News Flames Team Notes

[Calgary Flames]

Instant Reaction: Flames offence soars against 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!

Across the first four games of the Calgary Flames’ road trip, they scored four goals. In the first period of the fifth game, Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, they scored four goals.

After struggling to bury chances for much of the past 10 days, the Flames erupted offensively en route to a 6-3 road win over the Flyers in the penultimate game of their six game road trip.

The rundown​

The Flames and Flyers exchanged power plays in the first portion of the opening period, with neither team cashing in. Following a Flames penalty kill, they put out Connor Zary with the top line of Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau for the bump-up shift and it resulted in a goal. Zary got to the front of the Flyers net and redirected a Brayden Pachal point shot past Samuel Ersson to make it 1-0 Flames.

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary opens the scoring in Philly!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/wteMbHQ36u

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

On the very next shift, the Flames added to their lead. A Flyers shot went off a stanchion and ended up with Kadri carrying the puck into the Flyers zone on an odd-man rush. He called his own number, shooting and beating Ersson to make it 2-0 Flames.

FLAMES GOAL

Nazem Kadri scores in back to back games! It's 2-0 early in the first period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/U4adqH6HI7

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

A little later still, Zary – this time playing on the fourth line with Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Rooney – joined the rush. In a bit of a scrambly play, Zary chucked the puck on net from the bottom of the circles to the side of Ersson. The puck bonked in off Ersson’s back to give the Flames a 3-0 lead. (That ended Ersson’s evening.)

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary scores his 2nd goal of the game! That's three goals in 1:52 for Calgary!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/nl15tFGgNo

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

A little later, the Flyers replied back. Tyson Foester was tripped up by Rasmus Andersson on the initial rush. A delayed penalty was called, but Noah Cates retrieved the loose puck and fired it past Dustin Wolf to make it 3-1. (Kevin Bahl was attempting a standing block, but it may have operated more as an unintentional screen.)

Noah Cates scores for Philly. It's 3-1 Flames.

What a crazy start to this game.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/x7i41ySPAg

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

A little later, Kadri got his pocket picketed in the neutral zone by Andrei Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko skated into the Flames zone and fired a shot between MacKenzie Weegar’s legs that beat Wolf glove-side to cut the lead to 3-2.

Andre Kuzmenko steals the puck from Nazem Kadri. He goes in and rips a shot past Dustin Wolf.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/lF9wYKUcEF

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

But late in the period, the Flames answered back. Yegor Sharangovich had the puck at the side of the net and slid it past Ivan Fedotov to give the Flames a 4-2 lead.

FLAMES GOAL

Yegor Sharangovich sneaks a shot past Ivan Fedotov! It's 4-2 Flames!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/JtbXyLtze7

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

First period shots were 12-11 Flyers. Via Natural Stat Trick, five-on-five scoring chances were 11-10 Flames (high-danger chances were 3-1 Flyers).

The second period was less chaotic than the opening 20 minutes, with the Flames playing with the lead and managing the puck a little better than earlier on.

After Blake Coleman was high-sticked in the face for the second period in a row, the Flames cashed in on the power play. Morgan Frost had a great scoring chance around the blue paint. He opted to sent the rebound out to the high slot for Weegar, whose shot beat Fedotov to make it 5-2 Flames.

FLAMES GOAL

MacKenzie Weegar scores on the power play! That's five goals tonight for Calgary!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/uaT8NlILAk

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

Second period shots were 12-9 Flames. Five-on-five scoring chances were 7-4 Flames (high-danger chances were 3-1 Flames).

Midway through the third period, the Flyers took advantage of some soft play on the puck by the Flames – and some favourable bounces – leading to a puck being swatted across the line by Matvei Michkov to cut the Calgary lead to 5-3.

Matvei Michkov scores a flukey goal.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/3MUhxZJdak

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

But that’s as close as the Flyers got. They pulled Fedotov for the extra attacker on a late power play, but Matt Coronato scored an empty-net goal to cement a 6-3 Flames victory.

Third period shots were 10-6 Flames.

Why the Flames won​

After struggling to score – or even display a ton of confidence in the offensive zone – in the past few games, the Flames looked really sharp with the puck and were rewarded for it. Did the Flyers get great goaltending? Nope. Was Dustin Wolf better than either Flyers goalie? Yep. But if you look at the overall shape of this hockey game, the Flames were at least a little better than the Flyers in virtually every portion of it.

That usually gets you two points.

Red Warrior​

Connor Zary played this game on the fourth line as he builds his game back up after missing 15 games… and he was excellent in limited action. When he was on the ice, the Flames got a ton of energy, and he scored twice.

Other Flames with multi-point games: Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar and Morgan Frost.

Turning point​

We’re just going to be lazy and say “the first period.” The Flames had played in a ton of tiring, close games over this trip, and getting as many goals as they did, as early as they did, was huge for them.

This and that​

The Flames are now 10-0-0 when scoring more than three goals in a game. They’re 19-23-9 when scoring three or fewer.

Up next​

The Flames (29-23-9) will close out their six game road trip on Thursday when they visit the Dallas Stars.

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-offence-soars-against-flyers

 

[Calgary Flames]

How could the Flames benefit from college free agency?

As a hockey fan there is always an urge to look forward to the next time of the year when there will be an opportunity to place your team under additional scrutiny and take on an extra bit of wishful thinking. Playoffs, trade deadline, the All-Star break, and for some… even the pre-season serves as a boost of intrigue.

Another underappreciated but never forgotten time of year is when the college season comes to an end and NHL clubs are able to have a miniature free agent frenzy. Calgary Flames fans will never forget the unadulterated thrill that was winning the Spencer Foo sweepstakes in 2017. It was unfortunate that that signing never did pan out but when a team takes a chance on a college player they aren’t worried about the bust when the boom is signing a Chris Tanev, Torey Krug or a Tyler Bozak to their team for essentially nothing.

Let’s take a look at five players who are making waves in the NCAA and what vacancies they could fill on the Flames.

Forwards​

Josh Nadeau (F, University of Maine)

Nadeau was an invitee to last year’s Montreal Canadiens development camp and is former BCHL teammate of Flames’ prospect Aydar Suniev. (His brother is Carolina prospect and 2023 first-round pick Bradley Nadeau.) Nadeau has burgeoning skill on a slight frame and the team that drafted Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Coronato would probably be a good place to learn how to be small but effective in the NHL.

Josh Eernisse (F, University of Michigan)

Michigan’s Eernisse is big, physical, and knows how to hustle. He attended Pittsburgh’s development camp last year and for a team that has coveted rough and tumble players like Martin Pospisil, Eernisse could be a fantastic depth addition and with a pedigree of toughness and commitment he could be giving shades of early Martin Pospisil who would drag his teammates into the fight on any given night.

Defence​

John Prokop (D, Union College)

Prokop is in the top ten of scoring for NCAA defensemen. He attended the 2024 Vegas Golden Knights’ development camp and was deemed notable by NHL.com who listed him as among the top undrafted defencemen in the NCAA. (He also attended Flames development camp in 2023.)

Isa Parekh (D, Bemidji State University)

As FlamesNation’s own Mike Gould wrote last week, Isa Parekh could be a fit for the Flames. He is the older brother of Flames’ prospect Zayne Parekh and could be a depth defenceman on the team that has always longed to bring brothers together.

Goalie​

Albin Boija (G, University of Maine)

The Flames have not been shy with grabbing goaltending talent from any place they can see it and the undrafted Boija is a Hobey Baker hopeful boasting a .931 SV% and a 1.66 GAA in 31 games this season.

As with any pick or prospect there is an element of luck and an enormous amount of patience needed when signing and conditioning them to be NHL ready. However, when the only real barrier to entry into the NCAA sweepstakes is pitching a player on a vision of what their life could look like on this particular team it isn’t a shock how intently teams focus on this unique crop of players.

This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary​

Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary’s best run adult recreational hockey league. Now is the time to get in for summer registration. Mention “Barn Burner” to get $100 off your team registration. 14 games plus for the summer in women’s, co-ed and men’s divisions. For more information, click here.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/how-could-calgary-flames-benefit-from-college-free-agency

 

[Calgary Flames]

What’s Going On In The Pacific Division: Buyers and sellers ahead of Friday’s trade deadline are becoming clearer

It’s the last What’s Going On In The Pacific Division before Friday’s trade deadline!

The Pacific Division is a dogfight. In first place are the Vegas Golden Knights, who have a 36-18-6 record with 78 points. Despite their struggles, the Edmonton Oilers sit in second place thanks to a 35-22-4 record with 74 points while the Los Angeles Kings have a 31-20-8 record with 70 points.

Maintaining the final Wild Card spot are the Calgary Flames, who have a 29-23-9 record with 67 points. The Vancouver Canucks aren’t far behind through, as they have a 27-22-11 record with 65 points and one-fewer game played. Moreover, the Anaheim Ducks have a 27-26-7 record with 61 points and have an outside chance of making the post-season.

On the other hand, the Seattle Kraken and their 26-32-7 record with 56 points are well out of the post-season race. So too are the San Jose Sharks, who have a 17-37-9 record with 43 points. Let’s take a look at the week that was in the Pacific Division.

Anaheim Ducks​

Are the Anaheim Ducks good again? On Thursday, they defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-2, followed by a 6-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. They got back in the win column with a 6-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Troy Terry has 17 goals and 45 points, leading the team in the latter category while Frank Vatrano’s 18 goals lead the team. His 36 points are tied with Ryan Strome, who has 10 goals and 36 points. Defenceman Jackson LaCombe has 11 goals and 33 points, while Mason McTavish has 16 goals and 33 points. In net, Lukáš Dostál has a .911 save percentage and 2.88 goals against average in 37 games. John Gibson also has a .911 save percentage with a 2.76 goals against average.

Not 1
Not 2
Not 3
Not 4
Not 5…#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/V5uJvh3HVy

— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 5, 2025

This coming week, the Ducks face the Canucks in Vancouver on the second-night of a back-to-back, before returning home to host the St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders, and Washington Capitals.

Calgary Flames​

It wasn’t a particularly good week for the Calgary Flames, as they fell 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers. They picked up a point in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, before defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri each have 22 goals and 46 points. Defenceman MacKenzie Weegar has seven goals and 36 points, while Matt Coronato has 16 goals and 32 points. Blake Coleman, Connor Zary, Yegor Sharangovich, and Mikael Backlund each have double-digit goals. In net, Dustin Wolf has a .913 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average, although Daniel Vladař has been playing better lately.

FLAMES GOAL

Connor Zary scores his 2nd goal of the game! That's three goals in 1:52 for Calgary!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/nl15tFGgNo

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 5, 2025

This coming week, they finish off their road trip against the Dallas Stars, before heading home to host the Montréal Canadiens. There’ll be a three-day break before their next game, an important one against the Vancouver Canucks next Wednesday

Edmonton Oilers​

The Edmonton Oilers are struggling. They are 3-7-0 over their last 10 games, including losing seven of their last eight games, yikes. This past week, they fell 4-3 to the Florida Panthers, got off the schneid with a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes before returning home and embarrassing themselves with a 6-2 loss against the Ducks.

Despite his team struggling, Leon Draisaitl has been dominant this season, leading the league with 45 goals and the team with 92 points. Connor McDavid has 23 goals and 77 points, while Zach Hyman is their other 20-goal score. Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jeff Skinner, and Corey Perry each have double-digit goals. Goaltending is an area of improvement the Oilers may look at this deadline, as starter Stuart Skinner has an .897 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average in 41 games played.

Connor McDavid handles the puck swiftly and makes it 6-2.

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/iIBK9rrfPt

— Oilersnation.com, Oily Since ‘07 (@OilersNation) March 5, 2025

This coming week, they’ll host the Montréal Canadiens and Dallas Stars, before heading back out on the road to play the Buffalo Sabres in a four-game Eastern Conference road trip. Expect them to be busy heading into Friday’s trade deadline.

Los Angeles Kings​

With games in hand on the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings blew a chance to catch up with them. They fell 3-2 in overtime to the Vancouver Canucks, were blown out 6-2 by the Dallas Stars, fell 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues and 5-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Adrian Kempe leads the team with 26 goals and in points with 50. Anže Kopitar isn’t far behind in the points total with 14 goals and 48 points while Kevin Fiala has 24 goals and 39 points. Quinton Byfield, Warren Foegele, Alex Laferriere, and Trevor Moore each have double-digit goals as well. Darcy Kuemper’s play has regressed in recent times, as his save percentage sits at .911 while his goals against average sits at 2.35. For context, he had a .918 save percentage and 2.18 goals against average last week.

GKG (Go Kopi Go) pic.twitter.com/gKlFLT2Zkj

— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 4, 2025

This coming week, the Kings host the Blues… twice, before a one-game road trip to face the Golden Knights. They’ll return to Los Angeles to face the New York Islanders in what will be an incredibly busy month of March.

San Jose Sharks​

The San Jose Sharks picked up quite a few points this past week, which is bad for the tank. They fell 4-3 in overtime to the Montréal Canadiens, and fell 5-3 to the Ottawa Senators, before winning back-to-back games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.

Leading the Sharks in points is William Eklund, who has 13 goals and 46 points. Macklin Celebrini isn’t far in the point category as he has 19 goals and 45 points while former Flame Tyler Toffoli has a team-leading 24 goals and 42 points. Fabian Zetterlund, Will Smith, and Luke Kunin (who was linked to the Flames recently) all have double-digit goals. Alexandar Georgiev is their only goalie currently on the roster as Vítek Vaněček was traded on Wednesday. The first Bulgarian-born NHL’er has an .882 save percentage and 3.68 goals against average in 18 games with the Sharks.

WHAT A SHIFT!
WHAT A SHOT!
WHAT A GOAL️#TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/AbgvTbcoio

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 5, 2025

This coming week, they’ll finish up their road trip with a game against the Colorado Avalanche before returning home to host the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators.

Seattle Kraken​

It wasn’t a busy week for the Seattle Kraken, as they played just two games, defeating the Vancouver Canucks 6-3 before falling to the Minnesota Wild 4-3. However, they made a sizable trade on Wednesday, trading Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand to the Tampa Bay Lightning for two first-round picks.

Jared McCann has 15 goals and 44 points, leading the team in the latter category. Jaden Schawartz’s 19 goals lead the team while Eeli Tolvanen isn’t too far behind with 18 goals. Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, Matty Beniers, Brandon Montour, and Vince Dunn each have double-digit goals. In net, Joey Daccord has a .912 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average in 42 games played.

BIG CAT UNLEASHED IN THE WILD pic.twitter.com/jMOavZqz1x

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) March 5, 2025

This coming week, the Kraken will hit the road to take on the Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Washington Capitals. They may make a handful of other moves before Friday’s trade deadline.

Vancouver Canucks​

It wasn’t a great week for the Vancouver Canucks, as they went 1-2-0. They defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in overtime, before falling 5-2 to the Anaheim Ducks and 6-3 to the Seattle Kraken. They are outside a post-season spot and could take numerous avenues before the Mar. 7 trade deadline.

Quinn Hughes is the biggest reason why the Canucks are close to a post-season spot as he has 14 goals and a team-leading 60 points. Leading the team in goals is Jake DeBrusk, who has 21 goals and 35 points. Brock Boeser has 18 goals and 36 points and Conor Garland has 16 goals and 37 points. Elias Pettersson, Pius Suter, and Kiefer Sherwood each have double-digit goals. In net, Kevin Lankinen has a .904 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average in 37 games.

CANUCKS GOAL

Pius Suter sets a new career high in goals with 16!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canucks #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/Hjwc4UCfrE

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) March 2, 2025

The Canucks have a busy week ahead of them, as they’ll host the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild on Friday, the Dallas Stars on Sunday, and the Montréal Canadiens on Tuesday.

Vegas Golden Knights​

The Vegas Golden Knights had a good week, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 7-5 and the New Jersey Devils 2-0. The latter is good for the Calgary Flames, as they have the Devils 2025 first-round pick.

Jack Eichel has 19 goals and 72 points, leading the team in the latter category. Pavel Dorofeyev’s 24 goals lead the team while Tomáš Hertl has 23 goals and 46 points. Other double-digit goal scorers are Mark Stone (16), Ivan Barbashev (18), Brett Howden (16), Keegan Kolesar (12), and Victor Olofsson (11). In net, Adin Hill has a. 906 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average in 36 games played.

You love 2 see it #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/j2Wvfg3MbM

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 3, 2025

It’s a busy week for the Golden Knights, as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings before starting an Eastern Conference road trip, with their first stop in Pittsburgh.

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

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/whats-...f-fridays-trade-deadline-are-becoming-clearer

 

[Calgary Flames]

NHL Notebook: Trades galore as NHL trade deadline looms!

There have been a whole lot of trades leading into Friday’s trade deadline. Let’s start with the most recent one.

On Thursday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks sent defenceman Carson Soucy to the New York Rangers in exchange for the San Jose Sharks third-round pick in the 2025 draft.

Trade details, per sources:

To #NYR:
D Carson Soucy

To #Canucks:
2025 SJS 3rd Round Pick

Soucy waived his no-trade clause to complete the trade. He has one year left on his deal at $3 million.@DarrenDreger first on the trade.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 6, 2025

This season, Soucy has three goals and 10 points in 59 games but is a -13, the worst mark of his career. In fact, it’s the only time barring the two games he played in 2017-18 that he’s been a minus player.

It doesn’t appear that the Canucks will retain any of his salary, as the right-shot defenceman has cap hit of $3 million until the end of the 2025-26 season. He also waived his no-trade clause to agree to this trade.

Other trades in the league​

Starting with a pair of trades on Wednesday, the Penguins traded Vincent Desharnais to the San Jose Sharks for a 2026 fifth-round pick on Wednesday. This is the second time Desharnais has been traded this season as he was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier this season.

The Penguins have acquired a 2028 fifth-round draft pick from the @SanJoseSharks in exchange for defenseman Vincent Desharnais. pic.twitter.com/HFiuC9s9ky

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2025

The Penguins made a second trade later that day, trading Michael Bunting and their fourth-round pick in the 2026 draft for Luke Schenn and Tommy Novak. Bunting and Novak each have term while Schenn could be flipped before the deadline.

The Penguins have acquired defenseman Luke Schenn and forward Tommy Novak from @PredsNHL in exchange for Michael Bunting and a 2026 fourth-round draft pick.

Details: https://t.co/lW7fiPpE9i pic.twitter.com/HQZ66s2Vxs

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 6, 2025

Fast forward to Thursday, and there were a handful more trades. First up, the Anaheim Ducks traded Brian Dumoulin to the New Jersey Devils for a 2025 second-round pick and Herman Traff. The pick could be the Edmonton Oilers or the Winnipeg Jets, depending on which one is better. This season, Dumoulin has two goals and 16 points in 61 games and won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Trade details, per sources:

To #njdevils:
D Brian Dumoulin

To #flytogether:
2025 2nd Round Pick
Herman Traff

Devils had three second-round picks in this Draft. Dumoulin helped #letsgopens win back-to-back Stanley Cups.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 6, 2025

Late Thursday morning, the Vegas Golden Knights brought back one of the original misfits, trading Brendan Brisson and San Jose’s third-round pick (yes, the same one involved in the Carson Soucy trade) to the Rangers in exchange for Reilly Smith. This season, Smith has 10 goals and 29 points in 58 games, winning the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2022-23.

Trade details, per sources:

To #VegasBorn:
Reilly Smith

To #NYR:
Brendan Brisson
2025 SJS 3rd Round Pick

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 6, 2025

The Florida Panthers remained busy on Thursday, making two small trades. They traded a 2026 fourth-round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Nico Sturm and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Later in the day, they swapped American Hockey League netminders with the Jets, trading Chris Driedger for Kaapo Kähkönen.

The #SJSharks have acquired a 2026 4th round selection from Florida in exchange for Nico Sturm and a 2027 7th rounder. @Shift4 | #TheFutureIsTeal

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 6, 2025

Speaking of the Sharks, it appears another trade is in the works. According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, right-shot centre Luke Kunin sitting out Thursday’s game due to roster management purposes. The Calgary Flames are one team interested in Kunin.

The #SJSharks are holding Luke Kunin out of tonight's game in Denver for roster management purposes.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 6, 2025

It’s going to be a fun trade deadline.

Utah goes on a signing spree​

One team that appears to not want to sell is the Utah Hockey Club. They re-signed several of their pending unrestricted free agents on Wednesday evening.

First up was Alex Kerfoot, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $3 million. This season, Kerfoot has seven goals and 16 points in 61 games and is coming off a season with 13 goals and a career-best 45 points.

Alex Kerfoot signs a one-year extension with Utah HC worth $3M.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 6, 2025

Shortly after, and I mean like less than 40 minutes, it was announced by TSN’s Chris Johnston that the Hockey Club also agreed to a one-year deal with defenceman Ian Cole worth $3 million. This season, Cole has a goal and 13 points in 61 games.

Ian Cole signs a one-year extension with Utah HC worth $3M.

The comes with $2.8M in base salary and games played bonuses worth another $200,000.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 6, 2025

Lastly, the Hockey Club agreed to a five-year deal worth $4.75 million annually with netminder Karel Vemejka. This season, the Czech netminder has a .910 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average in 38 games played. He was one of the best goalies seen as available on the trade market.

Utah has also re-signed goalie Karel Vemejlka to a five-year contract x $4.75M AAV per season

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 6, 2025

The Hockey Club is one of several teams pushing for a post-season spot that is currently occupied by the Calgary Flames. With a 27-25-9 record, their 63 points are just four behind the Flames, although they’d need to jump the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues as well.

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

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/nhl-notebook-trades-galore-as-nhl-trade-deadline-looms

 

[Calgary Flames]

The 2025 Flames NHL trade deadline primer: contracts, clauses and cap space

The National Hockey League’s 2024-25 trade deadline is today (Friday) at 1 p.m. MT. After that point, players added to a team’s reserve list are not eligible to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

As of this morning, the Calgary Flames are in a playoff spot, just barely, in the first year of their roster overhaul. Just like everyone predicted.

Here are the various constraints the Flames are working within heading into the deadline.

The standings​

The Flames have a record of 29-23-10 and 68 points, good for a .548 points percentage.

They’re eighth in points: one point ahead of Vancouver, who have a game in hand, for the final Western Conference wildcard spot. They’re ninth in points percentage, with Vancouver slightly ahead of them because of their game in hand.

Improbably, especially given the quantity and quality of players they’ve traded away over the past year, the Flames are very much in the hunt for a playoff berth.

Roster and contract limit​

As of midnight ET on Friday, the 23-man roster limit is lifted (but teams need to remain salary cap compliant). Teams are also constrained by the NHL’s rule regarding 50 active contracts.

Right now, the Flames are using 22 active roster spots:

• Goalies (2): Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar
• Defensemen (7): Rasmus Andersson, Kevin Bahl, Jake Bean, Joel Hanley, MacKenzie Weegar, Daniil Miromanov and Brayden Pachal
• Forwards (13): Jonathan Huberdeau, Mikael Backlund, Morgan Frost, Yegor Sharangovich, Blake Coleman, Kevin Rooney, Matt Coronato, Adam Klapka, Connor Zary, Ryan Lomberg, Martin Pospisil, Joel Farabee and Nazem Kadri

On the injury reserve list are Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland. Neither are expected back this season.

The Flames have 45 players under active contracts – this number doesn’t include Zayne Parekh, Andrew Basha, Matvei Gridin or Etienne Morin, whose deals don’t start until next season, but it does include Sam Honzek, whose deal could slide but since he’s in the AHL he could still play enough NHL games to trigger the first year. To be eligible to play in the NHL’s post-season, a player needs to be on the Flames’ reserve list – either under NHL contract, or the Flames have to own their NHL rights – as of the trade deadline.

No-trade and no-move clauses​

Three players have active no-move clauses: Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Mikael Backlund.

Four players have active no-trade clauses of various kinds:

• Blake Coleman can approve a trade to 10 teams (e.g., he can block a trade to the other 21 teams)
• Anthony Mantha has an 8 team no-trade list
• Rasmus Andersson has a 6 team no-trade list
• MacKenzie Weegar has a full no-trade

These players can be traded, but would have to agree (in writing) to waive their no-move or no-trade clauses for the trade to be processed by the league.

Waivers and the recall limit​

Three Flames on the active roster are waiver exempt right now and can be moved to and from the AHL as needed:

• Dustin Wolf
• Matt Coronato
• Adam Klapka

Wolf and Coronato have established themselves as everyday NHLers and we’re willing to bet that they’re not going to be sent to the AHL.

After the trade deadline, the Flames can only call up an AHL player four times under non-emergency conditions – “emergency conditions” means you don’t have enough healthy bodies to fill an NHL lineup (e.g., fewer than two goaltenders, six defenders or 12 forwards). If a player is brought up under emergency conditions and the team decides to keep them up after the emergency, that would use up a recall. Bringing up the same player four times under non-emergency conditions would wipe out all four recalls.

(Signing a college player and bringing them directly to the NHL would not burn a recall. However, bringing up a junior player that has an NHL contract – like Parekh, Basha, Gridin or Morin – after their junior season ends would count as a recall.)

The AHL roster​

For an NHL player to be eligible to be assigned to the AHL at any point before the end of the season, they have to be on an AHL team’s roster as of the trade deadline. As noted, Wolf, Coronato and Klapka are waiver exempt and eligible to be assigned to the Wranglers on Friday.

We suspect we’ll see Klapka assigned to the Wranglers before the trade deadline to keep him AHL eligible, and he’ll be called back up after the deadline to rejoin the Flames.

The salary cap​

The cap ceiling is $88 million. The Flames have $69.7 million of active cap commitments, between their active roster, injury reserve list and retaining salary on Jacob Markstrom. Between prior savings and current spending, the Flames have $18.09 million in cap space.

When you pro-rate the Flames’ cap space over the remainder of the season, they can add $82.7 million in full-season cap hits and remain compliant with the salary cap.

Pending free agents​

The Flames have 22 players on expiring contracts:

• Unrestricted free agents (11): Anthony Mantha, Kevin Rooney, Justin Kirkland, Martin Frk, Clark Bishop, Dryden Hunt, Joel Hanley, Tyson Barrie, Jarred Tinordi, Jonathan Aspirot (Group VI) and Dan Vladar
• Restricted free agents (11): Morgan Frost, Matt Coronato, Connor Zary, Adam Klapka, Sam Morton, Rory Kerins, Kevin Bahl, Jeremie Poirier, Yan Kuznetsov, Waltteri Ignatjew and Connor Murphy

Draft picks​

The Flames have picks in the next three drafts in the following rounds – we’ve made a few simplifying assumptions:

• 2025: 1st (own or FLA), 1st (NJ), 2nd (COL), 3rd (own), 5th (own), 6th (own), 7th (own)
• 2026: 1st (own), 1st (VGK), 2nd (own), 3rd (own), 3rd (VAN), 4th (own), 5th (own), 6th (own), 7th (own)
• 2027: 1st (own), 2nd (own), 3rd (own), 4th (own), 5th (own), 6th (own), 7th (own)

Suffice it to say: the Flames have many, many picks coming up over the next few drafts.



Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-20...adline-primer-contracts-clauses-and-cap-space

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames fans react to a quiet 2025 NHL trade deadline

The Calgary Flames made zero good trades prior to the 2025 NHL trade deadline. They also made zero bad trades prior to the deadline. Zero players, picks or prospects went out the door, and zero came back into the organization.

For the first time since 2012, the Flames made zero moves in the seven days prior to the trade deadline. Heck, the Flames’ last – and only – significant move was their trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that brought Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee into the fold in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, Jakob Pelletier, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick. That trade was completed at the end of January.

We canvassed Flames fans on social media regarding their reaction to the Flames standing pat. The reaction was definitively mixed.

Some fans were upset at the lack of moves​

Not good at all. Why is conroy happy to either miss the playoffs or sneak in and get beat out early? What’s his plan

— Aaron Thomson (@aaron_thomson90) March 7, 2025

Well they never weaponized cap space, they held on to expiring contracts and missed an opportunity to move some vets in a sellers market and freeing up what will be an ugly contract in later years. Not sure rewarding vets with a first round exit aligns with reloading young talent

— Barnyard Cards (@BarnyardsCards) March 7, 2025

Disappointed that the Flames didn't make any trades today. I was hoping for Dylan Cozens.

— Carly Culhane (@cculhane96) March 7, 2025

Not great. Even if 0 big moves were made like fans discussed (Kadri, Anderson, Coleman) some smaller trades to cash in on the sellers market would've been nice. It felt like 0 attempt was made. Only positive is they didn't buy

— John Zurkan (@JohnZurkan) March 7, 2025

Should have tried to capitalize on a sellers market by moving at least one veteran

— Justin (@HellaHotSauce) March 7, 2025

Some fans were happy that the Flames didn’t do much​

I’m good with the lack of moves. I would’ve been mad if they strayed from the big picture plan to spend assets on trying to make the playoffs this year.

— Ryan Tunall (@ryantunall) March 7, 2025

Not doing anything is always boring but I prefer that than doing something stupid with no real opportunities. I would still give a little time to see what Farabee really has and Frost will certainly give us good hockey ! But yeah we're forever mid

— Bravo Flames (@teapot_toff) March 7, 2025

I’m perfectly fine with this. Stay the course, push for a playoff spot. Gain some valuable experience. The boys should be fired up.

— (@ThatDad_B) March 7, 2025

stick with the plan!

— Andrew (@acadia19) March 7, 2025

Some fan reactions were decidedly in the middle​

As expected. The flames don’t have any ‘rental’ players to trade away. Kadri, Coleman, Raz and Backs all still have term.

— Metanoian (@Pangkiechoy) March 7, 2025

It was what I expected. They didn't overspend, but did the Flames try to move players like Hanley? Especially since a lot of the trades today were for depth players. So, is it trust in the players, or would any trades have added to the holes the roster already has?

— Scott Hofstetter (@scotthof) March 7, 2025

No veteran players picked up.
didn’t lose a first
got the draft to build for the future

Could of weaponized their cap space

— Ryan (@76swanson) March 7, 2025

At least they didn’t buy. I trust they’ll try and move some of the vets at the draft

— Jason Issler (@isslerj1) March 7, 2025

Totally fine. Craig did his lifting a couple weeks back.

— JJ Allen (@JJAllen91) March 7, 2025

Positives: didn’t step on any landmines, didn’t use major assets

Negatives: didn’t use cap space, didn’t sell the depth UFAs

That’s really all I got today.

— C of Red Central (@CofRedCentral) March 7, 2025

How do you feel about the Flames’ quiet deadline? Let us know in the comments!

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market​

A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.

Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh alberta lamb and milk fed veal.

Over 20 varieties of in store made salads, delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta’s Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-fans-react-to-a-quiet-2025-nhl-trade-deadline

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames general manager Craig Conroy reflects on a quiet 2025 NHL trade deadline

A year ago, the Calgary Flames were the proverbial main character of the trade market. Seemingly everything went through them, and general manager Craig Conroy was one of the busiest people in hockey for much of the season.

Flash forward to the 2025 trade deadline: in the first year of their rebuild, the Flames are competing for a playoff spot. And following on the heels of their late January swap with the Philadelphia Flyers that brought Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee into the fold, the Flames made precisely zero trades prior to the deadline.

“Everybody looking to do something or making a splash, but we kind of made our deal maybe a month ago,” said Conroy, on the phone from Dallas following the deadline. “And that was the thing, age-appropriate guys that fit into what we’re trying to do. And as much as I know you’re always trying to help your team and improve it, there was definitely, when you see what’s out there, what makes sense and what doesn’t. I mean, whether it was the prices and that, but it’s not so much the prices, it’s got to be the right fit. It’s got to make sense and it’s got to make us better now and in the long term.”

As the deadline hit, the Flames sat with a record of 29-23-10, with their 68 points putting them one point ahead of Vancouver for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Conroy praised the club’s young players for their growth – name-dropping Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato and Connor Zary – and also commended the club’s veteran leaders for setting the tone with their performances.

Between the team’s focus on their plan for progressive growth over several years and the possibility of a potential playoff appearance, Conroy was probably destined for a quiet Friday. While he was obviously aware of the price tags out there for teams selling off pieces, that wasn’t something he was overly interested in pursuing, nor were short-term rentals. Opportunities to put together a “hockey trade” or to serve as a third-party salary cap broker also didn’t materialize.

“If you’re just jetting guys out of here, that sends the wrong message to the team,” said Conroy. “I mean, the team’s done such an amazing job to put themselves in this situation, to just be selling and maybe not bringing back anything. Everybody loves draft picks and draft picks are great. But still, they’re not something that’s going to help you today, they’re going to help you in the future. So I think for us, the mindset was going in, hey, if we can help ourselves, if there’s a hockey trade, if there’s something that we can upgrade on, we’d definitely look at that. I mean, we would, but I don’t feel like we were just in the rental market this year to get older players that might only be here for a short amount of time. That didn’t make any sense.”

The lone move the Flames made on Friday was assigning forward Adam Klapka to the American League’s Calgary Wranglers, following on the heels of a similar move on Thursday involving defender Ilya Solovyov. The assignments keep the duo eligible to play in the AHL during the remainder of the season, but they might end up getting into AHL game action depending on whether they’re needed for the Flames’ game against Montreal on Saturday.

“We get the four recalls and we’re just going to see, again, if they’re not going to play maybe on Saturday, they get to play a couple of games down [against] Manitoba in Winnipeg,” said Conroy.

Klapka played just one game during the road trip (Mar. 2 in Carolina) while Solovyov was a spectator for the final three games of the road trip.

The Flames’ focus has been on preparing for the trade deadline, and now things will pivot towards other matters. But this was a much different type of deadline for the Flames than in recent years, with the quiet tone very much in keeping with the lack of noise around the club throughout this season.

With very little trade chatter around the Flames this season, the club’s players have been able to simply focus on playing hockey.

“Right from even the Stanley Cup playoffs, when I first took over the job, all the way through, we weren’t even in the playoffs, and it was about us every day,” said Conroy. “So, you know, I think to quiet that, to just have the team come together and have some success. I mean, I think that quiets everything, too.And I think for me personally, it’s the guys. The guys have quieted that down more than anybody.’

With 20 games to go, we’ll see if the Flames can return to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2022. The Flames continue their quest to lock down a playoff berth when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at the Saddledome.

This article is brought to you by Crystal Waters​

Crystal Waters is your Crystal Clear Choice for Home Comfort Solutions, including all plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment repairs, maintenance, and installation. Founded in 2001, and completing over 30,000 projects, our qualified professionals are the guardians of your home’s mechanical heart.

Call Crystal Waters Plumbing and Heating today at 403-219-4100 for a complete mechanical system audit, and learn how we can partner with you to ensure your home is optimized for safety, health, and comfort. Or check them out at www.crystalclearcalgary.com

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgar...er-craig-conroy-quiet-2025-nhl-trade-deadline

 

[Calgary Flames]

What did the Western Conference wild card contenders do at the NHL trade deadline?

It wasn’t just the Calgary Flames that stood pat at the 2025 trade deadline.

As it stands, six of the eight spots are all but guaranteed at this point – The Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Minnesota Wild. That leaves two spots up for grabs for five teams, one of them being the Calgary Flames.

The Flames made their only trade earlier this season on Jan. 30, trading Jakob Pelletier, Andrei Kuzmenko, the 2025 second-round pick, and the 2028 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost. With the cap space the team had, it seemed as if they could’ve taken on some salary or acquired a cheap rental, but no moves were made on Friday.

Kuzmenko was on the move again, as the Flyers sent him to the Los Angeles Kings. As of Saturday, the Kings have a 31-20-9 record with 71 points, five behind the Edmonton Oilers (with two fewer games played) and three points ahead of the Flames – also with two fewer games played.

The Vancouver Canucks didn’t do a whole lot at the deadline as most of their moves were made a month before it. Notably, they traded J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers for Filip Chytil and the Rangers’ 2025 first. They then flipped that to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor. Aside from that, their only move was trading defenceman Carson Soucy to the Rangers for the San Jose Sharks’ 2025 third-round pick.

It seemed as if the Canucks could’ve been sellers at the trade deadline as they had valuable soon-to-be unrestricted free agents in Brock Boeser and Pius Suter, while Elias Pettersson has been in trade rumours for a while, but they stood pat. Whether they figure it out before the end of the season is anyone’s best guess.

Then you get to the teams lower than the Flames in the standings. The only notable move this season for the 31-27-6 St. Louis Blues saw them acquire Cam Fowler for a 2027 second-round draft pick in mid-December. Like the Canucks, there were a few players they could’ve sold high on – namely Brayden Schenn and Jordan Binnington, but they stood pat. The Blues have 69 points in 64 games, tied with the Flames.

Before Friday’s trade deadline, the Utah Hockey Club made one trade, getting Shea Weber’s contract off the books with a pair of young players, and sending them to the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2026 fifth-round pick.

Although they weren’t active in the trade market, they did re-sign a handful of their players in March. Olli Määttä, Ian Cole, Alexander Kerfoot, and Karel Vejmelka all were soon-to-be free agents, but they were locked down for at least the next season. With a 28-25-10 record and 66 points, time will tell if the Hockey Club’s roster is strong enough to make the post-season.

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

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/western-conference-wildcard-contenders-nhl-trade-deadline

 

[Calgary Flames]

Beynod the Boxscore: Dustin Wolf continues to drag Calgary towards playoff spot with 1-0 shutout over Montreal

Dustin Wolf continues to drag the Calgary Flames’ lifeless offence along, shutting the door for a 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

CF% – 51.5%|| SCF% – 53.84%|| HDCF% – 44.52%|| xGF% – 42.2%

It’s a Team Game – The Flames must plan to really put the old phrase “defence wins championships” to the test with their lack of ability to score goals. Dustin Wolf has this team nowhere near where they truly belong in the standings and games like this become evidence of how true that is. He had some support to start the game – Calgary got out and had the better first period. Then came some decent back and forth in the second frame with Calgary getting out-pressured early and late. Joel Farabee tickling the twine late then allowed the Flames to go into their usual shell and as a result spent the majority of the entire third period in their own zone. That’s the same defence that got them destroyed by Dallas in the bubble – Wolf wasn’t there so that does become a major factor, but I personally do not believe that strategy gets them anywhere close to a Stanley Cup, ever. Simply having elite goaltending is not a viable long them winning strategy, but it got them this win and in their current playoff race that’s more than likely all they care about.

Corsi King – I will relay some positive performances here, but what good are shot attempts if you can not convert them into goals? Slow streaks are one thing, but this version of the Flames seems to be allergic to any type of goal. Getting all of your offence out in one game against Philadelphia and then failing to build on that going forward just comes across as a bit sad. Yegor Sharangovich (61.65%) led the Flames forwards with a fifteen to nine advantage. Joel Hanley (59.48%) led the rearguards with a nineteen to thirteen advantage. As you will see soon not many of them were dangerous.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – Kevin Bahl (62.71 SCF% || 57.89 HDCF%) and Rasmus Andersson (62.71 per cent || 57.89 per cent) edge out the other pairs to lead in the high danger category. Positive percentages in their stat lines indicate they did not get out chanced – Andersson without Bahl struggled mightily. He still is not playing up to the level the coach should hope to get out of him, but the return of his most frequent partner has him stabilizing his game a bit. Nazem Kadri (100 per cent || 100 per cent) and Jonathan Huberdeau (100 per cent || 100 per cent) did not see a 5v5 scoring chance against them, got three of their own, and both ended the night with zero points. Calgary got away with a one-goal win here and a one-goal overtime point in Carolina –I’d like to say they can’t keep getting away with this but… Dustin Wolf is as legitimate as legitimate gets.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – I’m genuinely curious if the Flames remembered that Kevin Rooney (4.86 per cent) is a problem most nights. He did get the least amount of 5v5 time in this one, but he’s an offensive black hole. If you had a top nine forward group getting you three to four goals a game you could get away with this, but as the roster is currently constructed the fourth line center needs to contribute too. I’ll be nice to Joel Farabee (35.54 per cent) because he scored, but I do think his line showed signs of struggle again. Mikael Backlund (37.79 per cent) has not been playing with that same offensive pop he used to have. Breaking up the wing and getting decent shot opportunities are not happening anywhere near the rate of the last four to five seasons. The third period strategy to play defence in your own end for 15 minutes doesn’t help with this issue either, but the decline has been more than just strategy based or situational.

Quite the sequence here for Kevin Rooney…

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/9nSTFawv72

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 9, 2025

Game Flow –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – The trophy engraver should start putting Dustin Wolf’s (1.82 GSAx at 5v5) name on the Calder. Rookie of the year is clearly the guy dragging the husk that is the current Flames offensive strategy and ability into the postseason. It does not matter which skater you pick out because everyone needs to pull their socks up. Coronato, Zary, Frost, Coleman, Backlund, Andersson, Weegar… the list goes on. At the end of the day the one person on this team you can rely on to show up for the game and perform at an elite level is Wolf. That almost sounds like he may be the most valuable player to his own team in the National Hockey League.

The Goals –

FLAMES GOAL

Joel Farabee scores in back to back games! It's 1-0 Calgary!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Flames pic.twitter.com/YVygnYTwOr

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 9, 2025

Flash’s 3 Stars –

1) Dustin Wolf

2) Joel Farabee

3) Dustin Wolf

(Stats compiled from Naturalstattrick.com // Game Score from Hockeystatcards.com // xG and Under Pressure charts from HockeyViz.com // Game Flow and Shot Heatmap from NaturalStatTrick.com)

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/beynod...s-playoff-spot-with-1-0-shutout-over-montreal

 

[Calgary Flames]

The Flames approached Saturday’s return home like a road game

On Saturday night, the Calgary Flames played their first home game in nearly two weeks as they hosted the Montreal Canadiens.

The annual visit to the Saddledome from the bleu, blanc et rouge can often feel like a road game for the Flames, as red Flames jerseys in the crowd are supplemented by a loud contingent of Habs fans that often take over the building with chants in favour of the visiting team. However, because of the Flames’ hellacious recent travel schedule and the timing of the game, the team changed up their routines and approached the outing like it was actually a road game.

To get nerdy for a moment – a hallmark here at FlamesNation – for a game with a typical 7 or 8 p.m. local start time, the Flames would skate at 10:30 a.m. (11:30 a.m. if they’re the road team) and then reconvene at the rink a couple hours before puck drop for final preparations. For back-to-back games, they typically don’t skate for the second game but would usually have some meetings.

But Saturday was the Flames’ seventh game in seven different cities over a span of 12 days. And the team opted to fly back from Dallas on Friday morning rather than the typical same-night travel, which maximized player rest but disrupted routines a bit. Because of the 5 p.m. MT local start on Saturday – a pretty infrequent occurrence – the team didn’t have a morning skate.

“They treated it like a road game, I think, with a lot of their preparation,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “Because, really, we haven’t had a chance to skate back at home yet, and we were gone for almost two weeks. So the altitude would have hit us, too, coming back today, as silly as that sounds. But I think our older players did a really good job of making sure they were prepared to play. And I think because everybody else saw how they came to the rink tonight, they kind of followed suit.”

Hockey players are creatures of habit, and a lengthy road trip followed by an early start time for the first home game likely threw the players out of their typical routines. However, the Flames ended up playing like they needed to in order to get a 1-0 victory over Montreal – tight-checking, low-scoring, and with big stops from Dustin Wolf.

The first game back after a long road trip can often be a “trap game,” with the home team looking a bit lost at times. The Flames showed a good deal of focus against Montreal and bucked that trend. With 19 games to go and the team firmly in the playoff race, they’ll need to maintain that focus over the remainder of their schedule.

The Flames return to action on Wednesday night when they collide with the Vancouver Canucks.

This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary​

Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary’s best run adult recreational hockey league. Now is the time to get in for summer registration. Mention “Barn Burner” to get $100 off your team registration. 14 games plus for the summer in women’s, co-ed and men’s divisions. For more information, click here.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/the-flames-approached-saturdays-return-home-like-a-road-game

 

[Calgary Flames]

Recap: Wranglers wrap season series against the Moose with a win

The Calgary Wranglers and Manitoba Moose wrapped up their weekend series and season series against each other on Sunday. These cross-divisional combatants saw quite a bit of each other this season, eight games to be exact. The Moose took Saturday’s game with a 6-5 win and the Wranglers came back to win Sunday’s game 3-2 to end things on a high note.

Lineup notes​

The Wranglers made a couple of changes for this game. Rory Kerins moved to the wing to promote Sam Morton to the top line after the recent success he’s been having. Martin Frk was scratched for this game and with no pre-game injury report for the team, it is unclear if this was a performance or injury scratch. Jonathan Aspirot switched positions to be a forward for this game on the third line and Artem Grushnikov returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game.

Wranglers lines​

Rory Kerins – Sam Morton – Dryden Hunt

William Stromgren – Clark Bishop – Adam Klapka

Lucas Ciona – David Silye – Jonathan Aspirot

Alex Gallant – Brett Davis – Parker Bell

Ilya Solovyov – Tyson Barrie

Yan Kuznetsov – Hunter Brzustewicz

Artem Grushnikov – Jeremie Poirier

Devin Cooley

Game at a glance​

The Wranglers went back to Devin Cooley for the start in this game and Chris Driedger made his debut for the Moose after being traded to the Jets organization late in the week. This game started with an early penalty call against the Wranglers when William Stromgren was called for cross checking. The penalty killing crew did their job and play continued for even strength hockey.

At 8:13, some tensions arose when Alex Gallant put up a late hit along the boards after an offside whistle. This caused a crowd and a few roughing calls out of it, but ultimately resulted in a Moose power play. Another successful penalty kill came and went then the back half of the period brought some scoring action into this competition.

It started with an opening goal from Fabian Wagner from the Moose at 15:12. The Moose were on a partial breakaway that resulted in a tic-tac-toe play that Wagner finished.

The Wranglers were able to answer back before the end of the period when Rory Kerins deflected a shot from Jeremie Poirier from the point. Dryden Hunt also picked up the secondary assist on this goal at 16:23. Sam Morton also deserves recognition for this goal as he single handedly skated the puck into the zone after the Moose turnover to make this opportunity happen.

Yup yup yup pic.twitter.com/9D7KZea7Kr

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 9, 2025

By the end of the first period, the Wranglers and Moose were tied 1-1 and shots were 8-7 for Calgary. The second period was a standout frame for the goaltenders, who were getting peppered on each end of the ice. Whistles were kept to a minimum until 7:59, when the Moose were called for a double minor for high sticking.

In the last minute of this double minor, the Wranglers scored a power play goal off the stick of Sam Morton at 11:10. They were trying to corral the puck and Jeremie Poirier went to the net with a toe drag move that Morton chipped in when the rebound popped out. Hunter Brzustewicz also earned an assist on this go-ahead goal.

The toe drag = FILTHY
The power play goal = FILTHY

All around pic.twitter.com/pJVtNykOTh

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 9, 2025

These Canadian competitors exchanged shots again for the remainder of the period and Calgary had a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Shots in the second period were 15-11 for the Wranglers.

The Wranglers were a bit penalty stricken in the third period starting with a hooking call against William Stromgren just 25 seconds into the frame. Next was a call against Alex Gallant for tripping at 8:19. This penalty actually ended up working in the Wranglers’ favour when Sam Morton sped his way into Manitoba’s zone again and set up Clark Bishop for the shorthanded one-timer at 9:32. Devin Cooley actually earned an assist on this goal too.

Been that Bish, will forever be that Bish pic.twitter.com/hGIqWXlGUY

— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) March 9, 2025

The Wranglers had a more comfortable two goal lead after this marker but again, had some minor penalty calls continuing to be whistled against them. Jeremie Poirier was called for a delay of game at 11:12 then Ilya Solovyov was called for cross-checking at 11:49, putting Manitoba on a five on three for 1:23.

The Moose didn’t let this additional opportunity pass them by and after the offensive zone faceoff win, Dylan Coghlan took a low wrist shot that beat Cooley at 11:52. This goal gave the home team some life and the last three and a half minutes were dominated by chances from the Moose. They pulled Driedger at 17:43 and Manitoba registered four shots while they had the extra skater. Driedger had to return to the net at 19:04 then skated off again with 10 seconds to go in regulation. The Wranglers held on for the win and beat the Moose 3-2.

All three stars in this game went to Wranglers with Sam Morton getting the first star, Jeremie Poirier getting the second and Clark Bishop getting the third. Devin Cooley picked up an assist and the win in this game for his first win between the pipes since Jan. 31.

Scoring stat summary​

Jeremie Poirier – 2A

Hunter Brzustewicz – 1A

Rory Kerins – 1G

Dryden Hunt – 1A

Clark Bishop – 1G

Sam Morton – 1G, 1A

Next up​

The Wranglers will have the upcoming weekdays away from game action this week and will be back to play the Abbotsford Canucks on Satuday and Sunday for a road series. Those games go at 8:00 p.m. MT on Saturday and 5:00 p.m. MT on Sunday.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/recap-wranglers-wrap-season-series-against-the-moose-with-a-win

 

[Calgary Flames]

A Flame from the Past: Tony Amonte

Do you remember Tony Amonte?

Every week, we’ll look at a forgotten Calgary Flames player in the weekly series “A Flame From the Past.” Of course, the player had to have played a significant number of games for the Flames – at least a full season. Each week, I’ll put every Flames season (since moving to Calgary) in the Wheel of Names. This week, it landed on the 2005-06 season, with the player we’ll look at in today’s article being Tony Amonte.

Born in Hingham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, Amonte played four seasons at Thayer Academy, scoring 30 goals and 68 points in 28 games in his draft season. The New York Rangers selected him 68th overall in the 1988 draft and he eventually honoured his commitment to Boston University, spending two seasons there. Overall, he scored 56 goals and 126 points in 79 games, including 31 goals and 68 points in 38 games in his final season.

Amonte joined the Rangers for their 1991 post-season run, picking up two assists in two games. The next season, Amonte became a regular and scored 35 goals and 69 points in 79 games along with three goals and nine points in 13 post-season games. In 1992-93, AMonte scored 33 goals and 76 points in 83 games. Through 72 games with the Rangers in 1993-94, Amonte scored 16 goals and 38 points.

On Mar. 21, 1994, the Rangers traded him and the rights to Matt Oates to the Chicago Blackhawks for Stephane Matteau and Brian Noonan. The Rangers went on to win the Stanley Cup later that spring.

Over his final seven games in 1993-94, Amonte scored a goal and four points as well as four goals and six points in six post-season games. Due to the 1994-95 lockout, Amonte headed overseas to play in Italy, playing 14 goals with 22 goals and 38 points in 14 games with HC Fassa Falcons.

When the National Hockey League resumed, Amonte scored 15 goals and 35 points in 48 games, along with three goals and six points in 16 post-season games. In his first full season with the Blackhawks, Amonte scored 31 goals and 63 points in 81 games. For the first time in his career, Amonte hit the 40+ goal mark, scoring 41 goals and 77 points in 81 games in 1996-97.

He followed up his then-career best season with 31 goals and 73 points in 1997-98, before scoring a career-best 44 goals with 75 points in 1998-99. Still with the Blackhawks at the turn of the millennium, Amonte scored 43 goals and a career-best 84 points in 82 games.

Amonte played two more seasons with the Blackhawks, scoring 62 goals and 130 points in 164 games. During the 2002 free agency, he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, scoring 13 goals and 36 points in 59 games. However, Amonte was traded for the second time in his career – this time to the Philadelphia Flyers. The Coyotes received Guillaume Lefebvre, a 2003 third-round pick, and a 2004 second-round pick. The second-round pick eventually ended up with the Rangers and they selected Brandon Dubinsky.

In 13 games with the Flyers in 2002-03, Amonte scored seven goals and 15 points, followed by a goal and seven points in 13 post-season games. In his only full season with the Flyers, he scored 20 goals and 53 points in 80 games. They went to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they fell in seven games to the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a whole, Amonte scored three goals and eight points in 18 games.

After the lockout cancelled the 2004-05 season, Amonte signed with the Flames in 2005-06. That season, he scored 14 goals and 42 points in 80 games, with two goals and three points in seven post-season games. His final NHL season was in 2006-07, scoring 10 goals and 30 points in 81 games, along with an assist in six post-season games.

Retiring in 2008, Amonte coached Thayer Academy from 2010-11 until 2021-22, stepping down and taking a scouting job with the Florida Panthers.

---

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

Presented by…​

This article is presented by Servus Credit Union. Start saving now to have your chance at winning $1 million with the Servus Big Share® Contest.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-flame-from-the-past-tony-amonte

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames prospect Hunter Laing named WHL’s Player of the Week

Folks, the Calgary Flames had a pretty productive 2024 NHL Draft.

First-round pick Zayne Parekh leads all Ontario Hockey League blueliners in points. Their other first-round pick, Matvei Gridin, is a strong contender to be named the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s top rookie. Fourth-round pick Trevor Hoskin could be named the Atlantic Hockey conference’s top rookie. Heck, sixth-round pick Eric Jamieson is captaining the Western Hockey League’s powerhouse Everett Silvertips to a very successful season.

While some of his fellow 2024 draftees have been strong all season, sixth-round pick Hunter Laing has experienced some ups and downs this season. This last week saw him recognized for his recent strong play, as Laing was named the WHL’s player of the week on Monday.

Hunter Laing is too hot to handle!

The @NHLFlames prospect and @BladesHockey forward has been named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week.

| https://t.co/qNn36q8Mxt pic.twitter.com/4TeTA5JpfQ

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) March 10, 2025

Over the weekend, Laing had a pair of two-goal games, registering four goals and an assist over two outings to help the Saskatoon Blades clinch a berth in the WHL’s post-season with a pair of wins over the Prince Albert Raiders. (Laing scored the game-winner in their first victory against Prince Albert.)

A product of scenic Kelowna, BC, Laing is a 6’6″, 209 pound right shot winger. He was selected by the Flames with their sixth-round pick at 170th overall. He began his WHL career with the Prince George Cougars, but he was swapped to Saskatoon on Jan. 8 along with Luke Dumas, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for Ben Riche. The 2005-born Riche has been pretty good for the Cougars, posting 10 goals and 18 points over 23 games.

But Laing’s held up his end of the bargain for the Blades, scoring 13 goals and 18 points over 21 games since arriving. Now, Laing had 22 points in 36 games for Prince George before the trade, so we understand the idea of the Cougars using him as part of the asset package to land Riche prior to the WHL’s trading freeze. But Laing has found another level to his offensive game since the trade, and considering he has another full year of WHL eligibility ahead of him, that can only mean great things for his development… and the on-ice success of the Blades moving forward.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary-flames-prospect-hunter-laing-whl-player-of-the-week

 

[Calgary Flames]

Throwback Tuesday: The six trades the Flames made on March 11 led to two Stanley Cup Finals

The 2024 trade deadline is in the rear view mirror.

Other than a move on Jan. 30, the Flames didn’t do anything on Mar. 7’s trade deadline. They weren’t the only ones though, as every team in the Wild Card race stood pat or made a minor move.

One of the teams the Flames are battling against is the Vancouver Canucks. On Wednesday, the two teams will play a crucial game against one another but so far this season on Throwback Tuesday, we’ve looked at their post-season battles as well as the two most recent trades between the two teams. Additionally, we looked at the Sven Bärtschi trade and how that turned into Rasmus Andersson three weeks ago. Safe to say there isn’t much more to write about the Canucks.

However, the trade deadline hasn’t always fallen as soon as it did this season. It wasn’t uncommon in years past for the deadline to be extended a few more weeks. Ironically, Mar. 11 served as the trade deadline in two important periods for the Flames, leading to moves that helped them make the Stanley Cup Finals.

In this edition of Throwback Tuesday, we’ll look at the 1986 trade deadline as well as the 2003 trade deadline!

1986 trade deadline​

At the 1986 trade deadline, the Flames made three moves. First up, they traded Rik Wilson to the Chicago Blackhawks for Tom McMurchy, a rather meaningless trade for either team. Wilson played two games with the Flames in 1985-86 and only played 14 more National Hockey League games. McMurchy never played for the Flames and only played nine more NHL games in his career.

Another move had a bit more impact, as the Flames traded their 1987 sixth-round pick to the New York Rangers for Nick Fotiu. Fotiu played nine games with the Flames after the trade, picking up an assist. The forward played 11 games in the post-season, where he had 34 penalty minutes and one assist in 11 games. His 1986-87 season was spent with the Flames, where he scored five goals and eight points with 145 penalty minutes in 42 games. Fotiu’s final season was in 1989-90.

The most impactful trade though saw the Flames trade Steve Konroyd and Rich Kromm to the New York Islanders for John Tonelli. In four of his first five seasons, Tonelli won the Stanley Cup with the Islanders and commonly scored 30+ goals, including 42 goals in his final full season with the Islanders. After the trade, Tonelli scored three goals and seven points in nine games, along with seven goals and 16 points in 22 post-season games.

Tonelli remained with the Flames in 1986-87 and 1987-88, scoring 37 goals and 109 points in 152 games. He signed with the Kings before the 1988-89 season, scoring back-to-back 31-goal seasons with 64+ points before his production dropped in the 1990-91 season. His final NHL season was spent with the Blackhawks and Québec Nordiques in 1991-92.

The Flames gave up a sizable haul for Tonelli. Konroyd was a defenceman they drafted in the second round of the 1980 draft and he had already scored a career-high seven goals and 27 points in 59 games before the trade. After the trade, Konroyd spent a few seasons with the Islanders, Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators, and even played a game with the Flames in 1994-95 to end his career.

Kromm was a promising youngster, scoring 20 goals and 52 points in 73 games the season before the trade. He had 12 goals and 29 points before the trade, and scored seven goals and 14 points in 14 games with the Islanders. In Kromm’s first full season with the Islanders, he scored 12 goals and 29 points but never reached those heights again.

Two pieces that the Flames acquired at the 1986 deadline were a part of the teams for the Stanley Cup Final run a few months later. Tonelli scored a career-high seven goals in the post-season while his 16 points were the fifth-most. Unfortunately, neither player was on the team when they won the Stanley Cup three seasons later.

2003 trade deadline​

Fast forward to the new millennium and the 2003 trade fell on Mar. 11. Like 17 years before, the Flames made three moves at the 2003 trade deadline. Let’s take a look at them.

The Calgary Flames really liked Dean McAmmond. They signed him to a multi-year deal before the 2001-02 season, where he scored 21 goals and 51 points in 73 games, both totals being a career-high. Just before the 2002-03 season, they traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for Stéphane Yelle and Chris Drury. The same season, they traded a 2003 fifth-round pick (Mark McCutcheon) to the Avalanche to reacquire him, but he was ineligible to play for the rest of the season.

Another trade saw the Flames trade Rob Niedermayer to the Anaheim Ducks for Mike Commodore and Jean-Francois Damphousse. Niedermayer was later joined by his much more successful brother, Scott, winning his only Stanley Cup with the Ducks in 2006-07 (it was Scott’s fourth). Damphousse never played a game with the Flames and only played six NHL games while Commodore played six games with the Flames in 2002-03.

Lastly, the Flames acquired Shean Donovan from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Micki Dupont and Mathias Johansson. After the trade, Donovan played 13 games with a goal and three points. Dupont only played five games several seasons after the trade while the 2002-03 season was the only NHL season Johansson played.

With a 29-36-4-13 record (13 ties), the Flames finished 12th in the Western Conference, missing the post-season by 18 points. So why do these three trades play an important role in the Flames’ history? Well, it was for the following season.

In 2003-04, McAmmond was eligible to play again, scoring 17 goals and 30 points in 64 games. Unfortunately, he missed the rest of the season as well as the post-season due to a back injury. Commodore only played 12 regular season games with the Flames in 2003-04, giving him 18 regular season games with the team. However, the defenceman played 20 post-season games with two assists and 19 penalty minutes.

Coming into the 2003-04 season, Donovan’s best season was in 2000-01 with the Atlanta Thrashers where he scored 12 goals and 23 points. He shattered his career-best season, scoring 18 goals and 42 points in 82 games. In the post-season, the forward scored five goals and 10 points in 24 games.

The three NHL players the Flames acquired at the 2003 deadline didn’t immediately help them but in the next season, they went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals with Commodore and Donovan playing important roles. What could’ve been if McAmmond wasn’t injured.

---

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

This article is presented by Bon Ton Meat Market​

A Tradition of quality products and personalized service for 104 years.

Proud to feature only the finest premium AAA Alberta Beef, Locally raised fresh pork, locally raised fresh free range chicken and turkey, fresh alberta lamb and milk fed veal.

Over 20 varieties of in store made salads, delicious desserts and of course our famous in store made meat pies. Proud to be Calgary, and Southern Alberta’s Consumers Choice Award Winner for best Meat and Deli for 24 consecutive years! Bon Ton Meat Market, 28 Crowfoot Circle NW.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/throwb...ade-on-march-11-led-to-two-stanley-cup-finals

 

[Calgary Flames]

Several Flames prospects could start playing pro in 2025-26

If you haven’t read this site often this season, here’s a minor spoiler: the Calgary Flames have a lot of prospects having strong seasons. So many, in fact, that one of the most common questions we’ve received from Flames fans throughout this season has been “Hey, who’s going pro next season?”

(We think Flames fans are excited to see how many of these promising youngsters could help out the big club over the next few seasons.)

Anyhow, here’s roughly who could be going pro next season.

Jaden Lipinski is a 2004-born player who’s finishing out his WHL eligibility as an overager with the Vancouver Giants. He hasn’t dominated as a 20-year-old with the Giants this season, but he’s been a really reliable player and with the Flames so lean at centre, he might get a contract. The Flames have until June 1 to sign him or they lose his NHL rights.

A pair of collegiate players are next up: 22-year-old goalie Arsenii Sergeev, who’s been white-hot for Penn State since January, and 20-year-old winger Aydar Suniev, who’s been consistently good and occasionally excellent for UMass offensively this season. Neither are players that need to be signed, but the Flames might prefer for Sergeev to not return for a senior year – he might be challenged and grow more as a pro.

The Flames have four 2005-born players that could go pro or could not. Etienne Morin and Andrew Basha are both under NHL deals for next season and are both probably destined for the Wranglers. Axel Hurtig and Luke Misa aren’t signed yet and could go back to junior as overagers.

Finally, Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin are both 2006-born players who are too young for the AHL, but they’re both unique cases. Parekh is an offensive powerhouse and while he’s subject to the CHL’s transfer agreement, we imagine he’ll be given every chance to make the NHL in 2025-26. Meanwhile Gridin falls into a wacky grey area in the CHL agreement: since he wasn’t drafted after playing in the CHL, but joined up afterwards, the agreement doesn’t apply to him and he’s actually eligible to play in the AHL next season. (We suspect he’ll get a long look at NHL camp to determine where best to place him for 2025-26.)

(Note from Ryan: After publishing this initially, we got some additional information on Gridin’s status so we’ve updated it from the original version.)

Now, let’s check in with the prospects this week!

Jonathan Aspirot – D/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

25; signed as a free agent; 6’0″, 200 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	50	5	18	23	11	14	6	56	18.33
2023-24 (AHL)	66	6	27	33	19	12	9	94	19.93

Aspirot had a goal this week.

Andrew Basha – LW/C, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL​

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

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	23	9	20	29	24	12	9	73	31.22
2023-24 (WHL)	63	30	55	85	69	52	41	189	33.41

Basha remains out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.

Jacob Battaglia – LW, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL​

18; Calgary’s second round pick (62nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 11th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	61	37	45	82	62	52	42	214	35.60
2023-24 (OHL)	67	31	34	65	54	39	34	168	25.70

Battaglia had two points this week.

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

21; 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	48	6	5	11	8	11	8	49	9.13
2023-24 (WHL)	59	33	31	64	50	35	31	231	26.86

Bell had no points this week.

Jake Boltmann – D, Northeastern University Huskies, NCAA/Hockey East​

23; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 188 pounds; shoots right

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	32	2	10	12	3	11	3	19	10.24
2023-24 (NCAA)	30	0	2	2	2	2	2	36	1.82

Boltmann had no points this week. Northeastern faces Merrimack College on Wednesday to kick off the Hockey East playoffs – it’s a one-game playoff in the opening round.

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 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	56	4	20	24	14	15	11	58	17.08
2023-24 (OHL)	67	13	79	92	46	65	34	140	36.37

Brzustewicz had two assists this week.

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	53	6	12	18	15	14	12	74	13.53
2023-24 (AHL)	55	4	2	6	5	6	5	67	4.35

Ciona had an assist this week.

Matvei Gridin – RW, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL​

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

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	52	32	39	71	52	37	29	214	31.80
2023-24 (USHL)	60	38	45	83	67	49	42	208	31.76

Gridin had five points this week. He’s 14th in the QMJHL in points and goals, and first in both categories among rookies.

Artem Grushnikov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

21; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas; 6’1″, 203 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 17th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	48	1	4	5	3	4	3	36	4.15
2023-24 (AHL)	63	1	5	6	5	6	5	65	3.80

Grushnikov was scratched once and had no points this week.

Sam Honzek – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

20; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 186 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 4th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	40	7	11	18	14	10	8	55	17.93
2023-24 (WHL)	33	10	21	31	22	16	11	86	23.26

Honzek remains out with an injury.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Niagara University Purple Eagles, NCAA/AHA​

20; 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	36	12	27	39	29	28	23	80	17.23
2023-24 (OJHL)	52	42	58	100	85	60	50	189	5.36

Hoskin and Niagara were eliminated from the Atlantic conference’s playoffs in three games against Army – including two overtime losses. Hoskin was named to the conference’s year-end second all-star team and their all-rookie team, too. His season is now complete.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL​

19; 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	49	5	10	15	11	13	9	61	7.58
2023-24 (J20)	27	3	8	11	7	11	7	54	15.10

Hurtig had a goal this week, as he’s now back from injury.

Eric Jamieson – D, Everett Silvertips, WHL​

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	62	14	21	35	25	26	18	165	13.98
2023-24 (WHL)	66	10	22	32	21	27	18	174	12.01

Jamieson had an assist this week.

Joni Jurmo – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL​

22; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’3″, 190 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0.00
ECHL season to date	12	2	8	10	7	6	4	17	19.13
2023-24 (Liiga)	46	1	4	5	3	4	3	63	4.03

Jurmo didn’t dress for the Wranglers this week.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 175 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	48	26	20	46	40	33	30	111	38.19
2023-24 (AHL)	54	16	16	32	27	22	18	115	23.62

Kerins had two points this week.

Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

24; Free agent signing; 6’8″, 235 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 15th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	33	14	12	26	21	16	14	101	31.40
2023-24 (AHL)	65	21	24	45	34	31	22	182	27.59

Klapka returned to the AHL from the Flames and had a goal this week.

Demetrios Koumontzis – LW/D, Idaho Steelheads, ECHL​

24; Calgary’s fourth round pick (108th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 183 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	26	4	5	9	5	7	5	43	7.95
2023-24 (ECHL)	47	9	10	19	11	14	10	84	9.28

Koumontzis had three points this week.

Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 209 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 20th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	57	4	13	17	11	15	10	72	11.89
2023-24 (AHL)	63	5	8	13	9	12	8	88	8.22

Kuznetsov had a goal this week.

Hunter Laing – C/RW, Prince George Cougars/Saskatoon Blades, WHL​

18; 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	58	23	19	42	35	32	27	139	17.93
2023-24 (WHL)	66	11	14	25	18	20	14	101	9.38

Laing had seven points this week and was named the WHL’s player of the week.

Jaden Lipinski – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Vancouver Giants, WHL​

20; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 204 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 16th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
WHL season to date	54	15	38	53	42	29	26	124	24.31
AHL season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2023-24 (WHL)	67	24	42	66	47	33	23	181	24.39

Lipinski had three points this week.

Cade Littler – C/RW/LW, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA/NCHC​

20; 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	30	4	2	6	5	6	5	24	7.20
2023-24 (BCHL)	24	9	12	21	17	9	6	–	5.51

Littler was scratched for both of North Dakota’s games this week. They’ll face Omaha in the NCHC conference playoffs this coming weekend.

Henry Mews – D, Ottawa 67’s/Sudbury Wolves, OHL​

18; Calgary’s third round pick (74th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 181 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 9th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	63	14	66	80	50	40	27	219	33.63
2023-24 (OHL)	65	15	46	61	38	35	24	153	24.86

Mews had five points this week, including four assists in Tuesday’s game against Brampton.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Brampton Steelheads, OHL​

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

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	62	34	46	80	57	59	43	193	34.18
2023-24 (OHL)	66	26	55	81	56	58	39	210	32.51

Misa had two goals this week, both in Tuesday’s game against Sudbury.

Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL​

19; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 180 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 10th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	57	13	38	51	26	34	21	207	20.84
2023-24 (QMJHL)	58	12	37	49	32	21	13	191	19.67

Morin had a goal this week.

Sam Morton – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

25; Free agent signing; 6’0″, 185 pounds; shoots left

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	56	15	20	35	27	15	11	118	24.91
2023-24 (NCAA)	37	24	10	34	32	20	19	151	24.00

Morton had three points this week.

Zayne Parekh – D, Saginaw Spirit, OHL​

18; Calgary’s first round pick (9th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 179 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 1st-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	58	32	69	101	67	51	39	234	46.12
2023-24 (OHL)	66	33	63	96	66	54	39	224	38.53

Parekh had five points this week, pushing across the 100 point barrier for this first time in his junior career. (And the first time for any OHLer since Tyler Ennis in 2010-11.)

Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

22; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 7th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	56	4	29	33	19	21	12	109	23.48
2023-24 (AHL)	23	3	10	13	5	5	2	44	22.53

Poirier continues a strong offensive run, posting four assists.

Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

24; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 208 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 14th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	45	6	16	22	10	17	8	60	19.48
2023-24 (AHL)	51	5	10	15	10	14	10	88	11.72

Back from the NHL, Solovyov had an assist this week.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

21; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 8th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	55	12	28	40	30	23	19	86	28.98
2023-24 (AHL)	68	7	20	27	23	18	15	74	15.82

Strömgren had an assist this week.

Aydar Suniev – LW/C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA/Hockey East​

20; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 12th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	31	17	18	35	28	18	14	113	36.38
2023-24 (NCAA)	35	12	13	25	19	16	12	100	23.02

Suniev had two assists this week. UMass faces Vermont on Wednesday in a one-game playoff to kick off Hockey East’s conference playoffs.

Daniil Chechelev – G, Yunison-Moskva, VHL​

23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 187 pounds

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	11	399	.888
2023-24 (VHL)	5	271	.908

Chechelev backstopped Yunison-Moskva to a win over Almetyevsk last week.

Waltteri Ignatjew – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL​

25; Signed as a free agent; 6’3″, 200 pounds

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	19	1024	.888
2023-24 (SWE-1)	45	2614	.918

Ignatjew dressed as backup twice but didn’t get any game time in.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA/Big 10​

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

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	29	1711	.915
2023-24 (NCAA)	16	934	.913

Sergeev backstopped Penn State to a pair of wins over Michigan in the opening round of Big 10’s playoffs. They’ll face Ohio State on Saturday.

Yegor Yegorov – G, HC Tambov, VHL / MHC Tambov, NMHL / MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva, MHL​

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

GP	TOI	SV%
VHL season to date	4	160	.870
NMHL season to date	8	449	.891
MHL season to date	19	1022	.908
2023-24 (MHL)	25	1319	.917

Yegorov was pulled after allowing three goals in a 3-2 loss to SKA-1946 last week.

Kirill Zarubin – G, AKM Tula, MHL​

19; Calgary’s third round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 178 pounds; FN’s 19th-ranked prospect 2024

GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	19	1036	.935
2023-24 (MHL)	45	2473	.927

Zarubin made 39 saves in a 2-1 win over AKM-Junior this week.

This article is brought to you by Crystal Waters​

Crystal Waters is your Crystal Clear Choice for Home Comfort Solutions, including all plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment repairs, maintenance, and installation. Founded in 2001, and completing over 30,000 projects, our qualified professionals are the guardians of your home’s mechanical heart.

Call Crystal Waters Plumbing and Heating today at 403-219-4100 for a complete mechanical system audit, and learn how we can partner with you to ensure your home is optimized for safety, health, and comfort. Or check them out at www.crystalclearcalgary.com

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/several-flames-prospects-could-start-playing-pro-in-2025-26

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames captain Mikael Backlund leaves Wednesday’s game vs. Vancouver with upper body injury

The Calgary Flames clashed with the Vancouver Canucks at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday evening. However, they played much of the game without one of their most important players.

Flames captain Mikael Backlund left the game midway through the first period. As the second period began, the club announced that Backlund would miss the remainder of the game due to an upper body injury.

.@MFradiology Injury Update: Mikael Backlund (upper body) will not return. pic.twitter.com/Jhz3Ekb5KR

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 13, 2025

Backlund took five shifts in the first period and played a total of 2:58 during them, with his final shift ending with 7:57 remaining in the first period. There were no entries on the league’s play-by-play log involving Backlund that seemed to indicate any injuries – he wasn’t credited with throwing or receiving any hits – and there weren’t any obvious moments in the game that seemed to lead to his departure.

With Backlund out of the game, Connor Zary was moved from the right side of the fourth line to Backlund’s spot on the second line between Joel Farabee and Blake Coleman.

The 35-year-old Backlund is in his second season as the club’s captain. Wednesday’s game was his 1,054th regular season game with the Flames. Only Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla – the Flames all-time leading scorer and current special advisor to general manager Craig Conroy – has logged more games than Backlund in a Flames jersey.

The Flames conclude their homestand on Friday night against the Colorado Avalanche. We shall see if Backlund is available to play against Colorado. The Flames are carrying one extra forward, winger Adam Klapka, but Zary, Yegor Sharangovich and Martin Pospisil have all played centre at times during the season. If they wish to keep that trio on the wings, they would need to call up another forward from the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers – the Wranglers’ centres on NHL deals are Rory Kerins, Clark Bishop and Sam Morton.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...days-game-vs-vancouver-with-upper-body-injury

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames lose important point with flat third period against Vancouver

The Calgary Flames have been one of the National Hockey League’s better teams at closing out games in the third period. Maybe it’s because they play such a defensive-oriented, tight-checking style of game, but they entered Wednesday night’s clash with the Vancouver Canucks with a 20-1-3 record when leading after two periods.

On Wednesday night, their sterling record received a slight blemish in the form of a shootout loss against Vancouver, as the Flames let the Canucks back into the game in the final 20 minutes of regulation.

“Anytime you have the lead you want to close it out and get those two points,” said forward Nazem Kadri following the game. “But this is the modern day NHL. No lead is really safe. I think every team is capable of a comeback. So it’s unfortunate to let it slide but we’ll take the point.”

During his post-game press conference, Flames head coach Ryan Huska pointed out that the Flames’s outing greatly resembled how they performed in Saturday night’s 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

“I thought the first two periods were much like we played against Montreal, very similar,” said Huska. “And I thought the third period was similar as well, so we got away from the game in the third period again.”

Huska was asked about what was missing from the Flames’ game in the third period against Vancouver.

“Everything in the third period, last two games, is like one guy’s kind of going and nobody’s going with him, so it’s all about giving the puck to them and having no support around in your attempt to get it back,” said Huska. “So when we put pucks in in the third period in the last couple of days, we’re not stalling them, not impeding their progress back up the ice, and to me it’s because it’s one guy only. So there’s no waves coming at teams, so I just feel like we quit skating and we weren’t as connected in the third period as we need to be.”

Over the first two periods against Montreal, the Flames out-shot their opponents 19-16, out-chanced them 13-7 at five-on-five and had a 5-3 edge in five-on-five high-danger chances. Montreal held serve in the third period 10-5 in shots, 7-4 in scoring chances and 4-1 in high-danger chances. The Flames entered the third period with a 1-0 lead, and Dustin Wolf managed to stand on his head to preserve the victory.

(Scoring chance data via Natural Stat Trick.)

Over the first two periods against Vancouver, the Flames out-shot their opponents 19-12, out-chanced them 12-8 at five-on-five and had an 8-2 edge in five-on-five high-danger chances. Vancouver dominated the third period, leading 17-4 in shots, 9-1 in scoring chances and 8-1 in high-danger chances. The Flames entered the third period with a 3-2 lead… and a rebound from an initial Wolf save ended up going right to Elias Pettersson – wide open, away from any defenders – for the game-tying goal.

Elias Pettersson ties the game. pic.twitter.com/oMafCfSHI1

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) March 13, 2025

“Just unfolded in the third period, I thought,” said Flames blueliner MacKenzie Weegar. “First few periods were solid. We were physical in their face. Both teams were working hard and thought we were the better team in the first two periods. And then, for whatever reason, I thought in the third period we kind of laid off the gas a bit, gave them a little bit more puck possession, weren’t killing plays as quick in the D zone. And, I mean, ultimately, you know, when a team’s pushing like that, they’re going to find their opportunity. So I thought it was the third period that we kind of slipped away from us a bit.”

Following Wednesday’s result, the Flames and Canucks are tied in the standings with 71 points apiece – the Flames remained in the final wildcard spot by virtue of playing fewer games, so they had a points percentage edge. But looking at the remaining schedule for the Flames and Canucks – and the St. Louis Blues and Utah Hockey Club, sitting two behind them at 69 points – the difference between making the playoffs and not is going to be razor thin. A single point could decide who’s playing past Game 82 – and it could even end up being decided by standings tiebreakers.

Suffice it to say, the Flames’ margin for error is razor thin. On Saturday, the bounces went their way and Wolf was able to preserve the victory. On Wednesday, they weren’t quite so lucky. But they were only in that position because of a pair of third period slumps, where the team’s attentiveness to their game’s details diminished.

Considering how little wiggle room they have in the standings, and how crucial every point earned and lost will be in the final accounting for a playoff berth, the Flames desperately need to rediscover their past 60 minute performances. Otherwise, they won’t like where they end up in the standings when all is said and done.

The Flames return to action on Friday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche.

This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary​

Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary’s best run adult recreational hockey league. Now is the time to get in for summer registration. Mention “Barn Burner” to get $100 off your team registration. 14 games plus for the summer in women’s, co-ed and men’s divisions. For more information, click here.

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary-flames-point-slip-away-against-vancouver-canucks

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames forward Connor Zary suspended two games for elbow on Canucks’ Elias Pettersson

The Calgary Flames are in the midst of a battle for a playoff berth, but they’ll be a bit shorthanded for the next couple of games. On Thursday afternoon, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced that Flames forward Connor Zary has been suspended two games for an elbow delivered to Vancouver Canucks defenceman Elias Pettersson in the first period of Wednesday night’s game.

Per the league’s ruling, Zary will be unavailable for the Flames’ game on Friday at home against the Colorado Avalanche and their game on Monday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. He’ll be eligible to return to action on Tuesday in New York against the Rangers.

The incident took place at the 11:19 mark of the first period, after Pettersson dropped Nazem Kadri with a clean, legal check at the Canucks blueline on an attempted zone entry. Zary went right after Pettersson and delivered what Player Safety’s video described as a “late, high, retaliatory hit.”

Here’s the crux of Player Safety’s argument for a suspension:

“It is important to note that this is not a case where a player’s sudden movements cause a hitter to reflexively extend an elbow in a way that turns a legal hit into an illegal one. On this play, Zary sees a teammate take a hard but legal check, and responds intentionally in retribution in delivering a hit with his extended elbow that makes significant head contact and is delivered with requisite force for supplemental discipline.”

A few times this season, younger Flames players have stuck up for their veteran teammates – in January alone, Adam Klapka went after Washington’s Tom Wilson after a hit on Mikael Backlund and Matt Coronato fought Nashville’s Jonathan Marchessault after he crunched Backlund. But the NHL has made a pretty clear distinction between sticking up for teammates and retaliatory plays that cross the line, and they’ve put Zary’s conduct in the latter category.

The Flames may also be without Backlund for Friday’s game with Colorado, as Backlund left Wednesday’s game with an upper body injury.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/calgary-flames-forward-connor-zary-suspended-two-games