Which prospects will be signed this season? A Calgary Flames prospect update

Folks, we’re obviously all a bit caught up in the 2024 trade deadline pandemonium. But once March 1 hit the calendar, another important period began: the opening of the window for teams to sign players to entry-level deals that begin next season.

So… which Flames prospects do we expect to get signed? (Parker Bell and Samuel Honzek already have NHL deals.)

There are couple obvious ones: Hunter Brzustewicz and Jaden Lipinski. They’re both 19 and eligible to play in the AHL with the Wranglers next season. Bruzstewicz is a dynamite offensive blueliner who should compliment the existing stay-at-home crop already in the AHL. And Lipinski is a pretty toolsy right shot centre who’s been a strong face-off presence for the Giants.

Beyond those two, though, we’re not sure if anybody needs to be signed. Joni Jurmo has had an up and down season in the Finnish Liiga, but there’s a time pressure as the Flames need to decide to sign him or not by June 1. But everybody else in the Flames sytem is either already signed or are players the Flames have a good amount of time left to make decisions on.

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

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

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

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	51	27	26	53	41	30	26	200	25.74
2022-23	55	25	39	64	51	36	28	187	28.82

Bell continues to be a rock-solid player for Tri-City. He seems destined to join the Wranglers in a couple weeks once the WHL regular season concludes.

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	28	0	2	2	2	2	2	29	1.95
2022-23 (NCAA)	37	1	4	5	3	5	3	42	3.69

Notre Dame was off this week. They’re back in action this weekend when the Big 10 conference tournament begins, with the Irish facing the University of Michigan.

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	59	12	72	84	42	59	30	126	37.71
2022-23 (OHL)	68	6	51	57	32	31	21	110	22.20

Brzustewicz had back-to-back two point games for the Rangers over the weekend.

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	44	4	1	5	4	5	4	54	4.53
2022-23 (WHL)	63	28	47	75	53	54	37	194	29.48

Ciona had a two-goal game on Friday, doubling his season total.

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 had an assist over the weekend, then was called up to the Flames to cover for an injury to Connor Zary.

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

20; Dallas’s 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	47	1	4	5	4	5	4	45	4.24
2022-23 (OHL)	65	8	9	17	10	14	9	116	6.93

Grushnikov made his Wranglers debut on Friday night after coming over in the Chris Tanev trade. He has yet to register a point with the Wranglers, but he’s been a steady defensive presence.

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	27	9	18	27	20	13	10	70	24.76
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 had two points in three games over the weekend. He’s scoring consistently, though scoring at slightly below last season’s pace. (We don’t want to point fingers at his early-season injury, but it likely didn’t help things.)

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	23	3	7	10	6	10	6	48	16.11
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 is quietly having a very nice season. He’s played a bit of minor-pro, he’s played a bit of SHL, and he’s been a big part of Rögle’s junior success this season. Considering he came back from off-season surgery, his performance has to be seen as a big step forward.

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	53	19	18	37	30	25	20	145	27.82
2022-23 (AHL)	71	17	37	54	41	28	21	202	30.31

The thing about Jones is he’s consistently effective in all three zones, and occasionally he pops off for multi-point games. He had six points over three games this week.

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

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	45	1	4	5	3	4	3	63	4.12
CHL season to date	6	0	1	1	1	1	1	8	n/a
2022-23 (Liiga)	52	5	8	13	8	11	6	118	9.27

Jurmo has had a weird stretch. He’s been scratched recently and when he has played, he hasn’t played a ton.

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	43	12	16	28	23	18	14	98	25.95
2022-23 (ECHL)	38	17	20	37	31	25	21	117	22.36

Kerins was scratched once this week, but he also registered an assist when he did play. He’s definitely a good AHLer, but he needs to be in an offensive-oriented line in order to be at his most effective.

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	47	13	18	31	25	23	17	126	26.29
2022-23 (AHL)	60	13	12	25	18	16	11	103	16.61

Klapka had five points in three games, including three points against Tucson on Tuesday evening.

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	34	7	9	16	9	12	8	64	10.80
2022-23 (NCAA)	37	7	11	18	12	10	7	67	13.28

Koumontzis continues to be a pretty solid depth forward in the ECHL.

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	49	5	7	12	9	11	8	73	9.76
2022-23 (AHL)	63	5	14	19	11	19	11	65	12.02

Kuznetsov had an assist over three games.

Jaden Lipinski – C, Vancouver Giants, WHL
 

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
Season to date	59	17	38	55	36	25	15	154	23.09
2022-23 (WHL)	66	19	32	51	36	35	23	152	19.14

Lipinski had six points in three games this week, and now he has more points this season than last. Progression!

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 is injured and didn’t play this week.

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 and didn’t play this week.

Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL
 

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
Season to date	49	9	32	41	26	17	11	163	19.49
2022-23 (QMJHL)	67	21	51	72	47	34	21	213	25.03

Morin had no points this week.

Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

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

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	26	3	3	6	6	6	6	29	9.20
2022-23 (ECHL)	40	13	20	33	21	22	15	97	18.94

Nikolaev was scratched for all three games this week.

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	4	2	1	3	3	1	1	18	29.89
2022-23 (AHL)	35	16	21	37	32	18	14	92	42.13

Pelletier is in the NHL.

Emilio Pettersen – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL
 

23; Calgary’s sixth round pick (167th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; 20th-ranked prospect
 

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	53	7	23	30	23	19	13	80	22.56
2022-23 (AHL)	61	19	25	44	35	35	29	118	28.75

Pettersen left Sunday’s game after an awkward collision, but he was back for Tuesday’s game in Tucson. He’s one of two Wranglers to play every game this season, along with Ben Jones.

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	6	1	6	7	2	4	2	10	46.49
2022-23 (AHL)	69	9	32	41	20	21	13	172	23.68

Poirier returned on Sunday after being out since late October, when he suffered a nasty arm laceration when his arm collided with a skate blade. He hasn’t hit the scoresheet yet and is still finding his rhythm on the ice.

Topi Rönni – C, Tappara Tampere, Liiga/SM-sarja U20/CHL
 

19; Calgary’s second round pick (59th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 10th-ranked prospect
 

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date (Liiga)	22	1	1	2	1	1	1	18	3.37
Season to date (U20)	18	9	20	29	22	12	12	41	26.42
Season to date (CHL)	6	0	1	1	0	0	1	1	n/a
2022-23 (Liiga)	22	2	3	5	3	5	3	14	8.42

Rönni played once this week and didn’t hit the scoresheet.

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	47	14	14	28	21	19	13	85	23.74
2022-23 (AHL)	70	14	18	32	20	16	10	118	18.22

Schwindt continues to be on a nice little run since being sent down by the Flames. He had three points this week, including the overtime winner over Tucson on Tuesday.

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	38	3	7	10	6	9	6	76	10.49
2022-23 (AHL)	68	4	14	18	9	16	8	82	10.55

Solovyov is injured.

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	49	3	12	15	12	9	8	53	12.20
2022-23 (SHL)	45	3	5	8	6	6	5	31	8.69

Strömgren had three points this week. He’s played well enough to stay in the lineup consistently, but he’s seemed to find his confidence making offensive plays in the second half of the season.

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	31	12	13	25	19	16	12	84	25.99
2022-23 (BCHL)	50	45	45	90	73	47	40	–	11.81

Suniev had three points – a goal and two assists – in an overtime win on Saturday over UMass Lowell.

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 complete.

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	13	757	.912
2022-23 (NCAA)	19	1104	.912

Sergeev started on Friday and picked up an overtime win for UConn over Northeastern.

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	33	1909	.924
2022-23 (AHL)	55	3239	.932

Wolf started once, and was in net as the Wranglers frittered away a four goal lead and lost 5-4 on Friday. He backed up on Sunday and Tuesday, presumably to get him a bit of a reset after a tough outing (and also because Oscar Dansk was really good on Sunday against Colorado and earned another start against Tucson).

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

MHK Dynamo enjoyed their playoff bye this week. They’re back in action this weekend, likely with Yegorov starting the playoffs as backup.