was jostling for position around the Flames crease and made contact with Dustin Wolf prior to the shot from Nick Seeler. The Flames challenged for goaltender interference and the goal was wiped out… but that meant that Yan Kuznetsov’s penalty, which was negated by Seeler’s goal, was back on the docket. (The Flames killed off the minor.)

The Flames have a successful goalie interference challenge.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/7L1XIWjUR6

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

A little later, though, the Flyers cut the Flames’ lead to 2-1 for real. On a rush play, a Travis Konecny shot was mostly stopped by Wolf. The puck trickled through Wolf and dropped into the crease area. Nazem Kadri, scrambling to try to poke the puck away from danger, inadvertantly poked it through the crease and into the net off the far post. Whoops.

Philly cuts the Calgary lead in half.

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/uAOLjyiLQT

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

But the Flames restored their multi-goal lead a little later. The Flyers took minor penalties four seconds apart, giving the Flames 1:56 of five-on-three power play time. A Rasmus Andersson slap shot beat Ersson to give the Flames a 3-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Rasmus Andersson scores on a 5 on 3! It's 3-1 Calgary

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/ZBcU77qnLF

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

Late in the second period, after Jamie Drysdale put the puck over the glass, the Flames had another power play. This one was pretty scrambly, as the Flyers went on an odd-man rush to the Flames end and Wolf made a big stop on Christian Dvorak. Play went back the other way and after a bit of an odd passing sequence that featured Coronato throwing the puck to an empty point position – nobody was there yet – the puck was retrieved by MacKenzie Weegar. A bit of passing later and Coronato found Yegor Sharangovich out front and Sharangovich picked the top corner to give the Flames a 4-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Yegor Sharangovich is starting to heat up! He puts Calgary up 4-1

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/BBJcMjqUBv

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

Second period shots were 11-9 Flames. 5v5 scoring chances were 6-4 Flames and high-danger scoring chances were 3-2 Flames.

The third period was pretty back and forth. The Flames added some additional insurance, as Connor Zary got a feed from Ryan Lomberg in the slot and fired it off the post and past Ersson to give the Flames a 5-1 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary goes off the post and in! It's 5-1 Calgary

: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/jiFXDruO53

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) January 1, 2026

The Flames managed their lead well and skated to a 5-1 win.

Third period shots were 12-9 Flyers.

Why the Flames won​

Neither team looked great in the opening period, but the Flames got to their game in the second period and basically imposed their style onto the remainder of the proceedings. Was this a picturesque example of our great sport? To be charitable, it was a bit of a clunky game. But the Flames did a great job of making the Flyers – the team that was on a back-to-back – work for every inch of ice, and it was enough for them to get two points.

Red Warrior​

A lot of guys wearing red jerseys had good nights, but we’ll give the nod to MacKenzie Weegar. He played a ton and had a couple key assists.

Turning point​

Let’s go with the second Flames power play goal in the second period. Immediately before that, Dustin Wolf made a stop on Christian Dvorak (shorthanded) and a sliding block attempt from Rasmus Andersson prevented the Flyers from getting a better scoring chance on that sequence. If Wolf (or Andersson) are less stingy in that situation, the game could’ve swung the other way.

This and that​

At the first TV timeout, the Flames played an in-arena tribute video commemorating Dan Vladar’s return to the Saddledome.

This was the first time the Flames scored multiple power play goals since Dec. 8 against Buffalo, and just the fourth time they’ve done it all season.

Connor Zary and Adam Klapka swapped spots mid-game; Zary went from Morgan Frost’s line to John Beecher’s line, while Klapka went in the other direction.

Via Sportsnet: the Flames have won 47 consecutive games when scoring 4 goals or more in a game.

After Burner​

Join Mike Gould and Robert Munnich right after the game for After Burner!

Up next​

The Flames (18-18-4) are back in action on Saturday when they host the Nashville Predators in the early game of Hockey Night in Canada.

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 best warranty in the business with ten year warranties available. Check out the showroom at 2720 Barlow Trail NE or online at www.mitsu.ca

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/instant-reaction-flames-close-out-2025-with-victory-over-flyers

 

[Calgary Flames]

Looking back on the Flames’ performances in 2025

Friends, the calendar year of 2025 is now in the rear-view mirror. For the Calgary Flames, it was a year of ups and downs.

On one hand, the Flames played some of the best hockey we’ve seen them play in two chunks – an 11-2-3 run over the final 16 games of the 2024-25 season that saw them fall just short of a playoff spot, and a 16-9-2 run starting in early November that may have helped salvage their 2025-25 season.

On the other hand, the Flames missed the 2025 playoffs due to a couple of losses in St. Louis in January, and they made enough miscues early in October to get out to a 2-9-2 start. Due to a lack of game-breaking (or game-stealing) offensive talent, the Flames are a team that has really thin margins in games and thus very little wiggle room, so a few mistakes on their side can cause games to slip away.

By the numbers​

The Flames played 85 games in 2025 going 41-33-11 with 93 points and a .547 points percentage. They were 22-13-5 at home and 19-20-6 on the road. (The most games the Flames have ever played in a calendar year was 91 in 2022, which was a result of a COVID-19 outbreak in December 2021 causing some games to get postponed into the 2022 side of that season.)

Their longest winning streak was five games, covering the final four games of the 2024-25 season and the 2025-26 season-opener. Their longest losing streak was eight games (0-7-1) spanning Oct. 9-24.

Team leaders​

Two Flames played in every game in 2025: Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri.

Kadri also dominated the offensive leaderboard for the club, leading in goals (29), assists (44), points (73) even-strength goals (20), even-strength points (46), power-play goals (9, tied with Jonathan Huberdeau), power play points (27), overtime goals (2) and shots (273).

Coleman shared the lead in plus/minus with Mikael Backlund (+15). He led the team in shorthanded goals (4) and shorthanded points (5). Huberdeau led the team in game-winning goals (6), taking the lead on New Year’s Eve.

MacKenzie Weegar led the team in minutes played by a skater with 2,037:27.

As you would expect, Dustin Wolf dominated the goaltender leaderboard in 2025. He played the most games (65), logged the most minutes (3,732:53) and led the Flames in wins (31) and shutouts (3).

All-told, the Flames used three different goaltenders and 37 different skaters in 2025. Making their NHL debuts with the Flames during the calendar year were Hunter Brzustewicz, Matvei Gridin, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton, Zayne Parekh and Aydar Suniev.

Single game standouts​

The Flames had three-point performances by players in 2025, four of them by Rasmus Andersson. Five of those three-point nights were three-assist games – three by Andersson, and one apiece for Weegar and Connor Zary. No Flames played recorded a hat trick in 2025, but they had 18 two-goal performances.

Weegar played 28:56 on Mar. 1 against Florida, representing the most minutes played by a skater in a single game. Of the top 10 ice time logged by players in individual games, eight of them were by Weegar and the other two were by Andersson.

Wolf’s 42 save performance on Nov. 5 against Columbus was the single-game high by a Flames netminder.

What was the biggest Flames highlight of 2025? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/looking-back-on-the-flames-performances-in-2025

 

[Calgary Flames]

What’s Going On In the Pacific Division: Five teams in the division occupy a playoff spot entering the New Year

The 2025 portion of the 2025-26 season is over.

Entering the New Year, five teams in the Pacific Division occupy a playoff spot, with two teams just two points out. The Vancouver Canucks are the lone exception, as their 35 points are tied for the second-fewest in the leagues, one ahead of the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets.

This is What’s Going On In the Pacific Division, the weekly article where we look at how teams from the division fared, as well as setting up the following week. Let’s take a look at the week that was.

Anaheim Ducks​

It wasn’t a great week for the Anaheim Ducks. On Saturday, they fell 6-1 to the Los Angeles Kings, then fell 5-4 to the San Jose Sharks. Their lone point this past week came in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Still, the Ducks have a 21-16-3 record for 45 points, tied for the second-most in the division.

This week, the Ducks will host the Minnesota Wild on Friday, their first game of 2026. They’ll then head on a four-game road trip, with their first two games coming against the Washington Capitals on Monday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.

Calgary Flames​

In last week’s article the Flames were 2-1 heading into this past week, as they fell 5-1 to the Edmonton Oilers two days before Christmas. Well, they got their revenge against their provincial rivals, defeating them 3-2 on Saturday. They followed that up with a 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins and a 5-1 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Now, the Flames sit just one point out of a playoff spot.

The Flames’ next game is on Saturday, as they host the Nashville Predators with a start time of 5:00 PM MT. They’ll then host the Seattle Kraken on Monday, before beginning a road trip, with a game against the Montréal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Edmonton Oilers​

As per usual, the Edmonton Oilers have struggled coming out of a break. They fell 3-2 to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, but managed a 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. That was short-lived, as they fell 6-2 to the Boston Bruins on New Year’s Eve, giving them a 1-2-0 week.

It’s a rather uneventful week for the Flames’ provincial rivals, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at 1:30 PM MT, with their next game coming against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Los Angeles Kings​

The Los Angeles Kings had a rather uneventful week, playing just two games. They defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-1 on Saturday, but fell 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. With a 16-13-9 record, the Kings have 41 points and occupy the final wild card spot.

This week will be a busy one for the Kings as they begin a four-game home stand. On Thursday, the Kings host the Tampa Bay Lightning, followed by two matchups against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday and Monday, capped off by a game against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

San Jose Sharks​

Occupying the first wild card spot are the San Jose Sharks, who are on a three-game winning streak. Last week, they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 6-3, the Anaheim Ducks 5-4, and the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in a shootout.

The shootout win marked the beginning of a three-game home stand, which continues with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. They’ll then play one game on the road, traveling south to Los Angeles to face the Kings.

Seattle Kraken​

Like the Los Angeles Kings, it was a rather uneventful week for the Seattle Kraken. After playing a back-to-back before the holiday break, they hosted the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday, defeating them 4-1. In the second game of a back-to-back, a home game against the Vancouver Canucks, the Kraken fell 3-2 to the Vancouver Canucks.

It’s a busy upcoming week for the Kraken, as they host the Nashville Predators on Thursday, traveling up Interstate 5 to face the Vancouver Canucks on the second game of a back-to-back (they probably fly). On Monday, they face the Calgary Flames in Alberta, before returning back home to host the Boston Bruins on the second-game of a back-to-back.

Yes, the Kraken will play four back-to-back games in a span of two weeks. Wild.

Vancouver Canucks​

Speaking of the Canucks, they played three games this past week, with the 3-2 shootout win against the Kraken being their lone win. They also lost a pair of games 6-3, one to the San Jose Sharks and the other to the Philadelphia Flyers.

This week, the Canucks host the Kraken and the Boston Bruins for a back-to-back game on Friday and Saturday, before embarking on a six-game Eastern Conference road trip. Their first matchup on that road trip is against the surging Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

Vegas Golden Knights​

It was a rough week for the Vegas Golden Knights, as they fell 6-5 to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Monday, and 4-2 to the Nashville Predators on New Year’s Eve. Still, they are second in the Pacific Division and have the best point percentage as they’ve played three fewer games than the Edmonton Oilers.

This week, the Golden Knights will embark on a three-game road trip, taking on the St. Louis Blues on Friday, the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, and the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/whats-...n-occupy-a-playoff-spot-entering-the-new-year

 

[Calgary Flames]

On this day 34 years ago: Flames trade Doug Gilmour to the Maple Leafs

Today is the anniversary of one of the worst trades in the Calgary Flames’ franchise history.

On Jan. 2, 1992, the Flames traded Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Kent Manderville, Ric Nattress and Rick Wamsley to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Gary Leeman, Michel Petit and Jeff Reese.

Gilmour was the big piece given up by the Flames. Drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Blues in 1982, Gilmour had five productive seasons with the team from Missouri before the Flames acquired him ahead of the 1988-89 season. In 72 regular season games, Gilmour scored 26 goals and 85 points, along with 11 goals and 22 points in 22 games as the Flames went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1989.

In 1989-90 and 1990-91, Gilmour reached the 20-goal plateau both seasons, and also had 91 points in 1989-90 and 81 points in 1990-91. Before the trade, Gilmour scored 11 goals and 38 points in 38 games, and added 15 goals and 49 points in 40 games with the Leafs to end the 1991-92 season.

Gilmour was already a good player, but he hit a whole new level as a Leaf, at least in his first two seasons. The 1992-93 season saw him score 32 goals and 127 points in 83 games, along with 10 goals and 35 points in 21 playoff games. He followed that up with 27 goals and 111 points in 83 games in 1993-94, scoring six goals and 28 points in 18 post-season games.

Although he never reached those heights again, Gilmour was still a productive player for the rest of his career, hitting the double-digit goal mark in seven of his remaining nine seasons, including the 20-goal mark three times. After his Leafs’ tenure ended in 1996-97, Gilmour played for the New Jersey Devils, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Montréal Canadiens, and one game with the Leafs to end his career.

In total, the Flames traded four players from their Stanley Cup winning team in 1989. Nattress only played 36 games with the Leafs, scoring two goals and 16 points in 36 games. His final season was in 1992-93, spent with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Macoun was a productive defenceman upon his arrival to Toronto, scoring three goals and 16 points in 39 games to end the season. He hit the 30 point mark again in 1993-94, and played until after the 1998-99 season, winning the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 after a mid-season trade from the Maple Leafs.

Wamsley was never more than a 1B with the Flames, but his career fizzled out after the trade, playing just eight games with the Leafs in 1991-92, and just three games in 1992-93, his final NHL action. Manderville, a prospect at the time, went on to play 646 National Hockey League games, scoring 37 goals and 104 points. Four of the 12 seasons he played were spent with the Maple Leafs, where he scored eight goals and 23 points in 136 games.

Losing Gilmour is what made this trade so bad, but did the Flames find a way to replace his production? Of course not. Berube was the big piece coming back, and he scored a goal and five points in 36 games after the trade. He played 77 games with the Flames in 1992-93, scoring four goals and 12 points in 77 games, before he was traded to the Washington Capitals.

Berube played six seasons with the Capitals, scoring 26 goals and 63 points in 397 games, before a trade to the Flyers, the team he began his career with. The current Maple Leafs coach played parts of two seasons with the Flyers, before rejoining the Capitals. His stint didn’t last long, as they traded him to the New York Islanders during the 2000-01 season. Berube finished his career as a Flame, playing the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons with the team before hanging up the skates.

So what about the other players the Flames acquired? Well, Godynyuk played 33 games with the Flames in 1991-92 and 1992-93, scoring three goals and eight points, before playing the rest of his 115 career games with the Hartford Whalers. Like Berube and Godynyuk, Leeman played just the 1991-92 and 1992-93 season with the Flames, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 59 games. He went on to win the Cup with the Canadiens, but played just 63 more NHL games after departing the Flames.

Both Petit and Reese played three seasons with the Flames. Petit, born in St. Malo, Québec, scored eight goals and 48 points in 134 games with the Flames from 1991-92 until 1993-94. After that, he played an additional 164 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Reese, a netminder, played 39 games with the Flames, 12 following the trade, 26 in 1992-93, and one in 1993-94. Overall, he had an .883 save percentage and 3.39 goals against average in those games. He played 37 games with the Whalers, 19 with the Lightning, and three with the Devils to end his career.

In hindsight, Doug Risebrough and the Flames should’ve just paid him, as he went on to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.

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Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/on-this-day-34-years-ago-flames-trade-doug-gilmour-to-the-maple-leafs

 

[Calgary Flames]

Recap: Wranglers fall to three former organization players in 5-2 loss against Roadrunners

The Calgary Wranglers were fresh off a 3-2 overtime win over the Colorado Eagles and right back in action on Friday to host the Tucson Roadrunners. Calgary got on the board first but two power play goals from the visiting Utah Mammoth affiliate within a minute had them playing from behind for most of the game. The Wranglers managed to get one goal back in the third period but fell to the Roadrunners 5-2.

Lineup notes​

The Wranglers rolled with their same lineup as Thursday for this game. There was an organizational change earlier in the day, however. The team announced that Andrew Basha was assigned to the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers.



Andrew Basha played in 27 games with the Wranglers this season and put up a goal and four assists in that time. This move should be a good confidence builder for him and get him some more top minutes as he’s been a rotating third or fourth liner with Calgary.

Wranglers lines​

Dryden Hunt – Rory Kerins – William Stromgren

Carter King – Sam Morton – Martin Frk

Lucas Ciona – Clark Bishop – Parker Bell

Alex Gallant – David Silye – Carter Wilkie

Etienne Morin – Nick Cicek

Artem Grushnikov – Daniil Miromanov

Turner Ottenbreit – Jeremie Poirier

Owen Say

Game at a glance​

After picking up the overtime win on Thursday, the Wranglers went right back to Owen Say fot this game. For the Roadrunners, they started Matthew Villalta in net. Just 1:07 into the game, Scott Perunovich high-sticked Parker Bell and was called for a minor penalty. Early in this power play, the Wranglers gave up a shorthanded breakaway and Sam Morton made a great defensive play to shut it down and broke the Roadrunners skater’s stick on the play.

The Wranglers weren’t able to register any shots on the power play and play continued. The Wranglers were facing three guys formerly in the organization for this game including Kevin Rooney, Ty Tullio and Juuso Valimaki. Both Rooney and Tulio had some early looks on Say and he managed to keep the puck out.

At 7:49, the Wranglers opened the scoring with a big goal from Rory Kerins. William Stromgren helped keep the puck in the zone after an offensive zone face-off loss then passed it to Dryden Hunt, who got the puck to Rory Kerins for a back door marker. This goal tied Kerins for the longest point streak in team history with 11 games. This record is also held by Jakob Pelletier and Matthew Phillips.



Just past the midway mark of the period, David Silye was hit over by the Roadrunners bench and knocked to the ice on his back. Alex Gallant was right there to stand up for him and this play didn’t result in any calls going either way. With 3:15 to go in the period, William Stromgren was called for holding. Just 42 seconds into this penalty kill, Clark Bishop had some scrappy stuff going on in the Wranglers zone and was called for cross-checking. The Wranglers managed two shifts of penalty killers then the Roadrunners rang a shot off the post and the next shot on Say ended up in the back of the net. The goal was scored by Austin Poganski.

Stromgren came out of the box and before Bishop’s penalty could expire, the Roadrunners added another to take their first lead of the game. Cameron Hebig tapped in a puck on the doorstep and gave Tucson a 2-1 lead. At 19:46, the Roadrunners were called for a faceoff violation and Miko Matikka served the delay of game call. The Wranglers got a few seconds of power play time before it carried into the second. At the end of the first period, the Wranglers were down 2-1 and were outshot 15-9 through 20 minutes.

They started the second period with 1:47 of power play time. In the last second of the power play, Parker Bell was called for slashing and the Wranglers were back penalty killing. They killed off Bell’s call and continued on in the second. The fatigue of the week seemed to show itself in the middle frame of this game and the Wranglers were only able to put up a handful of shots. The whistles were minimal until 16:35 when Turner Ottenbreit was called for high-sticking. Owen Say stopped a big slap shot on this power play and another shot rang off the post again.

In the last 15 seconds of the period, Former Flame Juuso Valimaki scored his first goal in over a year to make it a 3-1 game for Tucson. Valimaki got the puck shortly after the offensive zone faceoff and shot it past Say’s glove side. This wrapped up the second period and the Wranglers were trailing 3-1 after 40 minutes of play. The Wranglers were outshot 19-4 in the middle frame.

Early in the third, Sam Morton was called for interference. This call came just 18 seconds into the frame. Calgary didn’t need to penalty kill for long as Ben McCartney was called for holding the stick 22 seconds later. During this four on four, Jeremie Poirier took a shot that caught William Stromgren in the back of the leg and he went back to the bench slowly in pain. Poirier was then called for hooking at 2:03, and the Wranglers were back penalty killing. Stromgren didn’t leave the bench and was out on the ice for his next shift. All the penalties were killed off and the score stood at 3-1 by the five minute mark of the period.

At the eight minute mark of the period, Owen Say went down a little too early for a save and left a corner of the net open for Miko Matikka to score on. The Roadrunners pulled ahead 4-1. A couple of minutes later, the Roadrunners nearly had another with a shot that went off the post and out. The Wranglers managed to get a goal back at 15:49, when the third line battled in the zone and Etienne Morin took a shot from the point that Lucas Ciona deflected in. Originally, they thought Clark Bishop may have scored but it ended up going to Ciona. Clark Bishop was originally credited with one of the assists but it ended up going to Etienne Morin and Parker Bell on the finalized game sheet.



Right after this goal, Rory Kerins was taken down in the corner behind the Roadrunners net. He was going for the puck and Artem Duda turned around quickly and high-sticked Kerins. This ended up being a double minor and Kerins went to the bench in some pain. Thankfully he was able to return for his next shift on the power play. Just over a minute into this Wranglers’ power play, the Roadrunners got out to a shorthanded breakaway and Ben McCartney took a shot on Say that deflected off his chest and into the back of the net. The goal came at 17:25 and put the Roadrunners up 5-2.

That pretty well wrapped up this game and the Wranglers fell to the Roadrunners 5-2. Shots finished 43-20 for Tucson. It’s been a pretty condensed schedule for the Wranglers as they are tied for total games played in the AHL. Captain Clark Bishop spoke on this post-game and said:

“We’ve had a really busy schedule here in the first half so get some rest when we can. We got a little more of a less dense schedule here coming up in January, so hopefully we can string a couple wins together with that lower schedule.”

Scoring stat summary​

Rory Kerins – 1G

William Stromgren – 1A

Dryden Hunt – 1A

Lucas Ciona – 1G

Etienne Morin – 1A

Parker Bell – 1A

Highlights​

Next up​

The Wranglers have a day between games to rest and recover for the most part. Their next game will be on Sunday to close off the weekend series against the Roadrunners. Game time goes at 1:00 p.m. MT.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/recap-...ation-players-in-5-2-loss-against-roadrunners

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames Game Day 41: Closing out the first half against Nashville (5pm MT, SNW/City)

On Saturday night at the Saddledome, two .500 teams will enter. One team will leave over .500 as they enter the second half of the 2025-26 season. The Calgary Flames (18-18-4, 40 points) and Nashville Predators (18-18-4, 40 points) have identical record through 40 games. Someone will pick up a win and be north of the .500 mark, and inch closer to a playoff spot in a very mediocre Western Conference.

Today’s broadcast begins at 5 p.m. MT on Sportsnet West, City TV and Sportsnet 960 The Fan.

The Flames​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Yegor Sharangovich – Nazem Kadri – Joel Farabee
Jonathan Huberdeau – Morgan Frost – Adam Klapka
Blake Coleman – Mikael Backlund – Matt Coronato
Ryan Lomberg – John Beecher – Connor Zary

Yan Kuznetsov – MacKenzie Weegar
Kevin Bahl – Rasmus Andersson
Joel Hanley – Hunter Brzustewicz

We’re projecting Dustin Wolf to start in net, backed up by Devin Cooley. The projected extra skaters are Justin Kirkland and Brayden Pachal.

Midway through the Philadelphia game, Flames head coach Ryan Huska swapped Connor Zary and Adam Klapka, and that change seems to be carried over into this game. After New Year’s Eve’s game, Huska was asked about the swap: “I don’t think there’s enough speed on the one line and, you know, adding a little different to both lines I think benefited both lines to be honest with you.” We’ll see how things look over a full game.

The Flames have gotten themselves into a pretty decent spot after a truly awful start to the season. We’ll see if they can keep building on it.

The Predators​

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Filip Forsberg – Ryan O’Reilly – Steven Stamkos
Michael Bunting – Erik Haula – Luke Evangelista
Tyson Jost – Fedor Svechkov – Matthew Wood
Reid Schaefer – Michael McCarron – Cole Smith

Roman Josi – Nick Perbix
Brady Skjei – Adam Wilsby
Nicolas Hague – Nick Blankenburg

We’re projecting Juuse Saros to start in net, backed up by Justus Annunen. They have no healthy extras right now.

This is the sixth game of a seven game road trip for Nashville: they’ve already been to Minnesota, St. Louis, Utah, Vegas and Seattle, and they play Edmonton on Jan. 6. So far, they’re 3-2-0 on the trip. Nashville’s had a streaky year, winning a few and losing a few, but never quite getting much traction. They’re not a bad team, but they’ve just lacked consistency this season.

Unavailable players​

The Flames are without Martin Pospisil, Zayne Parekh, Sam Honzek and Jake Bean.

The Predators are without Jonathan Marchessault, Ozzy Wiesblatt and Justin Barron.

The numbers​

Flames	Predators
18	Wins	18
40 (.500)	Points (%)	40 (.500)
51.0% (12th)	xGF%	51.6% (8th)
14.8% (32nd)	PP%	20.3% (13th)
81.0% (13th)	PK%	81.6% (10th)

Head to head​

This is the finale of the three game season series between Calgary and Nashville. The Predators won each of the first two games.

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.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...-first-half-against-nashville-5pm-mt-snw-city

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames slide back below .500 with uneven outing against Nashville

If you’ve watched the Calgary Flames over the past couple of seasons, you’ve probably noticed that when the Flames look a certain way, they tend to give themselves a chance. They rely on structure, pace, a tenacious forecheck and keying in on details in key moments to win hockey games.

Over the last little while, they’ve won quite a few hockey games that way. But as we’ve written here, it’s pretty tough to play the Flames’ style of game every single game. On some nights, you just don’t have enough in the tank to play that way.

On Saturday night against the Nashville Predators, the Flames just didn’t have it. The Flames had a good first few minutes and a good last few minutes, but suffered a big lull in their game in-between those good segments en route to a 4-3 home loss to the Predators.

“I don’t think it was a great game for us compared to the ones we played over the last little while,” said head coach Ryan Huska, following the game. “I only thought we had maybe five guys ever at a level that I think they should have been at. So, Nashville was much quicker than us for the majority part of the game. Yeah, not a great night.”

The Flames got goals from Yan Kuznetsov, Rasmus Andersson and Blake Coleman. The Predators got two goals from Erik Haula, and one apiece from Michael Bunting – off an errant pass from Dustin Wolf – and Nicolas Hague – with 27.8 seconds left in regulation to break a 3-3 tie.

“I didn’t think we had a great game by any means, but we gave ourselves a shot to win, at least get to overtime and see where it takes us,” said Coleman. “You can’t give up a goal with 30 seconds left in a game like that.”

With the loss, the Flames were swept in the three game season series with Nashville. Some teams just match up well against others, and the Predators have matched quite well against Calgary stylistically this season.

“We just haven’t played well,” said Coleman. “You know, we just, again, they hold the line well. We didn’t get pucks behind them. We were stubborn all night. Fuel their game a little bit. But, again, we give ourselves a chance. We get back to even and start carrying the play towards the end there. A game that, when you get to that point, there’s no reason we shouldn’t win that at home.”

The loss snapped a five game Flames home winning streak and dropped them below the .500 mark at 18-19-4. They’re hoping that the setback was merely a bump in the road as they try to work towards a playoff berth following a rough start to their season.

“We can’t let a game like this alter our course,” said Flames forward Ryan Lomberg. “We’ve got to, you know, stay the course and stay mentally strong and stay upbeat and stay positive and keep working at it.”

Sometimes you just don’t have it. On Saturday, the Flames didn’t have it. They’ll try to find it again on Monday night when they close out their five game homestand against the Seattle Kraken.

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.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-slide-back-below-500-with-uneven-outing-against-nashville