Waiting for the AHL’s playoffs: a Calgary Flames prospect update

The Calgary Flames will play their final game of the 2023-24 season on Thursday night. The end of the Calgary Wranglers season? Well, we’re not sure when that’ll be quite yet, as they’ve qualified for the Calder Cup playoffs.

The top seven teams in the Pacific Division advance to the playoffs and those teams have been decided. And while there’s like to be a bit of a standings shuffle – Tucson and Ontario are tied in points, for instance – here’s how the playoffs would look if they started today:

• Coachella Valley [1] gets a bye
• Tucson [2] vs. Calgary [7]
• Ontario [3] vs. Bakersfield [6]
• Colorado [4] vs. Abbotsford [5]

The Wranglers haven’t been on much of a roll lately, but they’re dealing with a hectic schedule and missing key players such as Matt Coronato and Dustin Wolf. That duo – plus Ilya Solovyov and Adam Klapka – are expected to return to the AHL for the final pair of games this coming weekend. At that point, maybe we’ll see the Wranglers get some swagger back.

They’re gonna need some swagger if they want to advance past the opening playoff round. But this is a team that’s shown the ability to get hot and stay hot in the recent past, so don’t rule anything out just yet.

Let’s dive into this week’s prospect update!

Parker Bell – LW/C, Tri-City Americans, WHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
WHL season to date	59	33	31	64	50	35	31	231	26.86
AHL season to date	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
2022-23 (WHL)	55	25	39	64	51	36	28	187	28.82

Bell sat twice last week as the Wranglers are juggling a lot of bodies.

Jake Boltmann – D, University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, NCAA/Big 10

22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	30	0	2	2	2	2	2	36	1.82
2022-23 (NCAA)	37	1	4	5	3	5	3	42	3.69

Boltmann’s NCAA season is complete. He’s transferred to Northeastern University for the 2024-25 season.

Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Kitchener Rangers, OHL

19; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	67	13	79	92	46	65	34	140	36.37
2022-23 (OHL)	68	6	51	57	32	31	21	110	22.20

X

Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 11th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	55	4	2	6	5	6	5	67	4.35
2022-23 (WHL)	63	28	47	75	53	54	37	194	29.48

Ciona dressed in one of the Wranglers’ two games last week.

Matt Coronato – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 2nd-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	40	15	27	42	28	27	17	137	41.84
2022-23 (NCAA)	34	20	16	36	31	19	16	141	24.31

Coronato is in the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.

Riley Damiani – C, Texas Stars/Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Dallas’ fifth round pick (137th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	66	11	13	24	19	16	13	94	14.49
2022-23 (AHL)	59	13	18	31	24	18	14	87	20.94

Damiani dressed for both Wranglers games last week.

Artem Grushnikov – D, Texas Stars/Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	62	1	5	6	5	6	5	65	3.86
2022-23 (OHL)	65	8	9	17	10	14	9	116	6.93

Grushnikov played both games last week. He plays a pretty effective, ow maintenance game and aside from the occasional crushing hit or smart defensive play, you can not notice him for big stretches.

Samuel Honzek – LW/C, Vancouver Giants, WHL / Slovakia, WJC

19; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 4th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
WHL season to date	33	10	21	31	22	16	11	86	23.26
WJC season to date	5	3	1	4	3	2	1	10	n/a
2022-23 (WHL)	43	23	33	56	40	36	26	134	32.25

Honzek hasn’t officially been assigned to the Wranglers yet, as he’s dealing with a minor injury. But the hope is he could be available for the final weekend of the AHL season.

Axel Hurtig – D, Rögle BK, J20 Nationell/SHL / Kristianstads IK, HockeyEttan

18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
J20 season to date	27	3	8	11	7	11	7	54	15.10
SHL season to date	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
HockeyEttan season to date	4	0	1	1	1	1	1	5	n/a
2022-23 (J20)	34	2	6	8	3	7	3	47	3.82

Hurtig has bounced between the second and third defensive pairing for Kristianstads as they play their playoff round robin. As of this writing, Kristianstads has two games left and is in first place. Hurtig has an assist in seven games.

Ben Jones – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Free agent signing; 12th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	70	21	22	43	34	28	22	205	24.48
2022-23 (AHL)	71	17	37	54	41	28	21	202	30.31

Jones continues to be a really reliable, low-risk/low-reward presence for the Wranglers. He’s played every game for them this season.

Joni Jurmo – D, Ilves Tampere/KooKoo Kuovola, Liiga/CHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Liiga season to date	46	1	4	5	3	4	3	63	4.03
CHL season to date	6	0	1	1	1	1	1	8	n/a
AHL season to date	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2022-23 (Liiga)	52	5	8	13	8	11	6	118	9.27

Jurmo has yet to dress for the Wranglers, as they continue to juggle many, many bodies on their blueline.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 14th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	53	16	16	32	27	22	18	114	24.06
2022-23 (ECHL)	38	17	20	37	31	25	21	117	22.36

Kerins remains on a bit of a scoring hot streak of late. He scored a goal over two games last week.

Adam Klapka – RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Free agent signing; 18th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	64	21	24	45	34	31	22	180	28.02
2022-23 (AHL)	60	13	12	25	18	16	11	103	16.61

Klapka played twice and then was called up to the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.

Demetrios Koumonztis – D/RW, Idaho Steelheads, ECHL

23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (108th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	47	9	10	19	11	14	10	84	9.28
2022-23 (NCAA)	37	7	11	18	12	10	7	67	13.28

Koumontzis finished the ECHL’s regular season as a scratch for Idaho.

Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 17th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	61	5	7	12	9	11	8	85	7.84
2022-23 (AHL)	63	5	14	19	11	19	11	65	12.02

Kuznetsov has bounced in and out of the lineup of late due to the glut of defencemen the Wranglers are carrying.

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

19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 16th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
WHL season to date	67	24	42	66	47	33	23	181	24.39
AHL season to date	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2022-23 (WHL)	66	19	32	51	36	35	23	152	19.14

Lipinski made his AHL debut this past week. He drew praise from head coach Trent Cull for his play.

Cade Littler – C, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL / Penticton Vees, BCHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
USHL season to date	13	8	3	11	9	8	6	30	19.43
BCHL season to date	24	9	12	21	17	9	6	–	5.51
2022-23 (BCHL)	51	29	39	68	47	36	27	–	8.75

Littler has been out since February with an injury. The hope is he could appear in the post-season if the Vees last a couple rounds. (They’ve already advanced past the first round.)

Brady Lyle – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Free agent signing

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	46	6	9	15	9	7	3	100	13.00
2022-23 (AHL)	51	7	24	31	16	13	6	124	24.22

Lyle is injured. He last played on Feb. 19.

Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
QMJHL season to date	58	12	37	49	32	21	13	191	19.67
AHL season to date	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
2022-23 (QMJHL)	67	21	51	72	47	34	21	213	25.03

Morin made his AHL debut last week. He didn’t play a ton, though.

Sam Morton – C, Minnesota State University Mankato Mavericks, NCAA / Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Free agent signing

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
NCAA season to date	37	24	10	34	32	20	19	151	24.00
AHL season to date	11	3	2	5	5	3	3	22	18.11
2022-23 (NCAA)	10	6	2	8	7	3	3	28	21.00

Morton rotated out of the lineup for a game last week as the Wranglers try to get fresh bodies in. Morton’s gone a bit quiet offensively in recent weeks.

Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL / Rapid City Rush, ECHL

22; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	29	3	3	6	6	6	6	33	8.25
ECHL season to date	6	2	6	8	7	5	5	16	30.61
2022-23 (ECHL)	40	13	20	33	21	22	15	97	18.94

Nikolaev’s brief ECHL run ended last week, as Rapid City’s season ended and he was re-assigned back to the Wranglers.

Jakob Pelletier – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall); 3rd-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	16	4	7	11	7	6	5	37	27.40
2022-23 (AHL)	35	16	21	37	32	18	14	92	42.13

Pelletier played twice but didn’t register a point.

Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	21	3	10	13	5	5	2	41	24.67
2022-23 (AHL)	69	9	32	41	20	21	13	172	23.68

Poirier played twice but didn’t register a point.

Cole Schwindt – C/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Florida’s third round pick (81st overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 9th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	64	14	21	35	26	22	14	123	21.79
2022-23 (AHL)	70	14	18	32	20	16	10	118	18.22

Schwindt played twice and registered an assist.

Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 8th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	50	5	9	14	9	13	9	84	11.16
2022-23 (AHL)	68	4	14	18	9	16	8	82	10.55

Solovyov is in the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 19th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	66	7	18	25	22	16	14	73	15.10
2022-23 (SHL)	45	3	5	8	6	6	5	31	8.69

Strömgren played twice and didn’t register a point.

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

19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 13th-ranked prospect

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	35	12	13	25	19	16	12	100	23.02
2022-23 (BCHL)	50	45	45	90	73	47	40	–	11.81

Suniev’s season is finished.

Daniil Chechelev – G, HC Vityaz, KHL / Ryazan-VDV, VHL

22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft

	GP	TOI	SV%
KHL season to date	1	58	.880
VHL season to date	5	271	.908
2022-23 (ECHL)	39	2135	.892

Chechelev’s season is finished.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, University of Connecticut Huskies, NCAA/Hockey East

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 15th-ranked prospect

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	16	934	.913
2022-23 (NCAA)	19	1104	.912

Sergeev’s season is finished. He’ll be joining Penn State for the 2024-25 season.

Dustin Wolf – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 1st-ranked prospect

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	35	2025	.923
2022-23 (AHL)	55	3239	.932

Wolf is in the NHL. He’s eligible to return for the AHL’s playoffs.

Yegor Yegorov – G, MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL

18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	25	1319	.917
2022-23 (MHL)	15	786	.915

Yegorov’s season is finished.