This was a massive week for Calgary Flames prospects as 20 prospects—yes, 20—recorded a point this week, and only a handful of other players, particularly defencemen, did not hit the scoresheet. Many of these prospects also had more than one point this week, and if the Stockton Heat were able to play more than one game this week, that number would undoubtedly be higher. And even those who did not make their mark on the scoresheet, many made incredible plays that led to scoring chances and goals that we will cover. Let’s get into it!
Welcome to the TWC Calgary Flames prospect update. Each week, we’ll take a dive into how the Flames’ prospects have done in their respective leagues. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games, and is younger than 25 years of age. All data is from QuantHockey and EliteProspects. We also use an NHLe calculator built by Christian Roatis (@Croatis) which is used to estimate a player’s equivalent point total in the NHL based on how they are performing in their respective league. The calculator uses the difficulty of the given league combined with the ease at which a player puts up points to determine the NHLe.
Standout Performer
Matthew Coronato: Harvard University Crimson
| GP | Goals | Assists | Points | P/GP | NHLe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | N/A | N/A |
| Season total | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 68.9 |
When the Flames took Matthew Coronato with their first round selection this year, there were a few who questioned whether he was the best option for this team at the time, however, in his first week with Harvard, Coronato put on an absolute clinic. He started on the team’s top line, and also saw time on the team’s top penalty kill unit, and it was shorthanded that Coronato got the party started. After stealing the puck on a great move at the line, Coronato skated up ice all alone, and beat the goalie high glove side to net his first (of what is expected to be) many goals this season.
He wasn’t done yet. He got two assists through the game, then redirected a great shot in front of the net to get his second of the night to put Harvard up 9–2. They would go on to beat Dartmouth 9–3. Here’s the goal:
All this despite not getting a second on the team’s top power play unit. He actually did not pick up a point on the man-advantage all weekend.
Going into the second game, Coronato was out for more. Not only did he pick up another assist, he quite literally deked out the entire Bentley team to score an incredible goal in a winning effort for the Crimsons. Here’s the goal:
The Crimsons again went on to win this one by a massive score, beating Bentley 7–3. Is it too early to say that Matthew Coronato is too good for the NCAA? Probably, given Harvard’s first two opponents are not typically hockey powers in the ECAC. That being said, when you see the goals that Coronato has scored, and even when you see the little plays that he made up and down the ice, it becomes increasingly clear that the Flames have an absolute star in him.
Going into the season, I expected the Flames would probably keep Coronato in school for the first two years before transitioning him to the AHL for his third season, however, Coronato is making the case to make the jump to pro hockey as early as the end of this season. His skillset combined with his smarts on the ice show he needs a bigger challenge to continue to grow into the NHL.
Now, this could change as the weeks go on and Harvard faces off against tougher opponents like cross-town rivals Boston University or Boston College. That said, if he continues to be among the best in the entire NCAA, the Flames may be wise to get him signed to an entry-level contract sooner rather than later.
For now, let’s continue to enjoy the results that Coronato puts on the board, and hope that he can become the game breaker at the NHL level that he has been at Harvard so far.
This and that
- Coronato wasn’t the only prospect who put up six points this week. Last year’s second-round pick William Stromgren also had three goals and three assists in the Swedish J-20. He was due for a big week given his pure offensive talent, but it is great to see him taking a big step forward in the J-20. The next step for him will be to see if he can get a call-up to the SHL this season.
- Sticking in Sweden, Emil Heineman, the prospect that the Flames received as part of the Sam Bennett trade recorded two goals and an assist in the SHL this week. While he only has five points to start the season, it is worth noting that he is playing in one of the most competitive leagues in the world as a 20-year-old. He is currently sixth in the league among U21-year-old skaters.
- Also in Sweden, Lucas Feuk recorded another assist. He has been up and down in the Swedish second and third division. Probably not going to make the jump to North America, but it’s good to see him getting points.
- Last week, the Flames’ two OHL prospects had huge weeks, however this week, both slowed down. Jack Beck recorded one goal and Rory Kerins had a goal and an assist in a handful of games each. This is not something to worry about, as Kerins is still fourth in scoring in the OHL while Beck sits 12th. Beck is also one goal off of the league lead.
- Moving east, the Memorial Cup hosting Saint John Sea Dogs received a big boost this year when Ryan Francis was sent back to the QMJHL from the AHL this week. He immediately made a huge impact, putting up the game winning goal and adding an assist in Saint John’s win over Halifax.
- His teammate Jeremie Poirier also had a big week, putting up three more assists. He’s third in points on the team, and fourth in the league among defencemen in points.
- Speaking of the Sea Dogs’ last opponent, the Halifax Mooseheads, Cameron Whynot put up another goal and an assist this week. He leads all defencemen in points on his team.
- Finally in the Q, Cole Huckins got another goal this week for Acadie Bathurst. He has a fantastic release, which has allowed him to put up four already this season.
- Going west, in the WHL, Lucas Ciona put up three assists for the Seattle Thunderbirds this week. They are second in the division, behind Dustin Wolf’s old team, the Everett Silvertips.
- Cole Jordan is currently out of commission, with what is being described as an illness. Hopefully he’s feeling better soon.
- South of the border, the Tri-City Storm are rolling right now, and the Flames’ two prospects have done very well this week. Ilya Nikolayev had two goals this week on the team’s third line while Arsenii Sergeev picked up yet another win. He’s second in the league in save percentage among goaltenders with a minimum five games played.
- In the NCAA, Josh Nodler continued to put up points for Michigan State. He leads his team with seven points in eight games, and could be in line for an ELC as early as the end of this season.
- Mitchell Mattson also finally found his way into the lineup. While he has not hit the scoresheet, he did have a game-saving block this week to save the win for the Spartans.
- In random prospect news, we have finally found Daniil Chechelev. Having initially had some issues acquiring a visa, he finally made his way to Calgary to sign his ELC with the Flames. He is expected to report to Stockton shortly, but he will need his visa and paperwork to be done first.
- Fianlly, down in the AHL, the Stockton Heat continue to roll despite only having one game. Adam Ruzicka put up a hat-trick this week, and sits tied for the team lead in points with seven points.
- The big story out of Stockton continues to be Jakob Pelletier, who is tied for the team-lead in points with seven. He is also second in the league among U-21 skaters.
- Connor Zary and Johannes Kinnvall continue to be sidelined with injuries. The hope is that Zary will be good to go sooner than later, but if Kinnvall returns, it will be an interesting question to see who stays in the lineup and who draws out.
- Big congratulations to Ilya Solovyov for getting into his first AHL game this week. Great to see the Flames’ seventh-round pick take the next step in his hockey journey. He, Colton Poolman, and Yan Kuznetsov are all battling for minutes on the third pairing in Stockton.
- Speaking of Kuznetsov, while he has not hit the scoresheet yet, he made an incredible play that forced a turnover leading to Ruzicka’s second of the night for Stockton. The defensive defenceman has been quite good in a limited role so far this season for the Heat.
- Finally, Dustin Wolf continues to be excellent in Stockton. He sits fifth in the league in save percentage league-wide among netminders with a minimum two games played. Interestingly, former Flames netminder and chef extraordinaire Louis Domingue is third.
Overall regular season totals for all Flames prospects
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Beck | LW/RW | 10 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 1.3 | 6 | 34.4 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL |
| Lucas Ciona | LW | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.63 | 26 | 15.6 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL |
| Matthew Coronato | RW | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4.0 | 0 | 68.9 | Harvard Crimsons | NCAA |
| Walker Duehr | RW | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 23.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Mathias Emilio Pettersen | C/LW | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.2 | 2 | 8.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Lucas Feuk | C/W | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | N/A | Vasterviks IK | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| C/W | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.5 | 14 | N/A | Nybro IF | HockeyEttan | |
| Ryan Francis | RW/C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| RW/C | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 46.6 | |||
| Emil Heineman | LW/RW | 16 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.3 | 8 | 15.2 | Leksands IF | SHL |
| Cole Huckins | C | 13 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0.8 | 33 | 17.9 | Acadie Bathurst Titans | QMJHL |
| Rory Kerins | C/LW | 11 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 1.5 | 2 | 38.4 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL |
| Justin Kirkland | C/W | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.6 | 10 | 23.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | LW | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.3 | 4 | N/A | Arizona State Sun Devils | NCAA |
| Mitchell Mattson | C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Ilya Nikolayev | C | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.7 | 6 | 15.2 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Josh Nodler | C/RW | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0.9 | 0 | 24.0 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Jakob Pelletier | C/LW | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 55.8 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Matthew Phillips | C/RW | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 39.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Luke Philp | C/RW | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 23.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Martin Pospisil | C/W | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.4 | 8 | 15.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Adam Ruzicka | C | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1.4 | 0 | 55.8 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| William Stromgren | LW | 18 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0.94 | 4 | N/A | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell |
| Tuulola, Eetu | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Connor Zary | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Dmitri Zavgorodny | W/C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
Defensemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Boltmann | RHD | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.4 | 8 | 11.7 | Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Cole Jordan | LHD | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL |
| Johannes Kinnvall | RHD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Yan Kuznetsov | LHD | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Connor Mackey | LHD | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.4 | 2 | 15.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Jeremie Poirier | LHD | 12 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 1.1 | 8 | 25.2 | St. John Sea Dogs | QMJHL |
| Colton Poolman | LHD | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Ilya Solovyov | LHD | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Cameron Whynot | LHD | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0.5 | 10 | 10.5 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL |
Goalies
| Player | Position | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | Shutouts | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chechelev, Daniil | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Tyler Parsons | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Arseni Sergeyev | G | 5 | 1.40 | 0.941 | 4-1-0 | 1 | Tri-City Storm | AHL |
| Dustin Wolf | G | 3 | 1.65 | 0.951 | 2-0-1 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
Want to know more?
Still want to know more about the Flames prospects? Check out our interviews with a number of prospects down below:
Which prospects are you most excited about? Let us know below in the comments or on social media.
Photo by Gil Talbot
