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NHL Notebook: Former Flame Calle Järnkrok signs three-year deal in Sweden

Ryley Delaney — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 00:30:12 GMT

A former Calgary Flame is heading back to Europe.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Swedish Hockey League’s Bryäs IF announced that Calle Järnkrok signed a three-year deal that expires after the 2028-29 season.

Välkommen hem, Calle Järnkrok

Brynäs IF kan idag meddela att Calle Järnkrok efter 13 säsonger i Nordamerika vänder hem till Gävle för spel i Brynäs IF igen. Den 34-årige centern har skrivit på ett 3-årskontrakt som sträcker sig över säsongen 28/29. pic.twitter.com/sX292k1Mde

— Brynäs IF (@Brynas) August 31, 2026

This essentially ends the Swede’s career in the National Hockey League, as he’s set to turn 35 at the end of September. Drafted 51st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2010 played 13 seasons in the NHL, scoring 143 goals and 316 points. His career-best season came in 2022-23 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 20 goals and 39 points.

Just a year before, Järnkrok had a brief stop with the Flames. Acquired for three picks ahead of the 2022 deadline, the Swede mustered just four points in 17 regular season games, then a goal and four points in 12 post-season games. One of those picks were acquired in return for Sam Bennett, making Järnkrok a part of that trade tree which continues since Aydar Suniev is in the organization.

Most of Järnkrok’s NHL career was spent with the Nashville Predators, amassing 94 goals and 211 points in 508 games. He was part of the team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but eventually lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Järnkrok does have his name on a championship though, as he won the Swedish Hockey League’s title in 2011-12.

Stars planning to broadcast games on Amazon Prime

According to a report written by AllDlls’s Sam Nestler, the Dallas Stars plan to broadcast at least some of their games on Amazon Prime, something that the Kraken are doing for the 2026-27 season.

Although only the Kraken and Stars would have their games regularly hosted on Prime, the streaming service has become a player in the hockey broadcast market over the past few years.

The service has hosted Canadian team match-ups on Monday evenings for the past two seasons, but will get rights to games on Wednesday starting this season. Prime will also host two first-round playoff match-ups and one second-round playoffs series over what is a 12-year contract.

Prime’s broadcast schedule has yet to be released, but the Flames are set to play nine games on Wednesday this coming season.

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

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20 Days, 20 Questions: Can Dustin Wolf’s numbers bounce back in 2026-27?

Ryan Pike — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:00:09 GMT

A couple years back, the Calgary Flames had one of their top prospects debut as a full-time National Hockey League player. That player, goaltender Dustin Wolf, had a superb rookie campaign and back-stopped the Flames to within a tiebreaker of qualification for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

On a personal level, Wolf received tons of accolades for his performance. He was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy and the unanimous goaltender selection for the All-Rookie Team. He also received votes for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltener and the Hart Trophy as the player most valuable to his team. As a rookie. Suffice it to say, his first full NHL season was an unbridled success, and the Flames’ “goaltender of the future” became the goaltender of their present.

His sophomore year was more challenging.

The Flames struggled to score, so their in-game margins were razor-thin. The team, as a group, became victims of what former general manager Brad Treliving used to term “the big mistake,” and consequently Wolf – and backup Devin Cooley – were often deluged with a flurry of strong chances early in games. The club’s defensive underlyings dropped across the board from 2024-25 to 2025-26, according to Natural Stat Trick. (Goaltending expert Kevin Woodley spoke with our Daily Faceoff Vancouver colleagues awhile back and noted how impressive Calgary’s goaltending performances were when considering the team’s defensive foibles.)

The Flames went from being an average defensive team to being bottom-10 in many five-on-five defensive metrics. Expected goals against per 60 jumped from 2.51 to 2.67. Scoring chances against per 60 went from 26.95 to 28.51. High-danger chances against per 60 went from 10.99 to 11.82. And Wolf’s personal five-on-five save percentage went from .926 to .903. Wolf went from being top 10 among NHL starters in most metrics to being fairly average in most metrics, and in some a bit below average.

Can Wolf’s numbers bounce back in 2026-27?

Well, that’s more or less asking if the Flames can be a more structured, predictable defensive team this coming season. They’re returning much of the same group, and adding Jacob Middleton and Simon Nemec to the mix. There may be a bit challenging evenings as the team leans on Zayne Parekh and Nemec and deals with their defensive growing pains over the year, but we don’t necessarily expect changes that would upend the defensive group the way Andersson and Weegar’s departures did in 2025-26.

In other words: Wolf’s numbers will probably recover somewhat in 2026-27 from 2025-26’s performance, but it’s unclear how much of a bounce-back we’ll see given the team remains a work-in-progress in terms of the roster overhaul.

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Monday Mailbag: Closing out August with reader questions!

Ryan Pike — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:00:30 GMT

Pals, we’re into the very last days of the month of August. Several Calgary Flames prospects have hit the ice across European and Canadian major junior hockey. Several more will join them in a couple weeks when prospects training camp begins here in Calgary.

As we prepare for the frenzy of activity that will come in September, let’s dive into the mailbag!

My friend @geomcnary thinks Carels draws into the lineup this year, but I disagree. What do you believe his development path to be?

— Bryson (@BrysonCGY) August 30, 2026

Well, Carson Carels has already reported to college and the plan is for him to, well, play a full year of college and chase a national championship with Cole Reschny. But he told the assembled media at development camp that he’s aiming to sign after one year in college. And unless he struggles in college, we suspect that he’ll make his NHL debut either at the very end of the 2026-27 NHL season… or to kick off 2027-28.

The Flames are really excited about Carels and nothing we’ve seen from him this summer, whether at development camp or the World Junior Summer Showcase, has thrown the brakes on that quite yet.

How do you think the Babcock experiment ends for Oilers. I don’t think it will go well.

— Aspiring for an unhurried life (@Toooldyyc) August 30, 2026

It really feels like Mike Babcock is here for a short period of time to try to get the Edmonton Oilers over the hump. A lot of things will need to go right for the Oilers for them to return to the Stanley Cup Final, and anything short of a parade next June will be seen as a failure. It’s a challenging spot for any coach to be placed into, let along one with Babcock’s ample baggage.

Who are you most excited to see play this year on the Flames?

— Aspiring for an unhurried life (@Toooldyyc) August 30, 2026

After how well he played to close out the 2025-26 campaign, I’m really excited to see Zayne Parekh’s sophomore NHL season.

What are realistic point totals to expect for Parekh this season, assuming top 4 and 2nd unit PP minutes? Is less than 30pts a 'failure to launch"?

— kingcambie (@kingcambie) August 30, 2026

After the trade deadline, Zayne Parekh posted eight points in 20 games. Over an 84 game season, that’s the equivalent of a 33 point effort. Based on Parekh’s skillset and role, let’s hope for somewhere in the 30-35 point range for Parekh in 2026-27.

Ryan, just a best hypothetical guess pls. Let’s say the Jets trade Hellebuyck and target Cooley to tandem with Sninner. What could the Flames ask for in return given his season last year and the Flames goaltending department reputation for making players better. Thanks!

— Big Daddy (@bigdaddybustard) August 30, 2026

Right now, I don’t see the Flames moving Devin Cooley anytime soon. Arsenii Sergeev, their ostensible number three, is promising but having Cooley right now gives the Flames some runway to build him up. They do not need to rush anybody and I think they see how building up Dustin Wolf turned out and think it’s the right approach for goaltenders.

If you were to move Cooley, getting a second or third-round pick back would probably fit the bill. He’s cost controlled and quite good, even if he hasn’t yet put up the body of work to be a definitive starter at the NHL level.

Is the roof complete on the new arena?

— Derek (@KohutD) August 30, 2026

Scotia Place’s roof is not 100% complete as of Saturday morning. There’s still a bit of a gap in the middle, but we suspect it’ll be all closed up before too long.

What’s your way to early 2027-28 opening night roster? Would be interesting to see how players like wyttenbach and reschny slot in

— hadhockey (@hadhockey13) August 30, 2026

This is very tentative, and built assuming that there are no trades of incumbent roster players… but that the Flames part ways with all of their upcoming unrestricted free agents:

Gridin – Reschny – Coronato
Huberdeau – Potter – Wyttenbach
Honzek – Backlund – Farabee
Zary – Gross – Sharangovich
(Klapka/Pospisil)

Bahl – Nemec
Carels – Parekh
Kuznetsov – Whitecloud
(Middleton)

Wolf
Cooley

It is admittedly very prospect-heavy, and I’m not in love with that fourth line. I really like how the defensive group is starting to shape up, though.

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FN’s 2026 Flames summer prospect rankings – the individual lists and conclusion

Ryan Pike — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:00:37 GMT

Every summer since 2015, we here at FlamesNation have compiled our annual Calgary Flames prospects rankings.

In the dozen instalments of our voting, this was easily the toughest on our voting panel. Depending on how you want to define it, the Flames began their rebuilding process either with the trade of Elias Lindholm to Vancouver in January 2024 or with their trade of MacKenzie Weegar to Utah in March 2026. Whichever way you want to define it, the Flames have been accumulating young talent – via trade, college free agency and the entry draft – for much of Craig Conroy’s tenure.

And the result of that accumulation has been the Flames boasting one of the top prospect groups in the National Hockey League.

And a lot of anxiety on our end when it came to determining who the best of the current prospect group is.

We suspect Conroy and his hockey operations group will continue to make our balloting difficult in the next little while as they keep adding to their impressive young group.

Let’s dig into how we went through this year’s rankings.

The top 20

We had nine voters involved from our writing and show staff: myself, Mike Gould, Robert Munnich, Adrian Kiss, Paige Humphrey, Ryley Delaney, Flash Stevens, Paige Siewert and Ryan Pinder. Those voters were tasked with sifting through the Flames’ 38 eligible prospect and determining their personal top 20 list. (What constituted a “top prospect” was left deliberately vague and up to each voter’s interpretation, but each player had to be eligible to win the Calder Trophy in 2026-27 to be eligible for selection for this list.)

With each ballot submitted, we assigned 20 points to every prospect ranked No. 1 on each individual ballot and a single point for each No. 20-ranked prospect (and divided up as such for the in-between spots). The individual ballots were aggregated into the overall master list.

10 honourable mention prospects didn’t receive any top 20 votes and were allocated zero points towards their final ranking: Michael Benning, Daniil Chechelev, Simon Katolicky, Aidan Lane, Bode Laylin, Jakob Leander, Jaden Lipinski, Cade Littler, Yan Matveiko and Luke Misa.

Axel Hurtig received one point. Joe Iginla and Rory Kerins both received two points. Trevor Hoskin received four points. Egor Barabanov, William Strömgren and Yegor Yegorov each received eight points. Abram Wiebe received 16 points and finished just outside of the top 20.

Here’s how the top 20 came together:

RANK	PROSPECT	POINTS	CHANGE FROM 2025
1	Carson Carels	180	New
2	Cole Reschny	166	None
3	Ethan Wyttenbach	165	Up from 20
T4	Samuel Honzek	142	Up from 11
T4	Cullen Potter	142	Up from 5
6	Jack Hextall	133	New
7	Henry Mews	118	Down from 6
8	Aydar Suniev	109	Up from 9
9	Tobias Trejbal	108	New
10	Theo Stockselius	104	Up from 12
11	Andrew Basha	88	Down from 8
12	Chase Harrington	86	New
13	Tyson Gross	54	New
14	Jonathan Castagna	52	New
15	Mace’o Phillips	46	Up from HM
16	Alan Shaikhlislamov	45	New
17	Kirill Zarubin	38	Up from 18
T18	Eric Jamieson	24	Up from HM
T18	Arsenii Sergeev	24	Down from 14
20	Max Curran	17	New

Five members of the Flames’ 2026 draft class made this year’s top 20: Carson Carels (1st), Jack Hextall (6th), Tobias Trejbal (9th), Chase Harrington (12th) and Alan Shaikhlislamov (16th).

From our 2025 rankings, we saw the graduation of Zayne Parekh (No. 1), Hunter Brzustewicz (No. 3), Matvei Gridin (No. 4) and Yan Kuznetsov (No. 19). Jacob Battaglia (No. 7) was traded to the New York Rangers and Etienne Morin (No. 10) was traded to the New Jersey Devils, while Ilya Solovyov (No. 17) was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche. Luke Misa (No. 13), Rory Kerins (No. 15) and William Stromgren (No. 16) remain in the system, but didn’t crack the Top 20.

The 2026 top 20 features three goaltenders, four defencemen and 13 forwards. In terms of nationalities, the list contains eight Canadians, four Russians, four Americans, two Czechs, one Slovak and one Swede.

Individual lists

10 of our contributors submitted individual lists for the 2026 rankings. Here’s the breakdown:

RANK	PIKE	GOULD	ROBERT	ADRIAN	PAIGE H.	RYLEY	FLASH	PAIGE S.	PINDER
1	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels	Carels
2	Reschny	Reschny	Wyttenbach	Reschny	Wyttenbach	Wyttenbach	Reschny	Wyttenbach	Reschny
3	Potter	Wyttenbach	Reschny	Wyttenbach	Reschny	Reschny	Wyttenbach	Honzek	Wyttenbach
4	Wyttenbach	Honzek	Hextall	Potter	Honzek	Hextall	Mews	Reschny	Mews
5	Honzek	Potter	Honzek	Mews	Hextall	Potter	Honzek	Hextall	Potter
6	Hextall	Hextall	Potter	Hextall	Potter	Honzek	Potter	Suniev	Zarubin
7	Suniev	Trejbal	Mews	Honzek	Suniev	Stockselius	Stockselius	Potter	Trejbal
8	Harrington	Mews	Suniev	Suniev	Stockselius	Suniev	Basha	Mews	Honzek
9	Basha	Stockselius	Stockselius	Trejbal	Trejbal	Mews	Trejbal	Trejbal	Shaikhlislamov
10	Trejbal	Suniev	Trejbal	Stockselius	Basha	Harrington	Hextall	Stockselius	Hextall
11	Stockselius	Basha	Basha	Harrington	Harrington	Trejbal	Harrington	Gross	Basha
12	Mews	Harrington	Harrington	Basha	Gross	Phillips	Jamieson	Castagna	Suniev
13	Castagna	Shaikhlislamov	Gross	Shaikhlislamov	Castagna	Gross	Shaikhlislamov	Harrington	Yegorov
14	Gross	Zarubin	Phillips	Gross	Mews	Castagna	Suniev	Basha	Stockselius
15	Curran	Phillips	Jamieson	Phillips	Phillips	Basha	Phillips	Zarubin	Harrington
16	Zarubin	Gross	Castagna	Castagna	Shaikhlislamov	Jamieson	Barabanov	Sergeev	Curran
17	Sergeev	Wiebe	Shaikhlislamov	Wiebe	Wiebe	Zarubin	Castagna	Phillips	Castagna
18	Wiebe	Sergeev	Sergeev	Jamieson	Sergeev	Curran	Sergeev	Stromgren	Stromgren
19	Phillips	Castagna	Kerins	Sergeev	Stromgren	Hoskin	Iginla	Curran	Barabanov
20	Barabanov	Hoskin	Wiebe	Zarubin	Jamieson	Sergeev	Curran	Hurtig	Hoskin

Every single voter had Carson Carels in top spot. From there, there was a pretty decent amount of variation – even at the top! Cole Reschny and Ethan Wyttenbach were second, third or fourth for voters. Sam Honzek, coming off an injury-shortened NHL season, was between third and eighth. Cullen Potter, coming off a longer injury-shortened NCAA season, was between third and seventh.

We saw a ton of differences of opinion as we went down the list, especially with players like Andrew Basha (between ninth and 15th), Theo Stockselius (between ninth and 14th) and Alan Shaikhlislamov (between ninth and outside the top 20). It’s a pretty clear testament to just how many interesting prospects are in the system these days; some players that fell outside the top 10 would’ve been there in prior years, and some players that fell outside the top 20 would’ve made it in prior years.

For the record: my pick for our annual “prospect that fell outside our top 20 that made us look silly afterwards” is Simon Katolicky.

As always, your mileage may vary, and we’re excited to hear what you think in the comments.

Some thank yous

As individuals and as a group, we watch a ton of hockey around here. But when it comes to many of the Flames’ prospects, we don’t see them as often as some others do. As such, we’re really appreciative of our friends throughout the hockey community who generously shared their insights about several of the Flames’ top young players.

In no particular order, let us gratefully plug the work of:

Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff
Derek Neumeier, Linc Zdancewicz and Brock Otten of McKeen’s Hockey
Dylan Griffing of Elite Prospects
Anthony Dillett of the Dakota Student
Alex Swift of the Arizona State Press
Sophie Matthews of the Michigan Daily
Felicity Harding of the University Chronicle
Jane McNally of the Cornell Daily Sun
Nick Allen of the Denver Clarion
Marcus Antonelli of The Beacon

Considering the sheer volume of college prospects that the Flames have, we suspect that we’ll be checking in with several of these talented writers in the coming months.

Which Flames prospect are you most excited to see in 2026-27? Let us know in the comments!

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7 free agents the Flames should target for 2026-27 professional try-outs

Ryley Delaney — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 12:00:38 GMT

The 2026-27 season will be a tough one for the Calgary Flames.

This past season was the first real rebuilding season for the Flames, after narrowly missing the playoffs in 2024-25. After 82 games, the Flames finished with the fourth-fewest points, yet dropped to the sixth overall pick. Expect much of the same in 2026-27 when that kicks off in a month.

The 2026-27 Flames are going to be a young team. Young players like Matvei Gridin, Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz, Matt Coronato and Connor Zary will play bigger roles, while Šimon Nemec will play his first season with the organization.

A rebuilding team has a tight rope to balance. Too many young players, and a team will never figure it out. Take the early 2010s Edmonton Oilers as a prime example. Even after three consecutive first overall picks and a lot of promising young talent, the Oilers were a basement-dwelling team until they lucked out and landed Connor McDavid.

On the other hand, the current day San Jose Sharks are a good example of a rebuild done right. Bottom out, acquire veterans, and build for the future. They’ll be in the post-season in a year or two.

With training camp right around the corner, there are a handful of enticing veterans still available in free agency. Signing one or two of them to a professional tryout not only gives the young core another leader, but gives the Flames the potential to flip those players ahead of the 2027 trade deadline.

Let’s look at some players the Flames should consider giving a professional tryout.

Vladimir Tarasenko

The best free agent remaining on the market is two-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko. It’s a bit of a surprise considering the Russian winger scored 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games last season, up from 11 goals and 33 points in 2023-24.

While it seems unlikely Tarasenko will sign a PTO since he’s still a capable middle-six scoring option, he has headed north before to rebuild his stock. Before the 2023-24 season, the Russian signed with the Ottawa Senators, who were still seeking their first playoff appearance since 2017.

Tarasenko went on to score 17 goals and 24 points in 57 games before being traded to the Florida Panthers, earning his second Stanley Cup. Funnily enough, the Senators used one of those picks to select Nemec’s younger brother Adam.

If Tarasenko doesn’t sign before training camp, perhaps he’ll join the Flames to rebuild his stock. For the Flames, they’ll bring in some leadership, before flipping him to a contender before the trade deadline.

Eeli Tolvanen

Eeli Tolvanen has a similar case as Tarasenko. The Finn was somewhat productive with the Seattle Kraken in 2025-26, scoring 12 goals and 36 points in 78 games. That said, his goal scoring was down from the previous season when he scored 23 goals and 35 points in 81 games.

The winger turned 27 years old in April and scored 16 or more goals in his first three seasons with the Kraken, including 16 in 48 games after being claimed off waivers in 2022-23.

Signing him would be mutually beneficial for both parties. He’d get top six playing time on the Flames, while also factoring into their power play. Signing with the Flames (although unlikely to be a PTO) would allow Tolvanen to rebuild his stock before being flipped before the trade deadline.

Michael Bunting

Michael Bunting is another player who may end up signing a guaranteed contract before the start of the season. While unlikely to sign a PTO, he’s a player the Flames should at least have some interest in like they did Anthony Mantha back in 2024-25.

Since breaking onto the scene with the Toronto Maple Leafs back in 2021-22, Bunting has scored double-digit goals in all five seasons. In fact, he scored 10 goals in 21 games with the Arizona Coyotes back in 2020-21. The 30-year-old is a middle-six scoring option who also gets under players’ skin.

He, like Tarasenko and Tolvanen, could use the Flames to rebuild his stock. Last season, he scored just 14 goals and 33 points in 74 games, his lowest totals since becoming an NHL regular in 2021-22.

Bunting has been traded the last three trade deadlines, including last season when the Nashville Predators sent him to the contending Dallas Stars for a 2026 third-rounder. Every pick matters in a rebuild.

David Perron

David Perron hasn’t retired just yet. If he plays in 2026-27, it’ll be his 20th season in the National Hockey League. If he signs with the Flames, it’d be his eighth team since breaking into the league all the way back in 2007-08.

The Sherbrooke native has remained rather productive in his late 30s, amassing 13 goals and 28 points in 65 games last season. Most of his season was spent with the Senators, but he was traded to the Detroit Red Wings before the trade deadline for a fourth-round pick. It doesn’t sound like much, but Ethan Wyttenbach was selected in the fifth-round. You never know.

Thanks to playing for nearly two decades, Perron also brings leadership, something the Flames could use in 2026-27.

James van Riemsdyk

Perron joined another long-time NHL’er James van Riemsdyk after the trade deadline. Like Perron, van Riemsdyk had a productive 2025-26 season despite being on the wrong side of 30. Over 72 games, he scored 15 goals and 31 points, finishing seventh in points on the Original Six team.

The Middletown, New Jersey product has remained a steady scoring presence throughout his career, scoring 10 or more goals in all 17 of his seasons. On top of that, Reimsdyk has played just 11 playoff games since 2020, mainly serving as a scoring veteran on teams vying for a wild card spot.

Despite playing on weaker teams the last few seasons, van Riemsdyk has been traded just once in career, all the way back in the summer of 2012. He’s not someone who has been flipped by a rebuilding team, but he does offer a veteran presence with a scoring touch.

Logan Stanley

There are also two defencemen worth noting. The first is Logan Stanley, who was selected 18th overall by the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016.

Standing at 6’7”, the left-shot defenceman already blew by career-highs in his 59 games with the Jets, potting nine goals and 21 points. Before the trade deadline, Stanley was traded to the Buffalo Sabres, where he picked up five more assists for nine goals and 26 points.

He’s not a perfect defenceman, likely slotting into a third-pairing role. That said, Stanley is a good option to eat some minutes while rebuilding his stock.

Carson Soucy

Another defenceman of note is Carson Soucy, a left-shot defenceman from Viking, Alberta. He’s your typical minute munching defenceman, scoring just five goals and 12 points in 76 games last season. It’s been a while since he scored a career-high 10 goals back in 2021-22.

Soucy has been traded the last two trade deadlines, with both teams trading him acquiring a third-round pick in the upcoming draft.

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

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A Flame from the Past: Frank Musil

Ryley Delaney — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 00:30:49 GMT

Do you remember Frank Musil?

Every once in a while, we take a look at a player who once played for the Calgary Flames in a series called “A Flame From the Past.” This player has to have played a significant number of games for the Flames. I’ll put every Flames’ season into a Wheel of Names, and this time, it landed on the 1990-91 season. In this article, we’ll look at Frank Musil.

Musil was born in Pardubice, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia) in late 1964. The defenceman began his professional career with TJ Pardubice, playing in two games during the 1980-81 season. He became a regular in 1981-82, scoring a goal and four points, then a goal and three points in 33 games in 1982-83.

His performance led to the Minnesota North Stars selecting him 38th overall in the 1983 draft. But due to Czechoslovakia being a part of the Soviet Union, the defenceman didn’t come state side to begin the 1986-87 season. In the meantime, Musil played one more season with TJ Pardubice where he scored four goals and 12 points.

Musil’s final two seasons in Europe before defecting for North America was with ASD Dukla Jihlava, also in Czechoslovakia. In 1984-85, he scored four goals and 10 points, then four goals and 11 points in 34 games.

His first season came with the North Stars in 1986-87, where he scored two goals and 11 points in 72 games. That was followed up by a career-high nine goals and 17 points in 1987-88. Musil’s production continued to improve, scoring one goal and 20 points in 55 games in 1988-89, along with a goal and two points in five post-season games.

The defenceman’s final full season with the North Stars was in 1989-90, scoring two goals and 10 points in 56 games, while being held pointless in four playoff games. Musil began the 1990-91 season with the North Stars, picking up two assists in eight games, but was traded in October 1990 to the Flames for Brian Glynn.

Playing 67 games with the Flames to end 1990-91, Musil scored seven goals and 21 points, giving him a career-high of 23 points. Musil remained productive the next two seasons, scoring four goals and 12 points in 78 games in 1991-92, then six goals and 16 points in 75 games in 1992-93

The defenceman’s play dipped in 1993-94, scoring a goal and nine points in 75 games. For the third time in four seasons since joining the team, the Flames were eliminated in the first round. After the 1994-95 lockout ended, Musil picked up five assists in 35 games, but the Flames fell to the San Jose Sharks in seven.

That off-season, Musil was traded to the Ottawa Senators. He scored a goal and four points in 65 games in 1995-96, then five assists in 56 games in 57. Musil was traded for the third time in his career, this time during the 1997-98 season. After playing all of the season in the minors, the Senators traded him to a fellow Canadian team, the Edmonton Oilers.

Musil returned to the NHL to end the 1997-98 season, scoring a goal and three points in 17 games, while being held pointless in seven playoff games. The defenceman played 39 games in 1998-99 with the Oilers, picking up three assists while also playing one post-season game. He didn’t play in 1999-2000, before playing 13 more games with the Oilers where he picked up two assists.

The defenceman played three regular season games with HC Dukla Jihlava in Czechia’s second tier, picking up an assist and amassing 54 penalty minutes. Musil went on to play 13 playoff games that season, his games as a player.

Post-career, Musil joined the Oilers as a scout. During that time, the Flames’ geographical rival selected Musil’s son David, who played in four NHL games with the Oilers in 2014-15. David returned to Europe before the 2017-18 season, winning Czechia’s trophy three times with Trinec Ocelari HC.

As for Frank, he has served as a scout for the Buffalo Sabres since 2017-18, a role he still occupies to this day.

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

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NHL Notebook: Kevin Korchinski signs two-year contract with Blackhawks

Ryley Delaney — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:00:46 GMT

One of the Chicago Blackhawks’ younger players has signed a bridge deal.

On Saturday afternoon, the Original Six team announced that Kevin Korchinski signed a two-year deal worth $2.65 million, which carries a cap hit of $1.325 million.

KEVIN‼️‼️

📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/6yBfmSnAov pic.twitter.com/TZpo1hHklu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 29, 2026

Korchinski, born in Saskatoon, was drafted seventh overall by the Blackhawks in the 2022 draft. He returned to the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds for the following season, helping the team win the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

The left-shot defenceman played all of the 2023-24 season in the National Hockey League, scoring five goals and 15 points in 76 games. However, his past two seasons have been mainly spent with the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League affiliate team, the Rockford IceHogs.

Korchinski played just 16 games with the Blackhawks in 2024-25, then another 13 games with the rebuilding team in 2025-26. His production in the AHL has been solid though, scoring five goals and 53 points in 109 games the past two seasons.

With the Blackhawks still projected to be a team near the bottom of the standings, Korchinski should be ready to become a full-time NHL’er in 2026-27.

Canucks sign Chris Driedger to professional try out

On Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they’ve signed netminder Chris Driedger to a professional tryout.

General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the #Canucks have signed goaltender Chris Driedger to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement and hired Sean Finn as an Amateur Scout.

DETAILS | https://t.co/lkHAyFXxrt pic.twitter.com/vOKHaJx9zz

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) August 27, 2026

It’s the third one that has been given out so far this off-season, as the Calgary Flames reportedly signed Alex Nylander to one last week, while the Washington Capitals gave one to netminder Cal Petersen. Both of which came on Tuesday.

Driedger is a Winnipeg, Manitoba product who was drafted by the Ottawa Senators all the way back in 2012. He played one game in each of the 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17 seasons, with his first real taste of NHL action coming with the Florida Panthers in 2019-20. (He played much of his junior hockey with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.)

Over 12 games, the netminder posted a .938 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average with his first career shutout. That earned him the Panthers’ backup job in 2020-21, where he finished with a .927 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average over 23 games.

Driedger was one of three players signed by the Seattle Kraken before the 2021 expansion draft. Serving as their backup, he finished with an .899 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average in 27 games. Those games, aside from two with the Kraken in 2023-24, turned out to be his last real taste of NHL action.

The 32-year-old spent three seasons in the AHL before playing his 2025-26 season with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Traktor Chelyabinsk. Over 23 games, he had an .897 save percentage and 3.05 goals against average.

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

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20 Days, 20 Questions: Can Connor Zary carve out a consistent role in 2026-27?

Ryan Pike — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 18:00:39 GMT

Way back in 2020, the Calgary Flames selected a talented, versatile young forward from the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers in the first round. Since their selection of Connor Zary in 2020, he’s managed to impress at the American Hockey League level and become an NHL regular.

But nearly 200 games into his NHL tenure, we’re still not entirely clear on what Zary’s long-term role will be with the Flames. Can the 2026-27 season bring any clarity for Zary’s role and future?

Zary broke into the NHL a month into the 2023-24 season. The Flames had gotten off to a lousy start and management decided to shake things up, bringing up Zary and Martin Pospisil, both of whom were off to pretty good starts with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Zary and Pospisil spent much of the rest of the season as Nazem Kadri’s wingers, and “Kadri and the Kids” turned into a pretty effective trio for the hockey club.

The following season, 2024-25, Zary kinda bounced around all over the place. He was a winger sometimes – with Mikael Backlund/Blake Coleman and Kadri/Pospisil – but also sometimes a centre – with Yegor Sharangovich/Jakob Pelletier and Jonathan Huberdeau/Coleman. And sometimes he was on a checking line, like with Backlund’s trio, and sometimes he was supposed to generate offence. Oh, and he suffered two pretty scary knee injuries during the season that derailed his momentum in the second half of the season.

In 2025-26, Zary spent some time with Backlund/Coleman and Kadri/Joel Farabee… but he also found himself, at times, in the fourth line mix. He never regained the momentum he had in the first half of 2024-25, and by the end of the season, his role with the Flames seemed in flux.

Over the past two seasons there were always completely fair reasons to move Zary around the lineup, as he’s a player whose skillset can fill holes in all sorts of parts of the lineup. But it’s not clear if it was the ideal thing for the development of a talented young forward.

Can Zary play centre? Sure. Can he play the wing? Sure. And that versatility can be helpful to the team, and to the player, if his game has a distinct identity to it. But Zary hasn’t quite carved out a clear identity to his game yet, and so the variability in position and line has led to a variability in performance. Simply put: it would really benefit Zary, and the Flames, if they choose a lane for Zary, stick to it, and allow him to become really, really good at that specific role.

Zary’s a smart player. He’s a talented player. He’s someone that can really benefit an NHL club. But he won’t be able to do that consistently without a consistent job description.

Here’s hoping he gets a clear, distinct role defined in 2026-27.

PRESENTED BY NATION GEAR

Who to expect to see (and not) at Flames training camp

Ryan Pike — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:00:33 GMT

Friends, it’s almost September, which means it’s almost time for everyone to regroup after their off-seasons and start training camps across the National Hockey League.

With excitement abound for the upcoming 2026-27 season, we thought we should check in and provide a quick rundown of what players fans can expect to see at Calgary Flames training camp in a few weeks, and which players you should not expect to see at camp.

Who’s not coming to training camp?

Two types of players won’t be at training camp: players who have European club commitments – the European season has already begun – or college students – the school year has already begun.

Players with European or college commitments:

Goaltenders Daniil Chechelev (Buran Vorenezh, VHL), Tobias Trejbal (University of Massachusetts, NCAA) and Yegor Yegorov (Miami University, NCAA)
Defencemen Carson Carels (University of North Dakota, NCAA), Eric Jamieson (University of Denver, NCAA) and Henry Mews (University of Michigan, NCAA)
Forwards Egor Barabanov (University of Massachusetts, NCAA), Max Curran (University of Massachusetts, NCAA), Jack Hextall (Michigan State University, NCAA), Trevor Hoskin (Merrimack College, NCAA), Aidan Lane (Harvard University, NCAA), Jaden Lipinski (University of Maine, NCAA), Cade Littler (Arizona State University, NCAA), Yan Matveiko (Zvezda Moskva, VHL), Luke Misa (Penn State University, NCAA), Cullen Potter (Michigan State University, NCAA) Cole Reschny (University of North Dakota, NCAA), Alan Shaikhlislamov (Tolpar Ufa, MHL), Theo Stockselius (Djurgardens IF, SHL) and Ethan Wyttenbach (Quinnipiac University, NCAA)

Who is eligible to attend prospects training camp?

Training camp is broken into two sections: prospects camp and main camp. Players without much NHL experience tend to start off in prospects camp, and those types of players fall into three main categories.

Players on try-outs that weren’t on an NHL roster for 50+ games in 2025-26:

The Flames will announce these when they announce the camp roster.

Unsigned draft picks playing in the CHL:

Defencemen Bode Laylin (Everett, WHL), Jakob Leander (Calgary, WHL) and Mace’o Phillips (Medicine Hat, WHL)
Forwards Chase Harrington (Spokane, WHL), Joe Iginla (Vancouver, WHL) and Simon Katolicky (Sarnia, OHL)

Signed players who weren’t on an NHL roster for 50+ games in 2025-26:

Goaltenders Arsenii Sergeev and Kirill Zarubin
Defencemen Michael Benning, Hunter Brzustewicz, Andreas Englund, Axel Hurtig, Jake Livingstone and Abram Wiebe
Forwards Andrew Basha, Jonathan Castagna, Matvei Gridin, Tyson Gross, Dryden Hunt, Ben Jones, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton, William Stromgren and Aydar Suniev

It’s worth noting that typically, the Flames don’t bring everyone who’s eligible to prospects training camp; typically they restrict it to players entering their first or second year of pro hockey. More experienced pros generally are given a pass and start when the veterans do a week later.

(Unsigned restricted free agent Brennan Othmann would be eligible to attend training camp on a try-out basis if he’s not under a new contract by the time camp starts – typically, unsigned RFAs don’t come to camp until they’ve hashed out a new contract, though. If/when he signs, he would be eligible to start in prospects camp.)

Who is eligible to attend main training camp?

In addition to everybody mentioned before this – if you’re eligible to attend prospects camp, you’re eligible for main camp, too – here are the players that don’t need to start their seasons any earlier than main camp.

Signed players who were on an NHL roster for 50+ games in 2025-26:

Goaltenders Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf
Defencemen Kevin Bahl, Joel Hanley, Yan Kuznetsov, Jacob Middleton, Simon Nemec, Brayden Pachal, Zayne Parekh and Zach Whitecloud
Forwards Mikael Backlund, Matt Coronato, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Samuel Honzek, Jonathan Huberdeau, Adam Klapka, Martin Pospisil, Yegor Sharangovich, Ryan Strome, Maxim Tsyplakov and Connor Zary

Which players are you most excited to see in training camp? Let us know in the comments!

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FN’s 2026 Flames summer prospect rankings – #1: Carson Carels

Mike Gould — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 14:00:39 GMT

After dropping two spots in the lottery, the Calgary Flames entered the 2026 NHL Draft in possession of the No. 6 overall pick.

The Flames had picked in that spot on five previous occasions since relocating from Atlanta in 1980, and they’d selected a forward each time before. But with the 2026 draft notably replete with defencemen at the very top, it was a no-brainer for the Flames to make Carson Carels the highest-selected rearguard in their history.

Flames fans are going to adore Carels for his physicality and leadership ability. On top of that, he’s a terrific skater with a great stick, and he put up a ton of points in the WHL this past season. Carels was a favourite of our editorial team leading up to the draft, and it should come as no surprise that he ended up as the unanimous No. 1 in our 2026 Flames prospect rankings.

Carson Carels

Defenceman; shoots left
Born June 23, 2008 (age 18) in Cypress River, Manitoba
6’2″, 198 pounds
Drafted in the first round (6th overall) by Calgary in the 2026 NHL Draft

Under Craig Conroy, the Flames have added so many talented young defencemen who shoot right. With Zayne Parekh, Simon Nemec, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Henry Mews, the Flames almost have enough puck-moving righties to fill an entire power-play unit (and, if Brent Sutter were still the coach, they probably would).

Naturally, the Flames have been on the lookout for a top-flite left-shot D prospect to pair with one of those free-wheelers on the right side, and it just so happened that Carels fell to them at No. 6 in this year’s draft. Frankly, it’s entirely possible that Carels would’ve still been Calgary’s guy had they remained at No. 4, their pre-lottery position. He was ranked third among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, and many onlookers — including Daily Faceoff‘s Steven Ellis — viewed him as a top-five talent.

It’s easy to see why the Flames like Carels so much. He’s a Manitoba farm boy who chose to spend draft night at home with his family (and his goats). He’s also remarkably mature for his age, having served as an alternate captain for the WHL’s Prince George Cougars at age 17. And while he isn’t the biggest or strongest defenceman in Calgary’s system, he’s certainly one of the most physical. Carels regularly throws punishing checks both in open ice and along the boards, although that isn’t the only way he can separate opposing players from the puck.

Additionally, Carels is a very composed and technically gifted skater who can advance the puck up the ice in a flash; he’s the kind of player who can kill a play at one end before making a play at the other end. He has strong offensive instincts and a great shot, which helped him to reach the 20-goal mark and also tie Landon DuPont for fourth among WHL defenders with 73 points in 58 games last season. All of these attributes helped him become the youngest player to make Team Canada for the 2026 World Juniors, and one of only three draft-eligibles (the other two being Gavin McKenna and Keaton Verhoeff).

McKeen’s Hockey assistant scouting director Derek Neumeier offered up plenty of praise when we asked him for his thoughts on Carels:

Carels was nothing short of fantastic this season for Prince George. He was an absolute workhorse who always logged a lot of minutes and did the most heavy lifting for his team in all situations, but his play never seemed to falter. I project him as a similar kind of player in the NHL, and that’s the kind of foundational piece that you can build a whole team around. Not only is Carels a great culture fit for the Flames, the argument could even be made that he was the best defence prospect in the 2026 draft.

Expectations for 2026-27

First of all, go ahead and bookmark this page. The top two prospects in our rankings, Carels and Cole Reschny, are slated to play together at the University of North Dakota this year, and you’ll want to keep tabs on their games as the season progresses.

Carels could feasibly suit up for three teams in 2026-27: North Dakota, Canada, and the Flames. He’s set to play his first two NCAA games with the Fighting Hawks on the second weekend in October, travelling two hours east to take on Bemidji State before returning to Ralph Engelstad Arena the following day to complete a home-and-home against the Beavers.

Around the halfway mark of his freshman — and likely only — year at NoDak, Carels will almost certainly come up to Alberta to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors for the second consecutive year. He’s just about as much of a lock to return as anyone, and it’s entirely possible that he and Reschny could both wear letters (especially after they both did at the WJSS last month). Expect Carels to play top-pairing minutes as Canada goes for its first gold since 2023.

From there, Carels will return to Grand Forks for the back half of the season, which could culminate with the Fighting Hawks taking a serious run at an NCHC title — and, if all goes well, earning a berth in the Frozen Four. Depending on how much NoDak achieves in the spring, Carels (and Reschny) may or may not be able to join the Flames in time for their final games at the Saddledome. But whether he arrives in April or October of 2027, Carels will be worth the wait, as he projects as a future No. 1 defenceman who could end up captaining the Flames when they return to contention.

2026 prospect rankings

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