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Ranking the Flames’ dark jerseys: From the classic reds to the pedestals and Blasty

Cynthia Ryley Delaney — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 22:00:13 GMT

At some point this season, the Calgary Flames will introduce a fourth jersey into the rotation.

On Wednesday, all 32 teams posted a cipher in anticipation for the Hometown Remix jerseys. After being decoded, the Flames teaser read “one last ride”, with a gold background. As for the teaser, it’s speculated that it has something to do with the 2026-27 season being the Flames’ final year in the Saddledome.

Over the years, the Flames have had a few iconic jerseys, as well as some duds. In this article, we’ll rank their jerseys over the years, mainly focusing on the darks (including alternates and specials), with one notable exception, as the whites have had minimal changes over the years. We’ll be using the resource NHL Uniforms, an unofficial database that features each team’s jerseys (including the defunct teams) over the years.

Let’s dig in!

10. Black logo Reebok Edge/Adidas Adizero jerseys

My disdain for the introduction of the Reebok Edge jerseys aren’t unique to the Flames. Reebok took over jersey manufacturing for the 2006-07 season, with jerseys remaining unchanged from years prior. However, Reebok Edge was introduced for the 2007-08 season, turning most jerseys across the league into a cookie cutter jersey.

Jan 21, 2009; Calgary, AB, Canada; Calgary Flames right wing Jarome Iginla (12) yells out instructions before a face-off against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Flames weren’t one of the few teams that didn’t suffer this fate. Their beloved jerseys used in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final run were replaced by a busy jersey featuring a red base, black arms, and stripes made up of yellow and white. The Canadian and Albertan flag were introduced on the shoulders, adding even more colours to an already busy jersey.

These were used as their home jerseys throughout Reebok’s deal. Upon Adidas taking over, the jerseys remained essentially the same, becoming the team’s alternates in 2020-21, before being sent to the sun for the 2021-22 season. Let’s hope they never come back.

9. Script jersey

For the 2013-14 season, the Flames introduced an alternate jersey inspired by college jerseys. Featuring a script that read “Calgary” with a small logo underneath, these jerseys were just boring.

And not only were they boring, but the colour on the jersey was overwhelmingly red, similar to their home jerseys at the time. There were some differences, namely the black shoulders and a white stripe with black trim, but these jerseys were just bad.

Dec 31, 2013; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Sean Monahan (23) scores on Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery (29) during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

They lasted until the 2015-2016 season. These ones probably aren’t coming back.

10. Original pedestal jersey

I am a collector of retro and vintage jerseys, so trust me when I say it pains me to put a jersey from the 1990s this low. The pedestal jerseys lasted from the 1994-94 season until the 1999-2000 season. Their jerseys in the 2010s were busy, but these pedestal jerseys took it to a whole new level.

Featuring a red base and a white logo, that’s about the only thing good about these jerseys. The shoulders were white, not a big fan, and the top of the arms featured black tips, a red patch broken up by a small black stripe, then yellow patched trimmed by a thin red strip. It’s not even the biggest complaint about these jerseys.

The pedestal itself is just weird. Many jerseys feature some type of striping at the bottom of the jersey to frame the logo, as is the case with this one. There aren’t many jerseys that feature diagonal striping that puts the logo on a pedestal. It’s unique, but also a weird design.

7. 2022-23 Reverse Retro pedestal jersey

During the Adidas era, teams introduced two retro reverse jerseys. The Flames’ first was a remix of the iconic blasty jersey, the other was a remix of the pedestal jersey.

I’m not going to say this one is good, but it is better than the original pedestal jersey. It still suffers from being busy like the original jersey, but this time around, the 2022-23 reverse retro had a black base with a white logo and red shoulders. The arms still have the alternating colours, but it’s used as striping and trim. This is an upgrade.

Dec 7, 2022; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri (91) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Minnesota Wild during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The issues with the pedestal still remain, it’s just a jarring jersey and is too busy when paired with the striping at the bottom of the jersey. However, it’s not often you’ll see a revival better than the original.

6. 2020-21 Reverse Retro “Blasty” jersey

Two seasons before the revival of the pedestal jersey was the revival of the blasty jersey. Unlike the pedestal jersey, the original blasty jersey could never be beaten by any remix.

In reality, not much changed with this jersey. The main change was the lack of red at the bottom of the jersey and on the arms, with small changes including the collar, and the shoulder patch (red logo on the original, white logo on the reverse retro). Everything else, namely the logo and the base colour of black, remained the same.

Jan 23, 2023; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (11) skates with the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

This jersey was good enough to serve as the Flames’ alternate from the 2021-22 season until just last year. You can’t beat the original blasty, though!

5. 2023 Heritage Classic cream jersey

The Flames have played in three Heritage Classic, an outdoor game played between two Canadian teams. In 2011, they defeated the Montréal Canadiens 4-0. Then in 2019, they fell 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime time. Their most recent Heritage Classic was in 2023, a Battle of Alberta.

I actually like both teams’ jerseys used in this game, the Oilers’ jersey because it featured a unique logo in their franchise history, and the Flames because I’m a huge fan of non-white light jerseys. Instead of white, the base of the Flames’ 2023 Heritage Classic jerseys was cream.

Oct 29, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames centre Jonathan Huberdeau (10) on the ice with Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid (97) during the third period in the 2023 Heritage Classic ice hockey game at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports

The jersey itself was inspired by the jerseys of a minor hockey league team named the Calgary Stampeders, a team that played from the late 1930s until the early 1970s. It featured minimal orange, with the cream being broken up by red striping on the arms, the torso, and the shoulders.

It also featured a unique logo in the team’s catalogue, as the classic Flames’ logo was surrounded by a red circle with “Calgary Flames” written in orange. It’s a solid special jersey, even if it was rarely worn.

4. 2011 Heritage Classic Calgary Tigers jersey

The Flames’ best Heritage Classic jersey was the first, while their 2019 Heritage Classic was essentially just a vintage white jersey. Like the 2023 Heritage Classic, their 2011 Heritage Classic jersey was inspired by a minor league team in the first half of the 1900s, the Calgary Tigers.

It’s been nearly a century since the last Tigers’ game, and the 2011 Heritage Classic was exactly what you’d expect from a team active in the 1920s. The arms featured alternating yellow and red, while the torso and shoulders were mainly red, but with a yellow stripe across the middle where the cream logo sat.

Feb 20, 2011; Calgary, AB, Canada; Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff (34) during their game against the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium. The Flames beat the Canadiens, 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

What makes me like this as much as I do is just the uniqueness of it all. You aren’t going to find another jersey like this in the Flames’ catalog.

3. 2000-07 red jerseys

Now we come to the three jerseys that are iconic. The third-ranked jerseys are the dark jerseys used in the noughties before the Reebok Edge era. Although I’m not a huge fan of the black logo on the Reebok Edge and Adidas jerseys, it just works on these ones.

These jerseys feature a red base, with black at the bottom of the jersey and at the end of the arms. Between the red and the black is a yellow, white, and black stripe to break up the two dominating colours. As a jersey, it’s nice.

But then you have to factor in what the Flames did with the jersey. Everyone remembers their run to the 2004 Stanley Cup, and these were the jerseys that they did it in. These jerseys are so beloved that they’re returning for the 2026-27 season as the team says goodbye to the Saddledome.

2. Original “Blasty” jersey

Around the turn of the millennium, both the Flames and the Dallas Stars featured an alternate with a logo based on a barnyard animal. The Stars based it on a cow, nicknamed by fans as “the Mooterus”. Personally, I love it and I want it for my collection, as well as their homes around this time. On the other hand, the Flames released Blasty, a horse that shoots fire through its freakin’ nose. Enough said.

The original Blasty and the reverse retro only had minor differences. As noted earlier, the original Blasty was dominated by red at the bottom of the jersey and at the end of the arms, while the 2020s Blasty was just black.

Can’t beat the originals.

1. The classics

Some jerseys are just so iconic that a team has to go back to them. Both Albertan-based teams have done just that.

Even before their move to Calgary, the Atlanta Flames featured a red base with yellow dominating the bottom, and a white strip running through the yellow. There have been minor changes over the years, but it was their primary jersey from the Atlanta days until the introduction of the pedestal.

Oct 18, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh (19) controls the puck against Carolina Hurricanes left wing Eric Robinson (50) during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

For a decade, the classics weren’t in the Flames’ rotation, but for the team’s 30th anniversary in 2009-10, the vintages came back in the mix. Aside from the three seasons where the Flames had the college inspired script jerseys and the first year of the Adidas deal, it hasn’t left.

By the 2020-21 season, the classics returned as the main home jersey and it hasn’t changed since. I don’t imagine it will for a long time, the classics are called that for a reason.

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

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Flashback Friday: Flames defeat Red Wings in six during 2004 playoff run

Cynthia Ryley Delaney — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 20:00:58 GMT

With the Calgary Flames’ home jerseys from the early noughties returning this season, it seems fitting to look at the most memorable playoff run in those jerseys, the 2004 playoffs.

More specifically, their series against their upcoming opponent, the Detroit Red Wings. The Flames 2004 run to the Stanley Cup Finals is one of the most memorable runs of the 2000s for any NHL team. Coming in as the sixth-seed, the Flames knocked off the Vancouver Canucks in seven, the Red Wings and San Jose Sharks in six, before falling in seven to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll take a look at how that series went against the Red Wings, the team the Flames play on Saturday.

A back story about the Red Wings

Despite being a team based in the Eastern time zone, the Wings played in the Western Conference. That set up terrific rivalries against the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks.

The Original Six team currently owns the current longest playoff drought in the National Hockey League, but that’s coming off 25 consecutive seasons of making the postseason. From the 1982-83 season until the 2015-16 season, the Wings missed the playoffs twice, and never missed it from 1989-90 until it finally ended a decade ago.

That playoff streak had some classic rivalries. They, the Avalanche, and New Jersey Devils dominated much of the second half of the 1990s and early 2000s, with only the Dallas Stars hoisting the Cup aside from those three teams from 1995 until 2003.

Even after the series loss to the Flames, the Red Wings continued to find success for the second half of the noughties. They won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2006, only to be knocked off in the first round by the eighth-seeded Edmonton Oilers. In 2007, they returned to the Western Conference Finals, before winning it all in 2008, the fourth time since 1997.

After losing to Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, the Red Wings made the second round three times, taking the 2011 Sharks and 2013 Blackhawks to seven games in the second round, before their 25-season playoff streak came to an end in 2015-16.

No team since 1995 has won more Cups than the Red Wings, so the Flames beating the Red Wings in 2004 is a big deal.

The series against the Wings

The Flames’ opening round against the Canucks was a war. Through four games, the teams were split at two wins apiece. In Game 5, the Flames picked up a 2-1 victory to push the third-seeded Canucks to the brink. However, early in triple overtime in Game 6, Brendan Morrison found the back of the net to take up a winner-take-all Game 7.

Of course, that game needed overtime. Iginla scored both goals in regulation, and midway through the third, the Flames took a 2-1 lead. But with six seconds left on the clock, Matt Cooke scored a goal most kids dream of to send it to overtime. It didn’t take long for Martin Gélinas, one of the main characters of this story, to send the Canucks home.

That set up a second-round match-up against the Red Wings.

Opening the scoring in the series was Red Wings’ forward Robert Lang, scoring six minutes into the second period. With about two to play in the middle frame, Robyn Regehr scored to tie it up at one, and since neither team scored in the third, the game went to overtime. There, Flames’ Marcus Nilson was the hero to give them the series lead.

Game 2 was the highest scoring game in the series, and it wasn’t particularly competitive. After neither team scored in the first period, Tomas Holmström opened the scoring for the Red Wings, followed by a pair of goals by Steve Yzerman. Shean Donovan got the Flames on the board, but former Flame Brett Hull put the game away with about five to play in the third. In the end, the Flames fell 5-2 to send the teams to Alberta with the series tied at one.

Neither team scored in the first period of Game 3, shocker, but Lang opened the scoring for the Red Wings early in the second. Just over two minutes later, Stephane Yelle tied it, then Iginla scored about two minutes after that to give the Flames the lead. Red Wings’ Jiří Fischer tied it midway through the second, but Donovan scored his second of the series just 40 seconds later, holding out to be the game-winner.

There was one first period goal scored in this series, and it belonged to Red Wings’ forward Kirk Maltby 26 seconds into Game 4. The Wings extended their lead to 2-0 early in the second, but Gélinas and Ville Nieminen scored two goals 18 seconds apart to tie it at two. In the end, the Red Wings won this game thanks to a game-winner goal midway through the first, followed by an empty net with 24 seconds left. That empty netter turned out to be their final goal of the 2003-04 season.

With the series returning to Michigan, Game 5’s lone goal came with about four minutes left in the second period, as current Flames’ general manager Craig Conroy put the Flames on top. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped all 31 shots he faced, and the Flames had a chance to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals at home.

They did just that thanks again to a 1-0 victory. This time, the goal came late in the first overtime period, as Gélinas yet again sent a team home to send the Flames to the following round.

The rest is history. In the Western Conference Finals, the Flames defeated the Sharks in six, with Gélinas scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 victory. With the Flames up 3-2 in the series, Gélinas’ shot in Game 6 clearly crossed the line, which would’ve put the Flames up 3-2 in the game. It was deemed to have not gone in, and the Flames lost in seven to the Lightning. It should retroactively be changed.

It’s one of just two times the Flames have played the Red Wings in the playoffs, and it may stay that way unless they meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. In 2007, the Flames lost in six, one of 10 straight seasons where they failed to get out of the first round. They’ve yet to make it to the third round since the 2004 post-season, but man, that run is special.

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

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3 Flames prospects are near the top of their leagues in scoring

Ryan Pike — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:00:14 GMT

Pals, while the Calgary Flames are starting to find their footing in the National Hockey League after a rough start, many of their prospects are performing really well.

How well, you ask?

Three prospects are around the league lead in scoring in three separate levels of hockey.

Over in Russia, 2026 second-round pick Alan Shaikhlislamov was tied for the league lead in goals and points in Russia’s Molodezhnaya Khokkeinaya Liga, the top level of junior hockey in that country. But he was called up to the Kontinental Hockey League to provide some injury insurance for Salavat Yulaev Ufa after they were down to 12 healthy forwards. While he’s been gone, he’s slipped out of the outright lead but is still a stone’s throw from top spot.

In college, reigning NCAA leading scorer Ethan Wyttenbach – a 2025 fifth-round selection – is among the country’s leading scorers again. He’s nothing if not consistent. He’s regularly rattling off multi-point efforts, despite the coaching staffs of every other team telling their players “Don’t let #19 get the puck!”

And we’ve discussed Spokane Chiefs captain Chase Harrington, a 2026 second-round pick, quite a lot already. And it’s because he’s been a force to be reckoned with in the Western League so far, also ranking among the top offensive players in that circuit, too.

(We also will toast Ben Jones and William Stromgren, who are both representing the Wranglers well within the top 20 of American Hockey League scoring.)

Onto your stats updates!

Egor Barabanov – C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA

20; Calgary’s fourth round pick (100th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’0″ 175 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	2	1	3	3	2	2	14	9.02
2025-26 (OHL)	68	28	63	91	60	52	35	197	35.44

Barabanov got tossed midway through Saturday’s game between UMass and Northeastern for a spearing major (with came with a game misconduct).

Andrew Basha – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, WHL

20; Calgary’s second round pick (41st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 174 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 11th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	1	1	2	1	0	0	7	11.48
2025-26 (WHL)	32	18	32	50	31	29	20	116	38.69

Basha scored his first goal of the season this week. He’s coincidentally already matched his AHL goal output from last season.

Mike Benning – D, Calgary Wranglers, WHL

24; Florida’s fourth round pick (95th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’9″, 176 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	1	3	4	3	4	3	7	22.96
2025-26 (AHL)	57	8	23	31	23	26	21	112	21.67

Benning had an assist this week. He’s most recently been on a pairing with Hunter Brzustewicz.

Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Calgary Wranglers, WHL

21; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	1	4	5	2	1	0	15	28.70
2025-26 (AHL)	34	4	9	13	9	7	5	75	18.22

Brzustewicz had two assists this week. As noted, he’s now playing with Mike Benning.

Carson Carels, D, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA

18; Calgary’s first round pick (6th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 194 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 1st-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	5	0	3	3	0	0	0	5	14.27
2025-26 (WHL)	58	20	53	73	51	29	24	219	31.17

Carels had three assists this week. Yes, all on the power play, but still assists.

Jonathan Castagna – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Arizona’ third round pick (70th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Utah; 6’2″, 203 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 14th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	2	0	2	2	1	1	3	45.92
2025-26 (NCAA)	33	15	19	36	25	22	13	103	23.66

Castagna is in the NHL.

Max Curran – C/LW, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA

20; Colorado’s fifth round pick (161st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 194 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 20th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0.00
2025-26 (WHL)	31	14	27	41	32	25	20	73	32.75

Curran has primarily been playing the wing for the Minutemen, but they’re dealing with some injuries so it sounds like Curran may be getting shifted back to centre.

Tyson Gross – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; free agent signing; 6’3″, 194 pounds; shoots right; DFO Calgary’s 13th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	3	3	6	4	6	4		34.44
2025-26 (NCAA)	36	18	23	41	33	20	18	92	41.00

Gross continues to chug along rather nicely, posting a goal and two helpers this past week.

Chase Harrington, LW, Spokane Chiefs, WHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (36th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 202 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 12th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	7	8	15	11	11	9	33	26.14
2025-26 (WHL)	61	28	29	57	44	34	28	164	23.14

It was a light schedule for the Chiefs, but Harrington still had two points (in one game).

Jack Hextall, C, Michigan State University Spartans, NCAA

18; Calgary’s first round pick (30th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 195 pounds; shoots right; DFO Calgary’s 6th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	3	2	2	4	3	1	0	5	31.71
2025-26 (USHL)	59	20	38	58	39	25	23	146	22.57

Hextall didn’t hit the scoresheet in Michigan State’s lone game.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Merrimack College Warriors, NCAA

22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (106th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 175 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	4	1	3	4	4	2	2	4	27.88
2025-26 (NCAA)	34	13	22	35	26	18	14	68	33.17

Hoskin posted three assists this week.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 202 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	3	1	4	3	4	3	9	22.96
2025-26 (WHL)	64	6	13	19	10	18	9	100	7.35

Hurtig continued his solid start, with a goal and an assist this week.

Joe Iginla – RW, Vancouver Giants, WHL

18; Calgary’s third round pick (65th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 170 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	3	3	6	6	5	5	38	6.97
2025-26 (WHL)	59	15	16	31	27	24	19	159	13.01

Iginla played three games, and posted 10 shots over the week, but didn’t hit the scoresheet.

Eric Jamieson – D, University of Denver Pioneers, NCAA

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s (tied) 18th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0.00
2025-26 (NCAA)	43	7	11	18	10	15	9	75	15.07

Jamieson manned his spot on Denver’s second pairing this week, but didn’t hit the scoresheet.

Simon Katolicky – LW, Sarnia Sting, OHL

18; Calgary’s fifth round pick (132nd overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’5″ 197 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	13	4	2	6	5	5	4	25	7.19
2025-26 (U20 SM-sarja)	29	6	11	17	11	10	7	113	9.61

Katolicky had a goal across three games this week for Sarnia.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

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

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	4	1	5	5	3	3	19	28.70
2025-26 (AHL)	56	22	35	57	42	37	29	118	40.56

Kerins had three goals across three games this week for the Wranglers.

Bode Laylin – D, Everett Silvertips/Calgary Hitmen, WHL

18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (164th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 178 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	10	1	2	3	2	3	2	13	4.18
2025-26 (USHL)	55	11	27	38	26	21	14	119	15.86

Laylin was held off the scoresheet over a three game week for the Hitmen.

Jakob Leander – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 196 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	10	0	2	2	2	1	1	8	2.79
2025-26 (J20)	38	2	11	13	8	11	8	52	5.61

Leander was held off the scoresheet over a three game week for the Hitmen.

Jaden Lipinski – C, University of Maine Black Bears, NCAA

21; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 204 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.00
2025-26 (WHL)	30	3	9	12	10	12	10	42	12.89

Maine was off this week.

Cade Littler – C, Arizona State University Sun Devils, NCAA

22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 197 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	0	3	3	2	2	2	8	11.89
2025-26 (NCAA)	35	5	8	13	11	9	7	52	13.37

Littler registered two assists this week.

Yan Matveiko – C/LW, Zvezda Moskva, VHL / Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (211th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 150 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
VHL season to date	14	1	3	4	3	2	2	11	8.67
MHL season to date	3	1	1	2	2	0	0	5	8.75
2025-26 (MHL)	50	15	22	37	23	28	17	89	8.68

Matveiko played twice in the minor-pro VHL and once in the MHL. He had a goal and a helper in the MHL game.

Henry Mews – D, University of Michigan Wolverines, NCAA

20; Calgary’s third round pick (74th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 181 pounds; shoots right; DFO Calgary’s 7th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	0	4	4	3	2	2	4	15.85
2025-26 (NCAA)	10	0	9	9	3	3	2	19	24.58

Mews had two points this week.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA

19; Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 170 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 13th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	7	7.93
2025-26 (NCAA)	36	8	11	19	14	11	9	90	14.40

Misa scored in Penn State’s lone game this week.

Mace’o Phillips – D, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’6″, 228 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 15th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	9	1	3	4	3	2	2	15	6.20
2025-26 (USHL)	44	1	10	11	6	9	6	77	5.74

Phillips had an assist this week.

Cullen Potter – C, Michigan State University Spartans, NCAA

18; Calgary’s first round pick (32nd overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 172 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s (tied) 4th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	3	1	1	2	2	0	0	14	15.85
2025-26 (NCAA)	24	12	14	26	23	14	12	78	39.00

Potter didn’t hit the scoresheet in Michigan State’s lone game.

Cole Reschny – C, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA

18; Calgary’s first round pick (18th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 183 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 2nd-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	5	4	3	7	7	3	3	18	33.29
2025-26 (NCAA)	36	6	29	35	24	19	15	68	35.00

Reschny had two goals and two assists this week.

Alan Shaikhlislamov – RW, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, KHL / HC Tolpar Ufa, MHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (55th overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 16th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
KHL season to date	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
MHL season to date	12	9	8	17	16	6	6	51	18.59
2025-26 (MHL)	31	18	17	35	29	20	16	98	13.24

Shaikhlislamov was called up to the KHL, as Salavat Yulaev is dealing with some forward injuries. He only played once, but was their forward scratch for two more games.

Theo Stockselius – C/LW, Djurgårdens IF, SHL

19; Calgary’s second round pick (54th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 181 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 10th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	12	1	3	4	4	4	4	12	17.49
2025-26 (J20)	11	4	12	16	10	12	9	39	23.85

Stockselius didn’t hit the scoresheet this week.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	1	8	9	4	5	2	11	51.66
2025-26 (AHL)	66	11	36	47	34	31	24	82	28.38

Stromgren continued his strong start with a goal and three helpers this week.

Aydar Suniev – LW, Calgary Wranglers, WHL

21; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; DFO Calgary’s 8th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	1	1	1	1	1	5	22.96
2025-26 (AHL)	57	16	8	24	22	16	14	92	16.78

Suniev is in the NHL.

Abram Wiebe – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Vegas’ seventh-round pick (209th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vegas; 6’3″, 209 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	0	4	4	1	4	1	16	22.96
2025-26 (NCAA)	40	5	24	29	17	14	7	77	26.10

Wiebe had two assists this week.

Ethan Wyttenbach – RW, Quinnipiac University Bobcats, NCAA

19; Calgary’s fifth round pick (144th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 180 pounds; shoots right; DFO Calgary’s 3rd-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	5	4	7	11	7	9	7	19	39.69
2025-26 (NCAA)	40	25	34	59	46	36	28	105	33.87

Wyttenbach had three points this week. He’s one of the top scorers in the NCAA… again!

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Calgary Wranglers, WHL

23; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 192 pounds; DFO Calgary’s (tied) 18th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	4	239	.898
2025-26 (AHL)	29	1629	.898

Sergeev started once and won in his lone appearance this week.

Tobias Trejbal – G, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA

18; Calgary’s second round pick (42nd overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 198 pounds; DFO Calgary’s 9th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	1	36	.824
2025-26 (USHL)	42	2515	.916

Trejbal was dressed as one of the extra goalies for UMass this week.

Yegor Yegorov – G, Miami University, NCAA

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

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	1	60	.900
2025-26 (MHL)	38	2122	.918

Yegorov made 20 saves over the weekend in his first NCAA start. He picked up the win, too.

Kirill Zarubin – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s third round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 178 pounds; DFO Calgary’s 17th-ranked prospect 2026

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	4	237	.883
2025-26 (MHL)	47	2526	.932

Zarubin played twice and split his results. He’s won two of four appearances this season.

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Missing their captain, the Flames battled their way to big team win over the Wild

Ryan Pike — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:00:50 GMT

On Sunday night, the Calgary Flames posted a pretty significant win, beating the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes. However, the team’s captain, shutdown centre Mikael Backlund, suffered a late-game injury and while he’s expected back soon, he wasn’t in the lineup for the Flames when they hosted the powerhouse Minnesota Wild.

Well, apparently it’s no Backlund, no problem.

The Flames played two really strong periods and then got some strong goaltending en route to a 2-1 victory over the Wild on Thursday night.

The Wild entered the game smarting a bit after losing to the Edmonton Oilers by a 4-3 score in overtime on Tuesday night – victims of three Oilers power play goals. The Flames’ special teams were equally a thorn in the Wild’s collective side. The Flames went two-for-four on the power play, with Aydar Suniev and Joel Farabee scoring first period man advantage markers.

As the game went on, the penalty kill then stepped up, solving all four Minnesota power plays.

And in the third period, when the Wild pressed and out-shot the Flames by a 17-3 margin, Devin Cooley was up to the challenge.

All-in-all, while the Flames didn’t play 60 perfect minutes, they played well enough to win.

“I’m really glad I was able to make some saves because the guys tonight were just unbelievable,” said Cooley, who made 36 saves in the win. “Like, everyone was blocking shots. The power play was great. The penalty kill was great. Like, it was just incredible. Like, we were scoring. It was just so much fun to watch. And we were all over them. They had like no grade A chances basically for, you know, 50 minutes or whatever along the game is… And then it was like the last five or 10 minutes where I was like, okay, now it’s my turn. Like to return the favor a little bit. Like the guys battled so hard for me. I wanted to battle for them.”

With Backlund out of the lineup, the Flames opted to go for a balanced approach, with Ben Jones (4:13), Martin Pospisil (3:54), Jonathan Castagna (3:40) and Morgan Frost (3:16) all getting head-to-head time against the Wild’s top line at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick.

“I just think when Backs goes down, it’s tough because he’s usually our match-up guy against a lot of top lines,” said Farabee. “I think the good thing with that is it provided some opportunity for some other guys. Obviously, Jonesy [Ben Jones] came up and played really well against their top line a lot of the night. George [Jonathan Castagna] played really well, I thought. So I think it just makes everyone else have to elevate their game. Obviously, with a team like that, they have a ton of skills. You’ve got to be smart and play on the defensive side and things like that. I think the young guys looked really good tonight.”

“If you look at our forward minutes, they’re fairly spread out,” said Huska. “And everybody had a shift or a number of shifts against their top line, so that is a collective effort. So it was what we needed to have tonight, and we’re pleased with the way the guys showed up.”

The Flames started the season with an 0-5-0 record. And while they probably deserved a better fate in the aggregate, they did enough things poorly in each game to tilt each in the other team’s favour. But for the second consecutive game, against a really strong opponent, the Flames played some pretty good hockey, and did enough good things that they were rewarded with a win.

They aren’t playing 60 perfect minutes quite yet, but their overall game has made massive strides.

“You know what, I just think that guys are, you know, hungry,” said Strome. “Guys are hungry for an opportunity. I mean, you see a few guys out of the lineup. You kind of see what our lineup looks like, and there’s opportunity for guys. I think guys are taking great advantage of it, whether it’s PK, whether it’s power play. And the coaches do a great job in here of giving us a framework of what works, I think. And we’re doing a great job of going out and executing it. So I know it sounds a little bit simple, but when you follow a game plan and the game plan sets you up for success and you do it the right way, that’s what happens. There’s a ton of good credit to go around tonight. I’m just happy for the group. We’ve had our ups and downs already, but the last couple of days feels good.”

The Flames return to action on Saturday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings.

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Beyond the Boxscore: Devin Cooley the star of the show again in big win over Minnesota

Flash Stevens — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 14:00:10 GMT

The Calgary Flames once again got tremendous play out of Devin Cooley as they eked out a 2-1 victory at home against the visiting Minnesota Wild.

CF% – 42.71% || SCF% – 41.83% || HDCF% – 50.03% || xGF% – 45.54%

It’s a Team Game – Calgary came to play in front of their fans in this one, limiting dangerous chances at 5v5 and capitalizing on special teams to obtain victory. Minnesota was a tough opponent that did not give up much at 5v5. The Flames didn’t let them push them around by any means. There were waves in the first, aided by three power plays, where the Flames were able to keep momentum. That faded as the game went on, and prime scoring chances came few and far between. Players started selling out, playing structured defence and getting in front of as many pucks as possible (I see you, Jake Middleton). Devin Cooley did the rest, making some unconscious saves when the Flames needed it most. (he did admit he should have said subconscious a few days later, but unconscious is too good not to use). Second straight game with lights out play in the crease, we’ll discuss that more below.

Corsi King – It was another successful game for the Yan Kuznetsov (65.79 CF%) and Zayne Parekh (60.58%) pairing. Kuznetsov was out there for the goal against, but saw more than double the amount of shot attempts for vs against in his minutes. Parekh was absolutely dancing on the ice, making multiple plays where he left the man covering him in the dust. He never scored, but what he was doing was not something you see average players pull off. It’s exciting to watch him grow, step by step, game by game. I’m still positive the end product is something Flames fans will get to celebrate almost nightly.

Under Pressure –

Taken By Chance – Aydar Suniev (100 SCF% // 100 HDCF%) deserves a lot of love for his performance. That release on the powerplay goal – oh man that’s the good stuff. Off his stick in microseconds with no hesitation, a pure goal scorer no doubt. He and Sharangovich (100% // 100%) both saw multiple high danger chances for at 5v5 with nothing against. A goal and spending the entire game on the attack or pushing in a positive direction through the neutral zone – must have felt pretty good. Sharangovich is playing some of his best hockey in a Flames sweater too, I hope the goals can start to come for him too, he really deserves it.

xG Breakdown –

xGF% – You know who had three blocked shots playing big minutes in a game with a one goal lead? Simon Nemec (58.36 xGF%). That’s a huge sign of positivity from a guy who the team gave up a significant price for. He continues to be a top pair success story with Kevin Bahl (58.69%). The sample needs to get bigger yet before we can definitely say what level of stability that pairing will regularly look like, but the first 9 games have been excellent. Now that the Flames are getting saves the amount at which these two thrive together just becomes incredibly more noticeable. A solid foundation on the backend.

Game Flow –

Shot Heatmap –

In The Crease – I usually just talk 5v5 numbers, but this game requires I mention the all-situations ones. Goals saved above expected for Devin Cooley: 3.14 – just absolute unconscious domination in the crease. Never wake up Cool Man, it’s amazing to watch when he gets into the groove. I’m heading to the ‘04 celebration Saturday and I’m actually rooting for another Cooley start – he’s been on absolute fire for 2 straight, don’t pull him yet! Can’t say much more beyond calling Cooley excellent, because that’s what he was.

The Goals –

Flash’s 3 Stars –

1) Devin Cooley

2) Aydar Suniev

3) Joel Farabee

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

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Instant Reaction: Flames special teams tame the Wild in Blake Coleman’s return to Calgary

Ryan Pike — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 03:38:29 GMT

Welcome to Instant Reaction, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Calgary Flames game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

After a few days of practice since their triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, the Calgary Flames were back in action on Thursday evening when they were faced with another big challenge in the form of the Minnesota Wild.

Despite missing their captain, Mikael Backlund, due to injury, the Flames ended up playing another really solid game. They scored a couple first period power play goals and then hung on for a 2-1 home win over the Wild, spoiling Blake Coleman’s return to the Saddledome after his trade to Minnesota in July.

The rundown

The first period was fairly even, with both teams getting some looks. Midway through the period, on their second power play of the game thus far, the Flames cashed in. With Coleman in the box of punishment, Adam Klapka made a nice pass from below the goal line to find Aydar Suniev in the slot area. Suniev sniped the puck past Jesper Wallstedt to give the Flames a 1-0 lead.

Power play goal for Calgary!

Scored by Aydar Suniev with 09:11 left in the 1st. Assisted by Adam Klapka.

CGY: 1 | MIN: 0#MINvsCGY #Flames #mnwild pic.twitter.com/X2ULwJbaUt

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 23, 2026

A little bit later, the Flames drew yet another penalty and cashed in on the power play. That time, Morgan Frost made a smart bad-angle shot, seemingly shooting to create a rebound. Well, it worked, and Wallstedt made the initial stop but the puck blooped over to Joel Farabee, who collected it and fired it past a sprawling Jared Spurgeon to give the Flames a 2-0 lead.

Power play goal for Calgary!

Scored by Joel Farabee with 05:54 left in the 1st. Assisted by Morgan Frost and Matt Coronato.

CGY: 2 | MIN: 0#MINvsCGY #Flames #mnwild pic.twitter.com/mRA8QuxxzM

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 23, 2026

Neither team scored in the second period, though the Wild generated a couple power plays of their own… but the Flames were up for the challenge on the penalty kill and kept the Wild’s special teams attackers at bay.

The Wild pressed hard to start the third period, aided by an early power play. The Flames killed off the man advantage, but a few minutes later the Wild finally lit the lamp. The Flames couldn’t quite clear the zone or disrupt Minnesota’s cycle, and Nico Sturm made a pass from below the goal line that found Mike McCarron near the slot area. His shot beat Devin Cooley to cut the Flames’ lead to 2-1.

Minnesota goal!

Scored by Michael McCarron with 15:21 left in the 3rd. Assisted by Nico Sturm and Jonas Brodin.

CGY: 2 | MIN: 1#MINvsCGY #Flames #mnwild pic.twitter.com/oIJ8fH6VZU

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) October 23, 2026

The Wild kept pressing throughout the rest of the period, really dominating the flow of play. They pulled Wallstedt for the extra attacker and kept pressing late. But they couldn’t solve Cooley, and the Flames held on for a 2-1 win.

Why the Flames won

What’s the old saying? You’ve gotta be good to be lucky? Well, the Flames were lucky. But they were also pretty good. The Wild hit a lot of posts and narrowly missed the net when they had chances in this one. But the Flames did a good job limiting their chances through two periods, and then kinda held on for dear life in the third period when the Wild pressed.

But the Flames were in that position – leading the Wild through two periods – because they executed quite well offensively at key moments earlier in the game. Yeah, they were opportunistic. Yeah, they got some fortunate bounces and the posts were on their side.

But missing their captain and arguably their most consistent player, the Flames were full marks in this one. They faced a tough opponent in a less than opportunity situation – missing Mikael Backlund – and they seemed up for the challenge.

Red Warrior

We’re gonna go with Devin Cooley again. He was superb.

But a lot of guys in red jerseys brought their workboots.

Turning point

Honestly, take you pick of any number of Devin Cooley saves in the third period while the Flames were holding onto a one-goal lead.

Flames lineup

The Flames looked like this against Minnesota:

Joel Farabee [A] – Ben Jones – Matt Coronato
Matvei Gridin – Martin Pospisil – Ryan Strome [A]
Yegor Sharangovich – Morgan Frost – Aydar Suniev
Brennan Othmann – Jonathan Castagna – Adam Klapka

Kevin Bahl – Simon Nemec
Jake Middleton – Zach Whitecloud [A]
Yan Kuznetsov – Zayne Parekh

Devin Cooley started in net, backed up by Dustin Wolf. The healthy extras were Joel Hanley and Maxim Tsyplakov. Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Honzek and Mikael Backlund missed the game due to injury.

With Backlund out day-to-day with an upper body injury, AHL call-up Ben Jones got into his first game with the Flames.

This and that

This was Blake Coleman’s first game back in Calgary after his trade to Minnesota. He was given a video tribute at the first TV timeout.

Welcome back, Colesy ❤️ Thank you for everything! pic.twitter.com/sRfcHr1MQD

— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 23, 2026

This was the 1,661st regular season game at the Saddledome, tying the ‘Dome with the old Detroit Olympia for eighth all-time in NHL history for games hosted by a single venue.

After Burner

Join Mike Gould and Cami Kepke right after the game for After Burner!

Up next

The Flames (3-6-0) are back at it on Saturday night when they host the Detroit Red Wings. It’s the first of four games with the Flames wearing their special 2004 retro alternate jerseys, and they’ll be giving out green hard hats to the first 2,004 fans in attendance.

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Flames Game Day 9: Blake Coleman and the Wild visit the Saddledome (7pm MT, SN1)

Ryan Pike — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:00:03 GMT

After a big win and a few days off, the Calgary Flames (2-6-0, 4 points) are back in action as they continue their homestand at the Scotiabank Saddledome. On Thursday night, the Flames are welcoming an old friend back to town, as Blake Coleman returns to Calgary with the Minnesota Wild (6-2-2, 14 points) for the first time!

Today’s broadcast begins at 7 p.m. MT on Sportsnet One and QR Calgary! Tune in for Warmies before the game and After Burner following the game on the Barn Burner YouTube channel!

The Flames

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Aydar Suniev – Morgan Frost – Yegor Sharangovich
Joel Farabee – Ben Jones – Matt Coronato
Matvei Gridin – Martin Pospisil – Ryan Strome
Brennan Othmann – Jonathan Castagna – Adam Klapka

Kevin Bahl – Simon Nemec
Jake Middleton – Zach Whitecloud
Yan Kuznetsov – Zayne Parekh

Devin Cooley is slated to start in net, backed up by Dustin Wolf. Cooley made 34 saves against Carolina, then gave some of the most fascinating post-game analysis about the conscious and unconscious mind – apparently he meant subconscious instead of unconscious. Anyway, the healthy scratches look to be Joel Hanley and Maxim Tsyplakov. It sounds like Mikael Backlund won’t be in action after suffering an upper body injury against Carolina, so Ben Jones will make his Flames debut in his place. The Flames had an optional morning skate, per QR Calgary’s Pat Steinberg, so we’ll get a better sense of lines at warm-up.

The Flames are in last place, points percentage wise, in the National Hockey League. But they’ve also won two of their last three games, and they’ve started to play some pretty good hockey. Yeah, a good deal of Sunday’s win was due to Cooley playing great in the first half of the game. But the Flames also defended well, didn’t allow a ton of follow-up chances, and they managed to bury some key chances at key times.

We’ll see if they can keep their momentum against the Wild.

The Wild

Projected lines via Daily Faceoff:

Kirill Kaprizov – Joel Eriksson Ek – Matt Boldy
Blake Coleman – Ryan Hartman – Bobby Brink
Yakov Trenin – Danila Yurov – Maxim Shabanov
Rieger Lorentz – Michael McCarron – Nico Sturm

Quinn Hughes – Jonas Brodin
Olli Maatta – Jared Spurgeon
Daemon Hunt – Zach Bogosian

We’re projecting Jesper Wallstedt to start in net, backed up by Calvin Pickard. The Wild’s healthy extras look to be Matt Kierstad, Daemon Hunt and Tyler Pitlick. (The lines above are the best guess from The Athletic’s Joe Smith.)

The Wild played in Edmonton on Tuesday and lost in overtime. They ended up playing a heck of a game, going toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid’s top line and generally out-playing them… but still finding a way to lose. That said, the Wild are a bit depleted due to injuries but have found ways to win fairly consistently this season. That’s what happens when you build a talented team with depth top to bottom; if you’re missing a few pieces, you can still keep things rolling along.

Unavailable players

The Flames are without Jonathan Huberdeau, Sam Honzek and Mikael Backlund.

The Wild are without Brock Faber, Filip Gustavsson, Nick Foligno and Marcus Foligno.

The numbers

Flames		Wild
2	Wins	6
4 (.250)	Points (%)	14 (.700)
54.5	xGF%	55.4
21.1	PP%	29.0
81.5	PK%	81.8

Head to head

This is the first of three games between these teams this season. They’ll meet again on Nov. 19 in Calgary and Mar. 19 in Minnesota.

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What could the Flames get from the Maple Leafs in a Zach Whitecloud trade?

Cynthia Ryley Delaney — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 16:00:26 GMT

It’s not a matter of if, but when the Calgary Flames will trade away roster players.

While they’ve played better their last three games, a 0-5-0 start to the season has made any chance for a season similar to 2024-25 next to impossible. That’s far from surprising, as the 2026-27 season is the first real season of this rebuild.

The rebuild is looking good, with the organization finding high-potential players in the latter rounds like Ethan Wyttenbach, but veterans on the main roster will continue to be moved. One of those veterans who is a candidate to be traded is Zach Whitecloud.

Appearing on The Leafs Morning Take, Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that the Flames are “looking for an A-level prospect, a high draft pick, or some combination of the two,” naming the Toronto Maple Leafs as a potential suitor.

What would it take for the Leafs to land Zach Whitecloud? 👀@TheFourthPeriod thinks Calgary could be looking for an A-level prospect, a high draft pick, or some combination of the two.

“It's not a low price for Zach Whitecloud.” pic.twitter.com/Zn7VvA3CDP

— Leafs Morning Take (@LMTake_) October 20, 2026

It’s not the first time the Leafs have had reported interest in a right-shot defenceman on the Flames, as they were linked to Rasmus Andersson a couple of seasons ago. But the big question is, what do the Leafs even have to offer the Flames for Whitecloud?

What A- level prospect do the Leafs have?

It probably doesn’t need mentioning, but Gavin McKenna is clearly off the table here. The 2026 first overall pick is pretty much untouchable, even if the Maple Leafs were attempting to trade for a defenceman like Zach Werenski, another defenceman they’ve been linked to in the past.

Who else fits the bill as an “A-” level prospect. Well, 24-year-old netminder Artur Akhtyamov ranked as both Daily Faceoff and DFO Toronto’s second-best prospect heading into the season. With Dustin Wolf pegged as the goaltender of the future for the Flames, this isn’t a prospect that makes much sense for the Flames.

The Flames have a handful of young right-shot defencemen in the prospect pool, but it’s a highly coveted role, hence why Whitecloud may be able to net the Flames a haul. Ben Danford is probably the best Leaf prospect that makes sense for the Flames, as he’s projected to be a good bottom pair defenceman in the future.

Danford, 20, was selected 31st overall by the Maple Leafs in 2024 and has recently become a professional. Before even playing an American Hockey League regular season game, the right-shot defenceman helped the Toronto Marlies hoist the Calder Cup. Through five AHL games this season, he has two assists.

Other than sixth-overall pick in 2026, Carson Carels, the Flames don’t have a highly touted left-shot defenceman. Two Leaf prospects who fit the role are Alexander Bilecki and Ethan MacKenzie, selected 60th and 69th respectively in the most recent draft. Both defencemen are a ways away from contending for a roster spot, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to add a few more left-shot defencemen in the prospect pool

By far the Flames’ biggest need for the prospect pool is a centre. Most contenders have a true #1 centre, and no one in the Flames’ prospect pool currently projects to be that just yet. Cullen Potter, Cole Reschny, and Jack Hextall have potential, but they’re lacking a young centre like Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini, or Leo Carlsson.

Finding that centre will have to come through the draft, which is bad news for the Flames as the consensus top prospect in the 2027 NHL Draft is right-shot defenceman Landon DuPont. It’s lacking centres.

If the Flames wish to add a centre from the Leafs prospect pool, Tinus-Luc Koblar and Tyler Hopkins are the best centre prospects not named McKenna. Koblar is the better of the two, as Hopkins is projected to be a bottom six player. Acquiring either of these players would give the Flames just one more centre who could exceed expectations and become a superstar, but it’s unlikely to say the least.

The Leafs’ draft pick situation

The Leafs’ pick situation is confusing, to put it mildly. Their 2026 first-rounder had a 58.2 percent chance to be transferred to the Boston Bruins. Obviously, they ended up winning the lottery and selecting McKenna. Like the first in the Matthew Tkachuk trade, the conditions on the Maple Leafs’ next two first rounders is confusing, to say the least.

Basically, both their 2027 and 2028 first round picks are tied up thanks to the Brandon Carlo and Scott Laughton trades. However, the Maple Leafs also sent Nicolas Roy to the Colorado Avalanche before the 2026 trade deadline, getting a top-10 protected first in return.

It’s easily their most valuable pick in the next two drafts. They also have all of their future second-round picks.

So what’s a reasonable trade for Whitecloud?

Whitecloud is your prototypical shutdown right-shot defenceman. He’s a Stanley Cup winner and has an affordable $2.75 million cap hit, potentially even lower if the Flames retain. To make his value even higher, he has term left, meaning two playoff runs.

With plenty of teams likely to be interested before Mar. 1st’s trade deadline and outrageous prices the past few deadlines, the Flames will get something of note. It may not be from the Maple Leafs, but if it is, here are a few trade ideas I cooked up on PuckPedia’s PuckGM.

A note: There’s a reason I don’t do mock trades in my articles often. For this, we’re using the guidelines in the original report, an “A- level prospect”, “high draft pick”, or “a combination of the two.”

Option 1

The Flames get a first-round pick likely to be somewhere in the range of the 25-32 overall pick. They also add a left-shot defenceman who isn’t a guaranteed NHLer. This trade lies in the “some combination of the two” that Pagnotta mentioned.

Option 2

Danford is the closest thing to an “A-” prospect the Leafs have available in a trade. In a couple of years, he’s a candidate to fill Whitecloud’s role, with Zayne Parekh and Šimon Nemec ahead of him in the lineup. Thanks to retaining 50%, the Flames also receive a third. I’d categorize this in the “looking for an A- prospect” category

Option 3

This option teeters towards the “high draft pick” territory. As noted, that first likely ends up in the 25-32 range, while the Leafs also add a second in 2028. Thanks to the Flames retaining some of Whitecloud’s cap hit, I’ve added Hopkins, someone who could hypothetically factor into the Flames’ bottom six in the future.

There’s likely to be a few months before the Flames even seriously discuss trading Whitecloud. Who knows how many suitors will have interest in the right-shot defenceman’s service, but it’s good to see the Flames holding steady with their price.

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

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Flames prospects Alan Shaikhlislamov and Theo Stockselius named to November national junior team rosters

Ryan Pike — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 14:00:49 GMT

A pair of the Calgary Flames’ European prospects will be participating in under-20 national team events in early November, with one player trying to cement himself on his team’s World Junior entry and the other, well, not able to do so this year.

Alan Shaikhlislamov will be playing for Russia’s under-20 team at the upcoming Future Cup, while Theo Stockselius will be with Sweden’s under-20 team at the upcoming 5 Nations event.

Here’s what’s at stake, and not, for each player.

Alan Shaikhlislamov

One of the Flames’ second-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, Shaikhlislamov is in his 18-year-old season and he’s really impressed with Tolpar Ufa in the Molodezhnaya Khokkeinaya Liga (MHL), Russia’s top junior league. He’s currently with Tolpar’s Kontinental Hockey League parent, Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

During next month’s international break, he’ll be part of Russia’s under-20 team at the Future Cup, which runs Nov. 5-8 in St. Petersburg. The event also features under-20 teams from Belarus and Kazakhstan, and an under-18 team from Russia.

Other NHL drafted players named to the Russian U20 roster include Loko-76 Yaroslavl goalie Dmitry Borichev (Nashville), Chaika defender Maxim Agafonov (Seattle), Khimik Voskresensk defender Nikita Tyurin (Detroit), Salavat Yulaev Ufa defender Nikita Shcherbakov (New Jersey) and Avto Yekaterinburg forward Dmitry Isaev (Ottawa). A handful of prospective 2027 NHL Draft prospects are also involved, including Torpedo forward Sergei Skvortsov, who’s second on Steven Ellis’ recent draft rankings at Daily Faceoff.

Because of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, they’re ineligible this year to participate in the World Juniors, so Shaikhlislamov will just be trying to impress at the Future Cup for the sake of being impressive.

Theo Stockselius

The Flames’ second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Stockselius is in his 19-year-old season and spending the year in the Swedish Hockey League with Djurgardens IF. He’ll be headed to a 5 Nations event from Nov. 4-8 in Nypoping, Sweden, which will also feature under-20 teams from Slovakia, Switzerland, Finland and Czechia.

Stockselius is one of 18 NHL prospects suiting up for Sweden, joining Södertälje SK goalie Love Härenstam (St. Louis), BIK Karlskoga goalie Måns Goos (Dallas), Djurgårdens IF defender Liam Pettersson (Boston), HV71 defender Malte Gustafsson (NY Islanders), HV71 defender Karl Annborn (Seattle), Växjö Lakers HC defender Ola Palme (Seattle), Luleå HF William Håkansson (Carolina), Leksands IF forward Jonas Lagerberg-Hoen (Ottawa), Skellefteå AIK forward Viktor Klingsell (Winnipeg), Brynäs IF forward Milton Gästrin (St. Louis), Örebro HK forward Alexander Command (New Jersey), Boro/Vetlanda HC forward Wiggo Sörensson (Carolina), Växjö Lakers HC forward Morgan Anderberg (Tampa Bay), MoDo Hockey forward Elton Hermansson (Los Angeles), Linköping HC forward Loke Krantz (Seattle), Timrå IK forward Eddie Genborg (Detroit) and Brynäs IF forward Gustav Hillström (New Jersey).

Stockselius was considered a strong contender to make last year’s Swedish national junior team and was invited to this very event last fall, but he suffered a nasty skate cut and was sidelined for months, scuttling his World Junior hopes. He impressed a lot at the World Junior Summer Showcase in July, and he’s (again) considered a strong contender to suit up for the Tre Kronor at the World Juniors.

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Flames Prospect Round-Up: Theo Stockselius scores first SHL goal, Ethan Wyttenbach off to a hot start

Cynthia Ryley Delaney — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:30:33 GMT

Ethan Wyttenbach has picked up right where he has left off.

After leading the NCAA in scoring last season, totalling 25 goals and 59 points in 40 games, the Flames’ fifth-rounder in 2025 is already on pace to finish with a higher total this season and currently sits third in NCAA scoring. He and a whole bunch of other Calgary Flames prospects were in action this past week.

Let’s take a look at how Flames’ prospects performed for the week of Oct. 15-21!

College

In college all but three Flames prospects were in action, with a handful of them scoring.

NCHC

Cole Reschny and Carson Carels helped North Dakota win both their games this past week, a pair of 5-0 victories over Bentley. In Friday’s victory, Reschny scored and picked up an assist, while Carels picked up an assist for his first collegiate point. The Flames’ first round pick in 2026 also picked up an assist in Saturday’s victory, giving him two assists through four games. As for Reschny, he has three goals and five points through four games.

Atta way, Cap! #UNDproud | #LGH https://t.co/iVj5DTVIlF pic.twitter.com/oeFPty4u3M

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) October 17, 2026

Eric Jamieson’s Denver didn’t find the same success this past week, as the Pioneers lost both games they played against Michigan, a 4-1 defeat on Friday and 4-3 defeat on Saturday. The Flames’ sixth-rounder in 2024 was held off the scoresheet in both games, as he looks for his first point of the season.

Cade Littler’s Arizona State had a good week, defeating UMass-Lowell 5-4 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday to bring their season record to 4-2-0. Littler picked up an assist in each game, giving him three assists through six games this season.

Yegor Yegorov made his collegiate debut with Miami University (Ohio) this past week, as they defeated Robert Morris 7-1 on Thursday and 3-2 on Saturday. He appeared in the second game, stopping 18 of 20 shots for a .900 save percentage.

This week, Reschny and Carels play a pair of road games against Minnesota, just their second and third road games of the season. Jamieson will have a chance to pick up his first point of the season this weekend, as Denver plays a pair of games against Boston College.

Littler’s Sun Devils are off this week, but return in the final week of October with a pair of games against St. Cloud, their first taste of NCHC action this season. This week, Miami University (Ohio) hosts Alaska Anchorage for two games. We’ll see if Yegorov plays.

ECAC Hockey

Ethan Wyttenbach’s Quinnipiac played just one game this past week, a 6-3 victory over Luke Misa and Penn State. Unsurprisingly, the NCAA’s leading point-getter in 2025-26 also picked up points in this game, scoring a goal and picking up two assists. That brings his season total to four goals and 11 points in five games, a better pace than he was on last season.

OH BABY WE ARE TIED!#BobcatNation x #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/y9KQ1AW6ZC

— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) October 16, 2026

Once again, Quinnipiac only plays one game this week, hosting Army on Friday at 5:00 PM MT. It’s the final weekend before Aidan Lane’s Harvard begin their season, as they play a home-and-home against UMass on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.

Hockey East

UMass and the three Flames prospects on the team were in action this past week, splitting their two games against Northeastern. Friday’s game was a 4-1 victory, Saturday’s game was a 4-1 defeat. Both Egor Barabanov and Max Curran were held off the scoresheet this week, while Tobias Trejbal didn’t appear in either game.

Curran has been held pointless through his first five games and Trejbal has an .850 save percentage in his lone appearance. Barabanov has the most success of the three, scoring two goals and three points in six games.

Trevor Hoskin’s Merrimack picked up their first two wins of the season, defeating Minnesota State – Mankato 4-3 on Friday and 8-2 on Saturday. Hoskin picked up a pair of assists in the 4-3 victory, but just one assist in the 8-2 victory, giving him a goal and four points in four games this season.

Before their pair of games against Harvard to end the month, UMass will take on Stonehill this coming Saturday, their lone game this week. Jaden Lipinski’s Maine were off this past week, but will host Colgate for a pair of games this coming weekend. As for Hoskin, his Merrimack play two road games against Notre Dame this coming weekend.

Big Ten

Jack Hextall and Cullen Potter’s Michigan State moved to 3-0-0 to begin their season, as they defeated RIT 5-1 on Saturday. Potter was held pointless in this game, while Hextall didn’t suit up. Potter now has a goal and an assist in three games, while Hextall has two goals and four points in his two games played this season.

As noted earlier, Michigan defeated Denver in both their games, with Flames’ prospect Henry Mews picking up an assist in both games. He now has four assists in six games this season, but is still searching for his first collegiate goal of his career.

Luke Misa scored his first goal of the season in Penn State’s 6-3 loss to Quinnipiac, but he was held off the scoresheet in their 5-2 loss to Robert Morris. In four games this season, the Flames’ fifth-rounder in 2024 has a goal and two assists.

Misa collects his own rebound and scores on the powerplay.#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/Rxle26BzI3

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 17, 2026

This week, Michigan State heads east to play a pair of games against New Hampshire over the weekend. Mews and the Wolverines face a fellow team from Michigan, the 2025 NCAA Tournament winning Western Michigan. That game is on Friday. The 0-4-0 Penn State Nittany Lions play a pair of home games against Canisius this weekend.

Canadian Hockey League

All six Flames prospects playing in the Canadian Hockey League were in action this past week.

Western Hockey League

The Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen are the home of two Flames defence prospects, Jakob Leander and Bode Laylin. This past week, the Hitmen fell 3-2 to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday, but defeated the Red Deer Rebels 7-3 on Saturday.

Both players were held off the scoresheet, but Leander finished as a +2, while Laylin finished as a +1. So far this season, Laylin has a goal and three points in nine games, while Leander has two assists through nine games.

Sticking to the WHL’s Eastern Conference, Mace’o Phillips’ Medicine Hat Tigers lost Friday’s game 6-1 to the Regina Pats, but responded with an 8-1 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings the following night. Phillips picked up an assist in the victory and was an even zero in the two games, giving him a goal and four points in nine games this season.

Joe Iginla’s Vancouver Giants played two games this week, defeating the Vees 5-1 on Saturday and the Prince George Cougars by a score of 5-2 on Tuesday. Iginla was held off the scoresheet in both games, giving him three goals and six points through 11 games this season.

The Spokane Chiefs won again, Flames’ prospect Chase Harrington picked up two assists, so just another week for the Flames’ 2026 second rounder. Thanks to their 3-2 shootout victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Chiefs have begun their season 8-1-0 (their 16 points tied with the Giants), with Harrington scoring six goals and 15 points in the eight games he’s played.

HEATING UP!@NHLFlames prospect and @spokanechiefs captain Chase Harrington celebrates a seven-point week as the Tempo #WHLPlayeroftheWeek, fuelled by Co-op.

📝 | https://t.co/3UU4cxHAmz pic.twitter.com/LMg2dxrxOL

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) October 19, 2026

Hunter Laing is no longer a Flames prospect, but he’s off to a good start with the Saskatoon Blades, scoring six goals and 13 points in nine games. I had pretty high hopes for the 6’6”, 210 lbs right-shot centre, so it’s good to see him play well in his aged-20 WHL season.

This week, the Hitmen take on the Penticton Vees on Wednesday, the Tigers on Friday and Saturday in a home-and-home, and Hunter Laing and the Saskatoon Blades on Sunday. Both of the Tigers’ games are against the Hitmen.

Over in the WHL’s Western Conference, the Giants play a second game against the Cougars on Wednesday, before a road game against the Kamloops Blazers on Friday. The Chiefs look to keep the good times rolling, hosting the Portland Winterhawks for a pair of games this weekend.

Ontario Hockey League

Over in the Ontario Hockey League, Šimon Katolický’s Sarnia Sting had a rough week. Playing a pair of games against the Saginaw Spirit (Zayne Parekh’s junior team), the Sting fell 9-2 and 7-4, with the Flames prospect finishing as a -5. Not great. Katolický has three goals and five points in 12 games this season, as the Sting sit seventh in the OHL’s Western Conference.

They’ll look to pick up some wins, playing a home-and-home against the London Knights. The first game is in Sarnia on Wednesday, before traveling eastbound on the 402 for a Friday night showdown against their division rivals. Just a quick side note, but the one OHL game I’ve been to that wasn’t in Ottawa was a matchup between the Sting and Knights in London, so that’s cool.

Europe

It was a good week for Flames’ prospects playing in Europe.

Sweden

After picking up a pair of assists in Djurgårdens IF’s 5-1 victory, which we covered in last week’s edition, Theo Stockselius picked up his first career Swedish Hockey League goal in their 3-2 overtime loss to Brynäs IF.

Kallt, kliniskt och karriärens första för Theo Stockselius!🧊 pic.twitter.com/1aNRxz3BpC

— SHL.se (@SHLse) October 15, 2026

He was held pointless in Djurgårdens IF’s 3-2 shootout win over the Malmö Redhawks, as well as their 6-2 loss against Frölunda HC. Still, it’s a positive development for the Flames’ 2025 second-rounder, as the 19-year-old has a goal and four points in 11 games.

On Thursday, Djurgårdens IF plays Skellefteå AIK, followed by a game against Luleå Hockey on Saturday.

Russia

This week’s edition of “where did the Flames’ two Russian-based players play” has a special first, as Flames’ 2026 second-rounder Alan Shaikhlislamov made his season debut with Kontinental Hockey League’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa, playing in Ufa’s 2-0 victory over Admiral Vladivostok. He was held pointless in what was his second KHL game, but played at the level as an 18-year-old is impressive nonetheless.

This week, the Flames’ seventh-rounder in 2025, Yan Matveiko, played a game in Russia’s Junior Hockey League (MHL), as well as a game in the All-Russian League (VHL), essentially KHL’s version of the American Hockey League. This revelation has made my life just a bit more challenging.

Matveiko was held pointless in the VHL game, as Zvezda Moskva fell 3-2 to Ryazan-VDV. Four days before that, his MHL team, Red Army, defeated Red Machine Atlant 3-2, with Matveiko picking up a goal and an assist in that game. In the MHL, he has a goal and two points in three games and in the VHL, he has a goal and four points in 13 games.

If Shaikhlislamov remains with his KHL team, there’s a chance he plays in their game against Ak Bars Kazan on Sunday and/or HC Sochi on Tuesday. Now if he’s back with Tolpar, they play Stalnye Lisy on Sunday. I think it’ll be the former, as he didn’t appear in Tolpar’s 5-2 victory over Loko-76 on Wednesday.

Who knows where Matveiko will play this week. If I had to guess, it’ll probably be the VHL as that’s where he’s played the bulk of the games. And if that’s the case, Zvezda Moskva takes on AKM on Thursday and HC Kaluga on Saturday.

He didn’t appear in Red Army’s 4-3 overtime victory over Red Machine Yunior on Wednesday. This week, Red Army takes on JHC Dynamo M on Sunday, JHC Spartak on Tuesday, and Krylya Sovetov (Yegorov’s former team) on Wednesday.

Never change Russian hockey, stay confusing forever.

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

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