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[Calgary Flames]

Flames forward Adam Klapka to represent Czechia at IIHF World Championship

As has become tradition lately, Tuesday brought some news regarding Calgary Flames players headed to the IIHF World Championship tournament. Per the Flames’ social media, forward Adam Klapka will represent Czechia at the Worlds.

Originally signed by the Flames as an undrafted free agent out of Europe during the 2022 off-season, Klapka’s been a great success story from a scouting and development perspective. Listed at 6’8″ and 235 pounds – he’s a big dude – Klapka’s progressed really nicely. He spent 2022-23 in the AHL, but managed to earn six NHL games the following season (and scored his first NHL goal).

This past season saw Klapka split his time pretty evenly between the NHL and AHL. He actually made the Flames out of training camp as an injury replacement, but he played well enough – both in his NHL looks and when back with the Wranglers – that he kept getting called back up. Near the end of the season he seemed to earn head coach Ryan Huska’s trust and was used on the Flames’ top line, performing quite well down the stretch.

Overall Klapka had six goals and 10 points over 31 NHL games and 14 goals and 26 points over 33 AHL regular season games. (He had zero points in one AHL playoff game.)

This will be the 24-year-old Klapka’s first opportunity to play with the senior men’s national team, and his first time representing his country at a major competition since the 2019 World Junior A Challenge – Czechia finished fourth in that event. Considering the 2026 Olympics are just around the corner and there are few players that boast Klapka’s physical gifts, this could be a big opportunity for the big man to carve out a spot for himself on the Czech national team’s entry at those Olympics.

The 2025 IIHF World Championship runs May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark. In addition to Klapka, the Flames are expected to be represented by head coach Ryan Huska (Canada), MacKenzie Weegar (Canada), Zayne Parekh (Canada), Sam Honzek (Slovakia), Dan Vladar (Czechia), Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund (Canada).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...-represent-czechia-at-iihf-world-championship

 

[Calgary Flames]

Should the Calgary Flames sign Sam Bennett this summer?

It’s probably way too early to be having these kinds of off-season discussions. But the idea of Sam Bennett signing with the Calgary Flames has been a dominant topic of conversation on social media.

This all started when Sportsnet’s Pat Steinberg mentioned that the Flames will have interest in signing Bennett this summer if he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Pat Steinberg has connected the #Flames to Sam Bennett for months now

Do you think the Flames should sign Bennett to a long term contract if he becomes a free agent?

He will turn 29 years old in June and my guess is that he will likely sign a 7 year deal with an AAV around $7M+ pic.twitter.com/YeNl8ouztu

— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) April 25, 2025

Let’s break down the pros and cons of signing the former Flame and I’ll give my opinion at the end of the article.

Pros​

He’s a unicorn​

Sam Bennett has turned into a key contributor for the Florida Panthers since being traded there in 2021. He has gone from being a player with an undefined role in Calgary, to second line centre on a Stanley Cup champion.

Bennett is a unicorn in today’s NHL. He has a combination of skill and physicality that only a handful of players possess across the league. It’s why he is going to be such a hot commodity this summer if he becomes a free agent.

Bennett has the ability to score a goal, rock an opponent with a huge hit, and drop the gloves to help turn the momentum of a game in favour of his team. That skill-set is something the Flames are missing from their lineup. Martin Pospisil provides physicality, but he doesn’t have the same finishing ability as Bennett. Nazem Kadri can score and play with snarl, but he doesn’t have the physicality that Bennett brings to the table.

The physicality is a huge part of what Bennett brings to the table. But he has also become a key offensive contributor in Florida.

Bennett may have not put up impressive numbers when he was in Calgary, mainly because he was never given a consistent opportunity to succeed or a defined role. But he flourished offensively as soon as he arrived in Florida.

Lack of centre depth​

If there is one area of need the Flames need to address over the next few years it’s centre depth.

As of Apr. 29, the Flames have a soon to be 35-year-old Nazem Kadri, a 36-year-old Mikael Backlund, and two young, unproven centres in Morgan Frost and Connor Zary.

There are a lot of question marks when it comes to that group of players.

Will the Flames keep Nazem Kadri for the remaining four years of his contract that pays him $7 million per year?

How long will Mikael Backlund remain with the Flames? He has one year left on his contract and might want to explore another opportunity to win a Stanley Cup.

Morgan Frost is a restricted free agent and has been a inconsistent player throughout his career.

Is Connor Zary going to be a centre long term?

On top of all that the Flames don’t have any prospects in their system that project to be a top six centre.

When you take all that into consideration, it makes sense why the Flames would potentially target a guy like Bennett this summer.

Playoff performer​

There is an old saying around the NHL. There are players who can get you to the playoffs. And there are players that can help you win in the playoffs.

Sam Bennett is in the latter group. He is a guy who elevates his game when things get more difficult. There aren’t a ton of players around the NHL that you can say that about.

We saw it first hand in Calgary. In 30 playoff games with the Flames, Bennett put up 11 goals, 8 assists, and 19 points. That’s a 30 goal, 52 point pace over 82 games. Both numbers were well above his career average in the regular season in Calgary.

Bennett carried on those playoff performances to Florida where he’s been able to put up 33 points in his last 43 playoff games.

And don’t forget about his work at the 4 Nations Face-Off where he become an integral part of Team Canada’s victory. He scored a massive goal in the gold medal game, fought Brady Tkachuk, and was a physical force in the three games he played in.

CANADA GOAL

MITCH MARNER MAKES AN INCREDIBLE PASS TO FIND SAM BENNETT AND HE BURIES IT!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/MDCwgIglUJ

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Simply put, Bennett is a big game player.

Cons​

Business​

A lot of the downside of signing a guy like Sam Bennett comes down to the business side of the game.

Bennett is going to sign a massive contract this summer because of all the things I mentioned in the first part of the article. The guy is a unicorn and those types of players do not hit the free agent market very often. On top of that, the salary cap is increasing significantly over the next few years. There is going to be a bidding war for this player.

That is going to drive the cost up substantially for the team that ends up signing the soon to be 29 year old. My guess is that it’s going to take a 7 year, $7+ million AAV to get a deal done.

Is that the type of contract the Flames should be giving to a 29-year-old when they are in the beginning stages of a re-tool?

Will his body hold up?​

Is Bennett going to be the type of player who ages gracefully like a Nazem Kadri?

Bennett plays a physical, intense, in your face style of game. He is the type of player who puts his body on the line every night when he throws his massive hits or gets in fights.

He has a tendency to miss time with injury. He’s only played in 80 or more games two times in his career, and those were both with the Flames in 2016-17 and 2017-18.

When you’re giving out a $50+ million contract to a 29-year-old, you have to be certain that they are going to play at a high level throughout the duration of the deal.

Winning cycle​

The Calgary Flames are in the beginning stages of a youth movement. They are in the process of acquiring young talent through the draft that will hopefully become difference makers for the organization within the next 3-6 years.

Is now the time for the Flames to be signing 29-year-olds to seven year contracts?

I would argue the Flames are still a long way from becoming a true cup contender in the NHL. I am talking about becoming the type of team like a Vegas, Florida, Dallas, Colorado or Tampa Bay. By the time the Flames hopefully get to that level, Bennett will be well into his 30s.

Signing a guy like Bennett feels like it would be a smart move to make 3-4 years from now. That way you can truly take advantage of the prime years of his career.

My two cents​

The decision to sign Sam Bennett comes down to what Craig Conroy’s future centre plans are.

Does he see Zary and Frost as two centre’s the Flames can build around long term? If so, then signing Bennett won’t make sense.

Does Conroy want to keep both Backlund and Kadri around beyond the 2025-26 season? If so, then signing Bennett won’t make sense.

There are a few things that could happen where it would make sense for the Flames to sign Bennett.

1. Trade one or multiple of Kadri, Backlund, Frost, or Zary.
2. Move Zary to the wing for good.
3. Don’t re-sign Backlund after next season

If one or two of those things happen, signing Bennett makes nothing but sense. If they keep that logjam down the middle for years to come, then I just don’t see where Bennett fits in with this roster.

Do you think the Flames should sign Sam Bennett this summer? Let us know in the comments section!

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/should-the-calgary-flames-sign-sam-bennett-this-summer

 

[Calgary Flames]

Wranglers reflect on season of adversity in season-ending exit meetings

The Calgary Wranglers ended their season on Apr. 26 in a shutout loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The way their division was structured in the AHL, their first round of playoffs consisted of a best of three series. They lost in triple overtime in game one then 2-0 in game two and this put the bow on their roller coaster of a season.

The team came together for exit meetings on Apr. 29 and took some time to reflect with the media. The general theme of the group was what Trent Cull reiterated after their final game: adversity. This team faced a wide range of changes this year. Some expected with the position they are in the AHL such as call-ups, and waiver claims but some not as expected like injuries, trades and coaching changes.

Captain Clark Bishop built off of that point, saying:

“I think it was mentioned a lot in the last couple of days about the adversity we faced. It’s never easy going through that as a team and individuals, but we overcome it, and we got to the playoffs, and unfortunately, we just came up a bit short.”

When they talked about the playoffs, it didn’t matter whether the players were newcomers or veterans; the general hatred towards the Firebirds stayed consistent. Even so, the triple overtime game to start their playoff series stuck out to them as a cool game to be a part of despite the end result. The players talked about scarfing pizza down between periods, chugging Gatorades and relying on a lot of salt to stay sharp. Their legs were burning and the arena was quite hot despite the dwindling crowd as time went on.

Yan Kuznetsov put it best when he talked about this rivalry saying:

“They’re our main rivals for the division and if you want to win something in this league, we’re probably going to have to go through them.”

Individually, there were many players that were quite happy with their season as they had career years, while others knew very specific areas of their game they would like to work on. William Stromgren was second on the team in assists, but upon reflection said:

“Been lots of ups and downs. Points are just points. You want to make it to the NHL, my consistency level has got to be better. My highs are good but my lows need to be better.”

As some of these players continue to work towards their ultimate goals of being everyday NHLers or just making it for their debut, they also have similar plans for their summers. They want to get faster, stronger, bigger and more consistent overall. Like good professionals, they also want to polish their strengths and make their weaknesses less harmful at the level they are playing at.

For most of these guys, that starts with taking their minds off hockey for the next few weeks and letting their bodies fully heal from the last eight months they just played. Many of the guys saw what someone like Rory Kerins was able to achieve in a summer and in combination with the former AHL guys up with the Flames, this brings a lot of motivation for the upcoming months.

Final regular season stat leaders​

Top five scorers​

Rory Kerins – 63GP, 22G, 28A

Martin Frk – 67GP, 27G, 33A

Dryden Hunt – 49P, 16G, 33A

William Stromgren – 70GP, 14G, 35A

Sam Morton – 70GP, 20G, 25A

Standout categories​

Most games played – Yan Kuznetsov (72)

Most goals – Rory Kerins (33)

Most assists – Jeremie Poirier (37)

Most points – Rory Kerins (33)

GAA – Devin Cooley (2.94)

SAV% – Devin Cooley (0.905)

Highlights​

It’s nearly impossible to clip every big moment that came out of the season, but these are a few that stand out.

Rory Kerins scores with seven seconds to go in regulation in game one of the playoffs against Coachella Valley.

CLUTCH goal by Rory Kerins. Goal number three for Calgary in the third to tie this up before the end of regulation. pic.twitter.com/iTXdOG98E9

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) April 23, 2025

Sam Morton’s backhanded bar down goal.

Backhand and bar down from Sam Morton! pic.twitter.com/JlCbdWawb0

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) January 6, 2025

Adam Klapka’s Christmas scrap.

Adam Klapka and Mason Geertsen with a little holiday season scrap pic.twitter.com/l3PAKnpEG7

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) December 22, 2024

Sam Honzek’s breakaway goal.

Sam Honzek gets rewarded on the breakaway! pic.twitter.com/kXlwZmLIyt

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) December 11, 2024

Walker Duehr’s hat trick goal.

Walker Duehr's hat trick goal in Calgary's 4-0 win over Henderson tonight. He's making a case to return to the NHL with 8 points in 5 games with the Wranglers so far. pic.twitter.com/RwngedpgzU

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 20, 2024

William Stromgren’s filthy shootout goal at the beginning of the season.

Thought this William Stromgren shootout goal was worth another watch pic.twitter.com/5jXGkwfnsI

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 13, 2024

AHL graduates (full-time Wranglers who got looks with the Flames)​

Clark Bishop (6 games)

Sam Honzek (5 games)

Rory Kerins (5 games)

Drden Hunt (5 games)

Ilya Solovyov (5 games)

Hunter Brzustewicz (1 game)

Sam Morton (1 game)

Contract statuses​

The end of every season brings some roster uncertainty as the spring and summer go on. These are the players that need to be re-signed, released or may be debating their comeback to professional hockey.

RFAs​

Sam Morton, Adam Klapka, Jeremie Poirier, Yan Kuznetsov, Connor Murphy

UFAs​

Dryden Hunt, Tyson Barrie, Martin Frk, Clark Bishop, Jonathan Aspirot, Jarred Tinordi

Who to watch at Worlds​

This is the last we’ll hear of for most of these guys until things like rookie camp, transactions or development camp kick off but there are still a couple of opportunities to watch a couple of cusp players at the IIHF World Championship tournament. It was announced on Monday that Sam Honzek will be joining Slovakia for Worlds and on Tuesday, Adam Klapka was also announced to be joining Czechia for the same tournament.

Worlds are being played in Sweden and Denmark this year and go from Friday, May 9 to Sunday, May 25. Klapka will play Sweden to start his tournament on May 9 at 12:20 p.m. MT and Honzek will be playing on May 10 against Team Canada for a 4:20 a.m. MT game.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/wranglers-reflect-on-season-of-adversity-in-season-ending-exit-meetings

 

[Calgary Flames]

MacKenzie Weegar named to Canada’s IIHF Worlds roster; Zayne Parekh to attend pre-tournament camp

The Calgary Flames will have at least one representative on the ice with the Canadian men’s national team at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. On Thursday, Hockey Canada named blueliner MacKenzie Weegar as one of 15 players on their roster for the Worlds.

Weegar is one of five blueliners named to the roster, along with Noah Dobson, Ryker Evans, Brandon Montour and Travis Sanheim.

Last year, Canada had 24 players on their roster, meaning that there are probably nine spots to be filled, including two on the blueline. Among the contenders for those spots are seven players invited to participate in pre-tournament camp, including Flames top prospect, blueliner Zayne Parekh. The other six players invited to the camp are defenders Nicolas Beaudoin and Harrison Brunicke, and forwards Zach Boychuk, Porter Martone, Brendan Perlini and Ty Ronning.

The game plan appears to be for Canada to fill out their roster with a combination of players that become available as their teams are eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs in the coming days… and whoever impresses during the pre-tournament camp. We wouldn’t bet on Parekh making the squad simply because of his youth and relative inexperience compared to those he’ll be competing with, but we’ve honestly been surprised and impressed by Parekh before – and we probably will be again – so we won’t rule anything out.

This is the second go-around for the 31-year-old Weegar with Canada at the Worlds; he previously represented Canada, and captured gold, at the 2023 tournament. For the 19-year-old Parekh, he has yet to represent Canada on the senior team level, but he’s helped his nation capture a gold medal at the 2023 edition of the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

The 2025 IIHF World Championship runs May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark. In addition to Weegar, Parekh and head coach Ryan Huska (and several support staffers) with Canada, the Flames will be represented by Sam Honzek (Slovakia), Dan Vladar and Adam Klapka (Czechia), Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund (Sweden).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/macken...er-zayne-parekh-to-attend-pre-tournament-camp

 

[Calgary Flames]

Mikael Backlund remained the Flames’ two-way ace in 2024-25

The 2024-25 season was Mikael Backlund’s 14th full season with the Calgary Flames, and 17th season with the Flames overall. Backlund entered the season as the Flames’ captain and their oldest player – he’s a year and a half older than Nazem Kadri, the next-oldest Flame.

The biggest compliment we can pay to the captain is that he was once again, well, Mikael Backlund this past season.

Backlund’s 2024-25 expectations​

If you’re new to following the Flames, here’s roughly how Backlund has been used by various Flames coaches since around 2012-13: His line is typically hard-matched against the top line on the other team. They often have some of the lowest offensive zone-start ratios of anybody on the team – the other team’s top guns start in the offensive zone, so Backlund’s line chases them. Despite all this, Backlund typically has some of the best possession metrics on the hockey team.

And since Backlund’s line has the puck a lot, coaches can often put an offensive-minded player on his line and have them get a lot of scoring opportunities. There’s a phenomenon that’s been called “The Backlund Bump.” If you put a player with Backlund, they often see their possession and offensive metrics take a jump.

Backlund entered 2024-25 as a 35-year-old player (he turned 36 on St. Patrick’s Day). The big question was if he could continue to be himself and do his thing. More than any other player on the team, because of his longevity and success, Backlund has a really well-defined role on the team, on and off the ice. So could Backlund continue to be the team’s defensive conscience and leader for another year?

How Backlund did in 2024-25​

The answer was yes. Backlund was able to keep doing his thing in 2024-25. Based on Dobber Hockey’s player usage charts – originated by Rob Vollman – Backlund faced the toughest quality of competition at five-on-five of any Flames forward, and he started most of his shifts underwater in the defensive zone. He ended up having some of the best possession numbers on the team, particularly with shot and chance suppression.

Backlund and Blake Coleman were a superb 200-foot duo, and they found magic with Matt Coronato as a really effective line for a good chunk of the season. But Backlund and Coleman also played significant portions of the season with Yegor Sharangovich, Joel Farabee and Connor Zary, and had chemistry with all of them.

If you want to knock Backlund a bit, he wasn’t as effective on the penalty kill as he has been in the past. That’s not a Backlund-specific critique; that’s probably true of everybody that played on that side of special teams, and we did notice a jump in both the PK’s kill rate and their shot suppression stats in the final third of the season under Trent Cull.

Next season’s expectation​

At some point, the fountain of youth will run dry and Backlund’s game is going to drop off, right? Backlund will begin the 2025-26 season as a 36-year-old centre, and he’ll turn 37 before the end of the regular season. At some point, Backlund will become a mere mortal.

The hope is that if Backlund starts to have a drop-off, it’ll be gentle, gradual, and the emergence of other two-way centres in the team’s system will help adjust for it. The Flames system is currently quite lean with centres, especially those with Backlund’s 200-foot bonafides, so the Flames are probably crossing their fingers and toes in the hope that Backlund can fend off Father Time for at least one more season.

As it stands, Backlund’s the Flames’ go-to “tough minutes” centre until somebody else can do it better than he can.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/mikael-backlund-remained-the-flames-two-way-ace-in-2024-25

 

[Calgary Flames]

Blueliner Brayden Pachal was reliable depth for the Flames in 2024-25

It’s often said that there are no small parts, just small actors. In the context of a National Hockey League hockey club, some members of the team play less or have roles that aren’t quite as showy as others may be. But if you have the right person in those smaller roles, they can help your hockey club win.

With that in mind, let’s talk about blueliner Brayden Pachal, who was one of 2024-25’s quieter success stories.

Pachal’s 2024-25 expectations​

A product of Estevan, Saskatchewan, Pachal came up through the Western League, starting out with the Victoria Royals before really blossoming with the Prince Albert Raiders. Pachal wasn’t ever drafted, but he led the Raiders to a WHL championship as captain in his 19-year-old season and earned an entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Pachal was a victim, in some ways, of the Golden Knights’ depth on the back end. Vegas made a few shrewd gambles with depth players early on in their existence, and while Pachal played four and a half seasons in the Vegas system he only ended up playing in 29 NHL games. When he hit the waiver wire prior to the 2024 trade deadline, the Flames felt he had potential and claimed him.

After arriving, Pachal quickly earned the trust of head coach Ryan Huska with his consistent, predictable, reliable brand of hockey. But Pachal had still only played 61 NHL games so while it was clear that he had potential, he hadn’t really cemented himself as an everyday NHLer yet.

How Pachal did in 2024-25​

Pachal spent pretty much the entire 2024-25 season on the Flames’ third pairing. He played the least, per game, of any of the Flames’ blueliners. But he suited up for 76 games, by far his career high, and only Rasmus Andersson and MacKenzie Weegar played more games than Pachal. He was fourth on the Flames among blueliners with 12 points – behind Weegar, Andersson and Kevin Bahl – and his possession numbers were solid, if unspectacular, given his usage and role.

The Flames asked Pachal to kill penalties, play a simple game in his own zone, throwing some hits, blocking some shots and boxing out opposition attackers. He played with a rotation of players before finding some chemistry with Jake Bean midway through the season, but he generally looked comfortable in his role.

Pachal was reliable enough that the Flames signed him to a two year contract extension midway through the year. There’s very little that’s showy or thrilling about Pachal’s game. He doesn’t score a ton or go on end-to-end rushes. He plays a simple, smart, consistent game. And he’s good at it, and so he’s found a role with the Flames.

Next season’s expectation​

If the question heading into 2024-25 was whether Pachal could be an everyday NHLer, the question facing him in 2025-26 may be regarding whether there’s a bit more to his game than he’s shown. Can Pachal play on his off-side? Can he generate a little bit more offence than he has so far?

The Flames have a bevy of promising young blueliners in their system, but aside from Zayne Parekh, they’re all probably another season or two away from pushing for NHL games. So Pachal has a head start on them, and if he can keep playing well and filling his role well – however small his role is on the team – perhaps he can cement himself in the Flames’ long-term plans.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/blueliner-brayden-pachal-was-reliable-depth-for-the-flames-in-2024-25

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames re-sign forward Matt Coronato to seven-year contract ($6.5 million AAV)

The Calgary Flames have signed pending restricted free agent forward Matt Coronato to a seven-year contract, the club announced Saturday afternoon.

The deal carries an average annual value of $6.5 million. Coronato, 22, is now under team control with the Flames through the end of the 2031-32 season.

Playing in his first full season with the Flames in 2024-25, Coronato established impressive high water marks in goals (24), assists (23) and points (47) over 77 games. He finished third on the Flames in goals and points, behind Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau in both categories, and cemented a spot on the team’s No. 1 power-play unit.

THE IS SIGNED!

Matt Coronato has inked a seven-year extension with an AAV of $6.5 million!#Flames | @original16beer pic.twitter.com/5iOFEZ0fjj

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) May 3, 2025

The Flames originally selected Coronato in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft. The Greenlawn, New York product spent his first two post-draft seasons at Harvard University before turning pro with the Flames in the spring of 2023.

Matt Coronato’s 7-year, $6.5M AAV contract extension with #Flames, breakdown per @PuckPedia:

Year 1 – $5M salary + $2M SB
Years 2 thru 6 – $6.5M salary
Year 7 – $6M salary

10 team no trade clause in Yrs 6/7https://t.co/rQwzJyre9Y

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) May 3, 2025

Coronato made his NHL debut with the Flames in the 2022-23 season finale and split the following year between the Flames and the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. He briefly returned to the Wranglers at the start of the 2024-25 season before returning to the NHL for good a short time later.

Through 112 NHL games over parts of three seasons with the Flames, Coronato has collected 27 goals, 56 points, and 31 penalty minutes. The 5’10” winger is the first player to sign a contract with the Flames that extends beyond Jonathan Huberdeau’s eight-year deal.

As a pending 10.2(c) RFA, Coronato was ineligible to be signed to an offer sheet this summer. The Flames have now bought two of Coronato’s UFA years and have him locked down until a few months shy of his 30th birthday.

Flames GM Craig Conroy still has more on his plate this summer. Up next: Connor Zary, Kevin Bahl, and Adam Klapka all need new contracts, while Dustin Wolf and Martin Pospisil are eligible for extensions. And, of course, the Rasmus Andersson situation still looms large over everything else.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...ronato-to-seven-year-contract-6-5-million-aav

 

[Calgary Flames]

Will the Flames’ lousy draft lottery luck finally turn on Monday night?

The first National Hockey League draft lottery was conducted in 1995, introducing a bit of chance into the system designed to allocate to the top picks in the annual entry draft to its worst teams to promote competitive balance.

Since the lottery was introduced, the Flames have participated in 17 of the 30 lotteries. A total of 21 traditional lottery draws have been conducted with the Flames as participants – excluding the non-traditional 2005 post-lockout draft lottery draw.

And the Flames have yet to win a single time.

On Monday night, the NHL will host a live draft lottery drawing for the first time (5 p.m. MT, Sportsnet). And with the slimmest odds they’ve ever faced, the Flames will cross their fingers and hope their lousy luck finally breaks.

Here’s a quick rundown of the Flames’ lottery draw history, from best odds to worst.

Odds	Year	Result
10.7%	2014	Remained at 4th overall (drafted Sam Bennett)
8.5%	2016	Dropped from 5th to 6th overall (drafted Matthew Tkachuk)
6.2%	2013	Remained at 6th overall (drafted Sean Monahan)
5.9%	1997	Remained at 6th overall (drafted Daniel Tkaczuk)
5.7%	1998	Remained at 6th overall (drafted Rico Fata)
5.0%	2024	Remained at 9th overall (drafted Zayne Parekh)
4.2%	2005	After the 2004-05 lockout, weighed draws were held to determine the entire first round draft order (which then snaked for subsequent rounds). The Flames selected 26th overall, meaning they didn’t win the first 25 draws – their odds in the 26th draw escalated up to 35.6%. (Drafted Matt Pelech.)
2.7%	1999 2000 2002 2003	Remained at 9th overall (traded down to 11th; drafted Oleg Saprykin) Remained at 9th overall (drafted Brent Krahn) Remained at 9th overall (traded down to 10th; drafted Eric Nystrom) Remained at 9th overall (drafted Dion Phaneuf)
2.5%	2018	Remained at 12th overall (traded to NY Islanders)
2.1%	2021	Remained at 13th overall (drafted Matt Coronato)
1.5%	2001	Remained at 11th overall (traded down to 14th; drafted Chuck Kobasew)
0.8%	2010 2011	Remained at 13th overall (traded to Phoenix) Remained at 13th overall (drafted Sven Baertschi)
0.5%	2012 2023	Remained at 14th overall (traded down to 21st; drafted Mark Jankowski) Remained at 16th overall (drafted Samuel Honzek)

The Flames are one of seven franchises that haven’t won a single lottery draw yet. The others are Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, Utah, Vancouver and Vegas. The luckiest team in the lottery era is Chicago, who have won five different draws over the years.

The Flames head into Monday night’s drawing with pretty straightforward stakes:

• They have a 0.5% chance of winning the draw – five combinations of winning numbers out of 1,000 possible lottery draws – and if they win, their first-round pick upgrades from 16th overall to 6th overall. By the terms of their August 2022 trade with Montreal, the Flames would keep their first-round pick and Florida’s selection, around 22nd overall, would transfer to Montreal instead to complete that trade.
• They have a 99.5% chance of losing the draw – 995 combinations of losing numbers out of 1,000 possible draws – and their pick would remain at 16th overall and transfer to Montreal to complete that trade.

Odds are, the Flames won’t win the drawing, based on history and probability. But life and hockey can be weird as heck, so we’ll see how things end up unfolding.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/will-the-flames-lousy-draft-lottery-luck-finally-turn-on-monday-night

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames fifth-round pick Luke Misa commits to Penn State University

Flames prospect Luke Misa is going to school.

On Monday, Misa announced his commitment to attend Penn State University upon the conclusion of his time in the Ontario Hockey League, becoming the second Flames prospect to commit to an NCAA program since it elected to lift its long-standing ban on major junior players.

Misa, 19, racked up 34 goals and 85 points in 67 games with the Brampton Steelheads in the 2024-25 OHL regular season, adding two goals and 12 points in six playoff games with the club. The 5’10” forward now follows in the footsteps of fellow 2024 draftee and OHL rival Henry Mews, who committed in April to begin playing at the University of Michigan in the 2025-26 season; additionally, 2024 sixth-round pick Eric Jamieson is headed to the University of Denver after wrapping up his junior career with the Everett Silvertips.

BREAKING

B1G time CHLNCAA commitment!!!!

The Penn State Nittany Lions have landed a commitment from Luke Misa!

The ‘05 born forward from Ontario had 85 points in 67 GP this season for Brampton (OHL).

Fifth round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft by the @NHLFlames… pic.twitter.com/XjZ88J2Fle

— College Puck NXT (@CollegePuckNXT) May 5, 2025

The Flames selected Misa in the fifth round (No. 155 overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The Oakville, Ontario product is the older brother of Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa, who is considered a top prospect for the 2025 draft.

Of the 10 players the Flames drafted in 2024, four have already signed entry-level contracts with the club (Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin, Andrew Basha, Jacob Battaglia); three are junior stars heading to college (Misa, Mews, Jamieson); one is already playing in college (Trevor Hoskin); and two are an unsigned juniors, albeit on separate continents (Kirill Zarubin, Hunter Laing).

Misa now joins a Penn State program that just made a shocking run to the Frozen Four, ultimately losing in the semifinals to Boston University. Flames prospect Arsenii Sergeev played a crucial role in the Nittany Lions going on their longest run in history, stopping 42 of 44 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over UConn to clinch the team’s spot alongside BU, Denver, and eventual champions Western Michigan.

With the Nittany Lions, Misa will likely get the chance to play alongside Nashville Predators prospect and former Brooks Bandits star Aiden Fink, with Ottawa Senators prospect and Nebraska-Omaha transfer Kevin Reidler taking over from Sergeev in goal. The Flames will retain Misa’s exclusive negotiating rights through the entire duration of his NCAA career.

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames-fifth-round-pick-luke-misa-commits-to-penn-state-university

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames netminder Dustin Wolf named finalist for Calder Trophy as NHL’s top rookie

A superb first full season in the National Hockey League has landed a Calgary Flames player in the spotlight. On Monday, the NHL announced the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie. Among the finalists was Flames netminder Dustin Wolf.

The other two finalists were San Jose Sharks forwards Macklin Celebrini and Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson.

TOP ROOKIES!

Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson & Dustin Wolf are your Calder Trophy finalists — awarded to the NHL’s most outstanding first-year player. #NHLAwards

Find out where the next wave of young talent might be going during tonight's #NHLDraft Lottery which is about to… pic.twitter.com/k14qihgZRx

— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2025

A Western Hockey League product originally from California, Wolf was selected by the Flames in the fourth-from-last spot, 214th overall, in the 2019 NHL Draft. At the time, Wolf was considered undersized for a goaltender and there was some doubts over whether he could translate his WHL-leading performance to higher levels of hockey.

Well, that concern looks downright silly in retrospect, doesn’t it?

Since being selected by the Flames in 2019, Wolf has been named the WHL’s top goaltender twice, the CHL’s top goaltender once, the top junior-aged goaltender in the United States once, the AHL’s top goaltender twice and the AHL’s most valuable player once. And he progressed enough that the Flames felt compelled to trade away Jacob Markstrom – a goaltender that had recently been in Vezina Trophy contention – in part to give Wolf a legit shot at full-time NHL duty.

Well, that move looks downright smart in retrospect, doesn’t it?

In his first full NHL season, Wolf made 53 starts, posted a record of 29-16-8, a 2.64 goals against average, a .910 save percentage and had three shutouts. He also had three assists. He not only led NHL rookie goaltenders in most statistical categories, he was pretty competitive league-wide when compared to all goaltenders. He’s still considered undersized for the position, listed at 6’0″ and 166 pounds, but that hasn’t seemed to get in his way thus far.

Wolf is the 10th rookie in Flames franchise history to be a finalist for the Calder Trophy. He follows Tom Lysiak (1973-74), Eric Vail (1974-75, won), Willi Pletti (1976-77, won), Gary Suter (1985-86, won), Joe Nieuwendyk (1987-88, won), Sergei Makarov (1989-90, won), Jarome Iginla (1996-97), Dion Phaneuf (2005-06) and Johnny Gaudreau (2014-15).

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...finalist-for-calder-trophy-as-nhls-top-rookie

 

[Calgary Flames]

WHL forward Braeden Cootes is an intriguing first-round option in 2025 NHL Draft

The Calgary Flames have a few specific needs at the 2025 NHL Draft.

They need forwards. More specifically, they need centres. More specifically, they need right shot centres. We’ve previously flagged Calgary Hitmen forward Ben Kindel as a really good option for the Flames in the first round. But don’t overlook another good Western Hockey League product, centre Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds.

So what does Cootes bring to the table that’s so enticing?

Scouting report​

A product of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Cootes was born in February 2007. He’s a right shot forward, primarily a centre, listed at 6’0″ and 183 pounds.

Cootes played his minor hockey in the Edmonton area, and moved onto the Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford, B.C. later on. He was selected 10th overall by Seattle in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.

He played a handful of WHL games in 2022-23 – Wranglers forward Lucas Ciona, a sixth-round pick by the Flames, captained that Thunderbirds team – before becoming a full-time WHLer in 2023-24. 2024-25 was Cootes’ second full season in the Dub.

Over at Dobber Prospects, Luke Sweeney provided this scouting report back in January:

Braeden Cootes is a player NHL teams will have a lot of time for on draft day. What Cootes brings to the table is both obvious and projectable. He plays with absolutely relentless pace, both with the puck, and maybe even more so without it. It’s genuinely shocking the amount of energy that one player can expend on one shift.

Cootes also has a lot of skill, giving him the ability to drive the middle of the ice off the rush. He’s got quick twitch hands, a hard shot, and a snappy release. Cootes also has some solid playmaking instincts, though they’re not put to particularly good use on this particularly poor Seattle team. Cootes’ ceiling might not pop off the page, but his combination of intensity and skill should propel him into an NHL middle-six role.

Our pal Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff included Cootes in his recent draft rankings in April and provided his assessment:

Cootes might become more of an energy forward in the NHL, but he’ll be a good one at that. The thing that really stands out here is just how much he wants the puck, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Cootes is also a solid playmaker, often easily finding teammates in open space. I think his value goes far beyond his numbers, which you want from a center. He’s not small at six-foot, but he’s not huge, either. That doesn’t seem to hurt him, though, because he’s not afraid to play with an edge. I’ve really grown on Cootes’ game as the season has developed and I’m excited to see him play a solid role with Canada at the U-18s.

One of the things a lot of scouts really like about 2024 Flames pick Andrew Basha is how he plays with pace, skill, and a chip on his shoulder. If Cootes is a right-shot version of Basha that can play centre, you can see why that would be an enticing type of player.

The numbers​

In his rookie season in the WHL, 2023-24, Cootes had 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points over 64 games. As a sophomore, he had 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points over 60 games.

This season, Cootes was 48th in points league-wide and tied for 48th in goals. Among first-time NHL Draft eligible players, he was sixth in points (behind Kindel, Cole Reschny, Carter Bear, Cameron Schmidt and Nathan Behm) and tied for sixth in goals (behind Bear, Schmidt, Kindel, Behm and Lynden Lakovic, tied with Reschny).

Statistically, Cootes is pretty good, but not quite in the upper-echelon of WHL prospects in this year’s draft class.

Availability and fit​

Generally-speaking, most draft rankings have Cootes as a consensus first-rounder, but likely not until later in the round. He’s 22nd on FC Hockey’s recent rankings, 28th for Daily Faceoff, 14th on Corey Pronman’s rankings at The Athletic and 23rd on Scott Wheeler’s. Most likely, he’s a player that would potentially be targeted with the Flames’ second pick – the one they got from Florida.

Would Cootes fit the Flames’ needs? He’s a right shot forward. He plays centre. He’s from the Western League. Heck, he’s in a division and conference within the Western League where the Flames have often drafted, and had success doing so. If Cootes is available late in the first round, we could easily see the Flames call his name. (Heck, Ellis had the Flames taking Cootes with Florida’s pick in his recent mock draft.)

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/whl-fo...triguing-first-round-option-in-2025-nhl-draft

 

[Calgary Flames]

What’s Going On In The Playoffs: The second round has begun

The second round of the 2025 post-season has begun.

This is What’s Going On In The Playoffs, where we look at how each series is going so far this post-season. The final eight teams in the playoffs have been determined, and the second round has already kicked off.

Let’s take a look at what’s happened in the post-season since last Wednesday!

Oilers defeat Kings in six games​

In last week’s article, we looked at how the Los Angeles Kings blew a 2-0 series lead, proceeding to lose three consecutive games to the Edmonton Oilers. With the series shifting back to Edmonton for Game 6, the Kings were eliminated for the fourth consecutive year by the Oilers.

The Kings opened the scoring in Game 6, as Quinton Byfield scored a minute and 19 seconds into the game, but Adam Henrique scored less than two minutes later. It took just 23 seconds for the Kings to regain their lead as Brandt Clarke scored to make it 2-1, but the Kings once again failed to hold the lead for long as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied the game two minutes and 18 seconds later.

With just over seven minutes left in the first period, Zach Hyman scored to take a 3-2 lead. The Oilers scored two quickfire goals late in the second period to give them a 5-2 lead, but the Kings got one with 1:59 left in the second to make it competitive.

Trent Frederic

419th player to score an NHL goal for the Oilers (regular season & playoffs) pic.twitter.com/IogWupVYmg

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 2, 2025

With their net pulled for over four minutes, the Kings scored a goal to make it 5-4, but were unable to get the game-tying goal as they fell 6-4 thanks to Connor Brown’s empty net goal.

More on the Oilers later.

Jets scored a last-second goal, defeating the Jets in double overtime​

The Winnipeg Jets and St. Louis Blues have played three games since the latest WGOITP. Game 5 saw the Jets win 5-3 thanks to three consecutive goals from the middle of the second period until they iced it with an empty netter with just over three minutes left in the game.

With Game 6 shifting to Winnipeg, post-season Connor Hellebuyck re-emerged, allowing five goals on 23 shots for a .783 save percentage in a 5-2 loss. It was a span of a little over five minutes that broke the Jets’ back as the Blues fired four goals in the second period, three of which came in two minutes and six seconds.

For all the marbles, Game 7 was played in Winnipeg. In the first, it was all the Blues as they scored twice to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. After the Jets cut the lead in half, the Blues scored late in the second to make it a 3-1 game.

With 1:56 left in the game, the Jets were able to get the game to within one. It looked as if that’s all they’d get, but they scored a goal with 1.6 seconds left to send it to overtime. I’m not a Jets fan by any means, but I got chills from this goal when it happened.

WITH 1.6 SECONDS TO GO.

COLE PERFETTI pic.twitter.com/kgZU95vurH

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2025

In double overtime, a point shot deflected off captain Adam Lowry and past Jordan Binnington as the Jets moved on to the second round for the first time since the 2021 post-season.

Wild fell to Golden Knights in six​

The Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights only needed one game after last week’s article. Game 6 was played in St. Paul, with Shea Theodore opening the scoring 3:30 into the first frame. There were only four seconds left on the clock as Ryan Hartman scored to tie the game up at one.

Jack Eichel scored the only goal of the second period to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead. With just over four minutes left in the game, Mark Stone scored to give them a much-needed insurance goal, as Hartman scored his second of the game 31 seconds later. That’s all the Wild would get, as they fell 3-2.

MARK STONE BATS THE PUCK OUT OF MID AIR! WHAT A PLAY

: ESPN | #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/MkuhOVuRtF

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) May 2, 2025

Stars overcame 2-0 deficit in third period of Game 7​

With their backs against the wall, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Dallas Stars 7-4 in Denver to force a Game 6. Heading into that game’s third period, the Stars had a 4-3 lead, but the Avalanche saw Valeri Nichuskin and Nathan MacKinnon each score to take the lead, before Josh Manson and Cale Makar scored in empty nets to set up a Game 7.

In the second period of Game 7, Manson scored to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. It took just 31 seconds into the third period to extend their lead to two, but then their former player took over. Mikko Rantanne scored 7:49 into the third period to cut the lead in half and found the equalizer with just over six minutes left in the game.

With four minutes left in the game, Wyatt Johnston scored his third of the post-season to give the Stars a late lead (assisted by Rantanen), before Rantanen iced the game with an empty-netter with three seconds left.

MR. GAME 7 WYATT JOHNSTON! HE'S ONLY 21! pic.twitter.com/gSy8oqS6RG

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 4, 2025

Last season, Matt Duchene scored the game-winner in double overtime for the Stars to eliminate the Avalanche. This season, it was Rantanen who eliminated the Avalanche. Yikes.

Senators’ series comeback falls short​

In last week’s article, the Ottawa Senators forced a Game 6 after falling down 3-0 in the series. After a late goal in the first and an early goal in the second, the Leafs had a 2-0 lead. With just over 12 minutes left in the second, captain Brady Tkachuk scored to cut the Leafs’ lead in half.

It stayed that way until David Perron scored to tie up the game with just over seven minutes left. Max Pacioretty said “no way” to overtime, as he scored the game-winning goal with 5:39 left in the game, before William Nylander iced the game with an empty-netter.

MAX. PACIORETTY.@Rogers | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/f14XvAE272

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 2, 2025

Canadiens fell in five to Capitals​

This series was over when the Montréal Canadiens fell in Game 4 on home ice. Game 5 was in Washington, with Alex Ovechkin opening the scoring midway through the first period. Two minutes later, Capitals defenceman Jakob Chychrun scored the game-winner. Late in the third, Tom Wilson scored an insurance goal for the 3-0 lead.

Pierre-Luc Dubois finds Jakob Chychrun, and it's a 2-0 lead for the Caps!

: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/FMFWIg6LOp

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) April 30, 2025

Emil Heineman gave the Canadiens a sliver of hope with his early third period goal, but they were unable to score another one as Brandon Duhaime iced the game with an empty netter with 26 seconds left in the game.

Panthers win Battle of Florida​

Another team eliminated on Wednesday was the Tampa Bay Lightning, as they fell 6-3 to the Florida Panthers. The two Floridian-based teams traded goals in the first period to make it a 2-2 game heading into the second period.

It was the Panthers’ period, as Aleksander Barkov scored less than a minute into the middle frame. Jake Guentzel scored the Lightning’s final goal of the season, but former Flame Sam Bennett scored the game-winning goal. Eetu Luostarinen scored with just under seven minutes left in the game to give the Panthers an insurance goal, and Sam Reinhart iced the game with an empty-netter.

SAM BENNETT GIVES THE PANTHERS THE LEAD

ESPN #TimeToHunt pic.twitter.com/o2CNMqpRd5

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) May 1, 2025

Oilers take Game 1 against the Knights​

Moving to games in the second round, the Oilers and Golden Knights began their series on Tuesday. It took just 2:13 for the Golden Knights to take the lead, as Stone scored his third goal of the season for the 1-0 lead. Midway through the first, he scored his second of the game to make it 2-0, but Corey Perry cut the Knights’ lead in half late in the first.

After dominating the second period, the Oilers scored the game-tying goal less than a minute into the third period. With just three minutes left on the clock, Zach Hyman scored his third of the post-season to give the Oilers a late lead. Brown scored an insurance goal with just under two minutes left for the 4-2 win.

ZACHARY MARTIN HYMAN #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/tMNItuproX

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 7, 2025

Game 2 is on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. MT in Vegas. Hopefully, the Golden Knights can earn a split before heading to Alberta for games 3 and 4. Game 3 is on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. MT, and Game 4 is on Monday at 7:30 p.m. MT.

Jets and Stars set for their first post-season matchup​

For the first time in history, the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets meet in a post-season series. That includes the original Jets and the Minnesota North Stars.

This series’ main storyline is injuries to star players, as Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey are game-time decisions for the Jets, and Jason Robertson is a game-time decision for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen is confirmed out of the lineup for Wednesday’s game.

That game starts at 7:30 p.m. MT. Game 2 will be played on Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT, Game 3 is in Dallas at 2:30 p.m. MT, and Game 4 will be played on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. MT.

Leafs drop Panthers in Game 1​

For only the second time since 2004, the Toronto Maple Leafs have won a game in the second round, defeating the Florida Panthers 5-4 in Game 1. William Nylander scored twice to give the Leafs a 2-0 lead, but Seth Jones cut that lead in half with three minutes left. It took just 19 seconds for the Leafs to restore their two-goal lead as Morgan Rielly found the back of the net.

Former Flame Chris Tanev scored at 7:50 to give the Leafs a 4-1 lead, their worst nightmare. It looked as if the Leafs were going to blow a 4-1 lead again, as Luostarinen and Uvis Balinskis scored for the Panthers in the first four and a half minutes of the final frame. Matthew Knies gave the Leafs a much-needed insurance goal with six minutes left, as Bennett scored with a minute and 55 seconds remaining to make it a 5-4 game. The Leafs held on for the Game 1 victory.

WE KNEW HE WAS KNIES ON BREAKAWAYS!!! pic.twitter.com/NNcKsh98Eo

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 6, 2025

Game 2 is on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. MT. Game 3 is on Friday at the same time, with Game 4 coming at 5:30 p.m. MT on Sunday.

Hurricanes win in overtime over Capitals​

The Carolina Hurricanes took Game 1 of the series against the Washington Capitals, defeating the best team in the Eastern Conference 2-1 in overtime.

Aliaksei Protas opened the scoring early in the second for the Capitals, but Logan Stankoven scored midway through the third to even up the game. It took just 3:06 into the first overtime period for Jaccob Slavin to find the back of the net to win the game 2-1.

SLAVIN WINS GAME 1 IN OT #RaiseUp

ESPN pic.twitter.com/h0jDrlx61a

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) May 7, 2025

Game 2 is on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. MT. The series will shift to Raleigh for Game 3, which is on Friday at 4:00 p.m. MT. Game 4 is on Monday at 5:00 p.m. MT.

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Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/whats-going-on-in-the-playoffs-the-second-round-has-begun

 

[Calgary Flames]

Flames prospect Matvei Gridin named finalist for QMJHL’s offensive rookie of year award

One of the Calgary Flames’ top prospects has been named a finalist for a major award. On Thursday, the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League announced several finalists for their league awards.

Among the players announced as up for awards was Shawinigan Cataractes forward Matvei Gridin, a Flames’ first-round selection in 2024, one of the three contenders for the QMJHL’s Michel Bergeron Trophy as the league’s top offensive rookie.

The other two finalists are Sherbrooke Phoenix forward Thomas Rousseau and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies forward Ben Steiner.

Gridin was selected by the Flames in the first round, 28th overall, in the 2024 NHL Draft, using a selection acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade. Originally drafted out of the United States Hockey League, he moved to the QMJHL via the CHL’s Import Draft (and a subsequent trade of his junior rights prior to the start of the regular season).

Here’s what the league’s press release noted about Gridin’s season:

In his 18-year-old season, Gridin led QMJHL rookies in virtually every offensive stat, including points (79), goals (36), assists (43), plus/minus (+31), shots (236), game-winning goals (5), power-play assists (15) and shorthanded goals (4). He finished tied for first in Shawinigan team scoring with Félix Lacerte, who played six more games than him, and 12th overall in the QMJHL. A first-round pick of the Calgary Flames in 2024, Gridin was drafted first overall in the 2024 CHL Import Draft by the Val-d’Or Foreurs, before being traded to Shawinigan.

Steiner was second in rookie scoring with 23 goals and 60 points through 57 games. Rousseau was third with 17 goals and 40 points through 58 games. Gridin played one fewer game than Steiner and two fewer than Rousseau, but led them pretty substantially in goals and points. We have little insight into the criteria used to determine the winner, but if it’s significantly based on the scoring race, Gridin stands a good chance of winning.

The Michel Bergeron Trophy was first awarded in 1969-70 to honour the QMJHL’s rookie of the year. The award was split into offensive and defensive trophies in 1980-81. Chicoutimi’s Emile Guite won the award last season. In the past, several players won the trophy that went on to become notable NHL players. Among them are Alexis Lafreniere (2017-18), Nico Hischier (2016-17), Nikolaj Ehlers (2013-14) and Sidney Crosby (2003-04).

The QMJHL award-winners will be announced on June 5, prior to the QMJHL Entry Draft.

Sponsored by bet365:

Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/flames...ist-for-qmjhls-offensive-rookie-of-year-award

 

[Calgary Flames]

A Flame from the Past: Kevin Dahl

Do you remember Kevin Dahl?

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 1997-98 season, with the player we’ll look at in today’s article being Kevin Dahl.

Everyone knows about the current Flames defenceman named Kevin Bahl, but in two different stints in the 1990s, the Flames had a defenceman named Kevin Dahl, who hails from Regina, Saskatchewan.

In 1985-86, the right-shot defenceman played for the Stratford Cullitons of the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League, a Junior B club. Dahl scored eight goals and 23 points in 29 games that season, and attended Bowling Green State University for the next four seasons.

Overall, he scored 21 goals and 98 points in 165 games, with his career-best season coming in his junior year, when he scored nine goals and 35 points. After Dahl’s sophomore season, he was drafted in the 11th round by the Montréal Canadiens in the 1988 draft.

Dahl started his professional career in the ECHL and the American Hockey League. With the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the ECHL, Dahl scored seven goals and 24 points in 36 games. He only scored a goal for the Fredericton Canadiens of the AHL, but managed to pick up 16 points in 32 games.

In 1991-92, Dahl played 13 games with the International Hockey League’s Salt Lake Golden Eagles, picking up two assists in 13 games. He also participated in the 1992 Olympics, scoring two goals en route to Canada’s gold medal. On top of that, he played 45 games with the Canadian National Team that season, scoring two goals and 17 points.

Finally, Dahl made his National Hockey League debut in 1992-93 with the Calgary Flames after signing with them in the off-season. In 61 games, he scored two goals and 11 points and picked up 56 penalty minutes along the way. Dahl picked up his two post-season points in this post-season, picking up two assists in six games.

In 1993-94, Dahl played 33 games with three assists, playing six more games in the post-season. He played a similar number of game in 1994-95, scoring four goals and 12 points in 34 games, his career-best year. His final season with the Flames in his first stint came in 1995-96, scoring a goal and two points in 32 games, splitting his time between the NHL and AHL.

Before the start of the 1996-97 season, Dahl signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, playing just two games with them that season where he was held pointless. Most of his playing time came with the IHL’s Las Vegas Thunder, where Dahl scored 10 goals and 31 points in 73 games.

Dahl returned to the Flames for the 1997-98 season, playing 19 games with one assist. Once again, most of his season was played in the minors, as he scored eight goals and 17 points in 45 games with the Chicago Wolves. In the IHL’s post-season, he scored a goal and nine points and won the Turner Cup.

The right-shot defenceman’s NHL career was essentially over by this point. In 1998-99, Dahl played three games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing most of the season with the Wolves. The entirety of the 1999-2000 season was spent with the Wolves, scoring a goal and 44 points in 27 games and playing three post-season games as they won the Turner Cup for the second time.

In 2000-01, Dahl played four games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but spent most of his season with the Wolves once again. His final three seasons in hockey were spent with the

Nürnberg Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, scoring a total of eight goals and 42 points in 216 games.

Overall, Dahl played 188 regular season games, scoring seven goals and 29 points. In 16 post-season games, he picked up two assists.

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

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Source: https://flamesnation.ca/news/a-flame-from-the-past-kevin-dahl