The Calgary Flames are mired in COVID protocol and have consequently had a handful of games cancelled this week. However, their prospects continue to play and continue put points on the board. Jakob Pelletier, Glenn Gawdin, and Matthew Phillips all had multi-point weeks this week, with one of them being our standout performer.
Ryan Francis recorded more points than each of them this week, while Jeremie Poirier and newcomer Yan Kuznetsov also hit the scoresheet for the Sea Dogs. Finally, Arseni Sergeev continues to be the best goalie in the USHL, while Dustin Wolf continues to be the second-best goalie in the AHL. All this and more in this week’s Prospect Roundup. Take a look!
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.
Want to see where all the Flames’ prospects are playing this year? Check out our map visualization here:
Standout Performer
Matthew Phillips – Stockton Heat
| GP | G | A | P | P/GP | NHLe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1.4 | N/A |
| Season total | 17 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 1.2 | 47.0 |
Welcome back Matthew Phillips. After missing a number of games due to COVID Protocol, the 2016 sixth-round selection from the Victoria Rockets came back with a bang this week, notching two goals and three assists. He is back above a point-per-game in the AHL, and has been one of the Heat’s best players this season. Let’s go to the tape and check out both of his goals. Here’s number one:
And here’s number two:
He also notched three assists as well as being a force at all ends of the ice. He is in the top-five in the entire AHL in 5v5 primary points per sixty minutes of ice time this season, as well as being just inside the top-ten in AHL scoring this season. This should be a surprise to nobody given just how good he has been over the last two years in the AHL.
What is a surprise is how forgotten he has been this season in the conversation for a call-up. With the meteoric rise of Jakob Pelletier and the continued dominance of Glenn Gawdin and Adam Ruzicka, Phillips has been the odd-man out in call-up potential despite his incredible play at the AHL level. He has been consistent in his play at both ends of the ice, helping both Ruzicka and Pelletier create the opportunities that they have exploited.
Phillips has also been dominant at both ends of the ice, and despite his smaller size, he has been ever-present in the corners fishing the puck free to find a waiting teammate for a shot on net. This has been particularly the case for Ruzicka, whose game has relied on him receiving pucks right in front of the net in order to score. It has been Phillips who has helped create many of those chances.
With Pelletier being in his rookie season and the Flames already having Ruzicka in their lineup, Phillips should likely get a look at some point this season. The team is starved for depth scoring, and need a boost, particularly on their third line. This situation screams for a player like Phillips who can help create chances for Sean Monahan and Dillon Dube the way that he did for Ruzicka and Pelletier. He has clearly shown both this week and all season that he deserves a look.
This and that
AHL
- Another big week for the Stockton Heat, who went 1–0–1 in their two games this week. The first was a 5–4 shootout loss to the Tuscon Roadrunners, but followed that up with a 5–1 win over the same Roadrunners.
- Aside from Phillips, it was another big week for both Glenn Gawdin and Jakob Pelletier. Gawdin had a goal and two more assists this week, and is currently third in the AHL in points-per-game. He is also fifth in the AHL in 5v5 primary points per 60 minutes.
- Pelletier meanwhile had two goals and an assist. He sits third in points and fifth in points-per-game in the league, as well as being eighth in the AHL in 5v5 primary points per 60 minutes. He is having among the best twenty-year-old season in recent memory in the AHL. Watch the way he uses his skating and hands to score:
- Adam Ruzicka remains called up in Calgary. The Flames also called up Byron Froese this past week. With the number of COVID-19 cases in Calgary, expect the Flames to make a few more call-ups.
- Big congratulations to Ilya Solovyov for putting up his first and second AHL goals this week. He recorded both in the Heat’s big win over Tuscon. He’s slowly settling into the AHL. Here is his first goal:
- And here is his second:
- Speaking of settling in, Connor Zary also recorded two goals and an assist this past week, and seems to be finding his way in the AHL. This one was an absolute beauty on a three-way passing play:
- Stick taps to Justin Kirkland, Emilio Pettersen, Justin Kirkland, Eetu Tuulola, Connor Mackey, and Colton Poolman for putting up one or two points each this week.
- One very bizarre story in the overtime loss: the Heat’s best players were Pelletier and Phillips. However, the three players they sent over the board for the shootout were Kirkland, Gawdin, Martin Pospisil, and Luke Philp.
- Finally, Dustin Wolf recorded another week this week, and was in net for the big win this week. He remains one of the best goaltenders in the league, and is having one of the best rookie seasons in AHL history. Check out this great save he made this week:
QMJHL
- Lots happening this week from the Sea Dogs in particular, who are now selling tickets to the Memorial Cup this spring.
- Most importantly, Yan Kuznetsov got his first goal of the season for the Sea Dogs on an absolute bomb from the point. Take a look:
- He is playing alongside Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect WIlliam Villeneuve, who used to play alongside Poirier until this season. It was expected that Kuznetsov would play alongside Jeremie Poirier this season, but it has not been the case to this point.
- What is bizarre is that Kuznetsov was not named as part of Team Russia’s World Junior Team this year. He is one of the only returnees to have not been named to the team in years after being one of the first two non-Russian based players to make the team last season. It is a huge loss for the Russian side who could have used his defensive prowess.
- Speaking of Poirier, he also logged two goals and an assist this week, including this top-shelf shot on Saturday afternoon:
- Poirier currently sits third in the Q in points among defencemen with 30 this season. He is also +12 so far this season, which is a big step up from -3 last season and -25 the year before.
- Ryan Francis had a very productive week this week, putting up five assists this week. He bounced between the top and second line right wing this week. He continues to climb the Q’s scoring charts after starting the season in the AHL.
NCAA
- Big congratulations to Demetrios Koumontzis, who played his 100th NCAA game this past week. While he did not record any points playing on ASU’s top line, he did have a great fit:
- Three games but no points for Josh Nodler for MSU. Mitchell Mattson also played in one game this week.
- Jake Boltmann is back on the top pairing for Notre Dame, but did not record any points.
- No games for Matt Coronato and Harvard. He will be the Flames’ sole representative at the World Juniors this year.
ECHL
- One win and one loss for Daniil Chechelev and the Kansas City Mavericks. They are fourth from the bottom in the ECHL and last in their division. It’s hard to really evaluate Chechelev independently as he’s facing an average of 33 shots a game, and there are only so many ten-bell saves you can force a goalie to make night after night. Yikes!
Swedish hockey
- One assist this week for Emil Heineman, but the big news is that Leksands were knocked out of the Champions Hockey League by Frolunda. Heineman was not in the lineup for this one.
- One goal from WIlliam Stromgren in the J-20. His parent club in the SHL is through to the Champions Hockey League’s semi-finals.
USHL
- Two more assists for Ilya Nikolayev, who continues to impress in the USHL. He has been dropped to the second line since he returned from some time on the sidelines.
- Arseni Sergeev continues to be the best netminder in the USHL by some distance. He picked up two more wins this week.
WHL
- Big news for the Moose Jaw Warriors as Cole Jordan is backHe also managed to record his first goal of the season. Take a peek here:
- Lucas Ciona continues to play on the team’s top line. He recorded a goal and an assist in three games this week.
OHL
- Jack Beck continues to be injured.
- But saving the last for best, Rory Kerins in just one game recorded three assists. He sits fourth in points and fourth in points-per-game in the entire OHL.
NHLe Leaderboard
NHLe is a metric used to estimate a player’s offensive output at the NHL level from their point totals in their respective league. Here are the Flames current top-5 (bracketed numbers denote movement from the previous week)
- Glenn Gawdin (AHL): 53.0 (Same)
- Jakob Pelletier (AHL): 49.0 (Same)
- Adam Ruzicka (AHL) 49.0 (Same)
- Matthew Phillips (AHL) 47.0 (+1)
- Rory Kerins (OHL): 46.4 (-1)
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 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 1.42 | 6 | 37.6 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL |
| Lucas Ciona | LW | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0.5 | 44 | 12.9 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL |
| Matthew Coronato | RW | 11 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 1.1 | 2 | 25.0 | Harvard Crimsons | NCAA |
| Walker Duehr | RW | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.3 | 6 | 13.2 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Mathias Emilio Pettersen | C/LW | 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.3 | 4 | 13.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Lucas Feuk | C/W | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | N/A | Vasterviks IK | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| C/W | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.8 | 14 | N/A | Nybro IF | HockeyEttan | |
| Ryan Francis | RW/C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| RW/C | 16 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 1.3 | 12 | 29.1 | St John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | |
| Glenn Gawdin | C/RW | 19 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 1.3 | 18 | 53.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Emil Heineman | LW/RW | 27 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0.4 | 16 | 21.5 | Leksands IF | SHL |
| LW/RW | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.6 | 0 | N/A | Leksands IF | Champions HL | |
| Cole Huckins | C | 22 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 0.9 | 41 | 21.2 | Acadie Bathurst Titans | QMJHL |
| Rory Kerins | C/LW | 24 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 1.8 | 10 | 46.4 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL |
| Justin Kirkland | C/W | 20 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0.4 | 26 | 15.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | LW | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.4 | 14 | N/A | Arizona State Sun Devils | NCAA |
| Mitchell Mattson | C | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 2 | 5.5 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Ilya Nikolayev | C | 19 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 1.0 | 25 | 21.0 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Josh Nodler | C/RW | 18 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0.6 | 4 | 16.7 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Jakob Pelletier | C/LW | 20 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 1.3 | 6 | 49.8 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Matthew Phillips | C/RW | 17 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 1.2 | 8 | 47.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Luke Philp | C/RW | 20 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 0.6 | 6 | 25.6 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Martin Pospisil | C/W | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0.7 | 29 | 28.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Adam Ruzicka | C | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 1.2 | 2 | 49.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| William Stromgren | LW | 29 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 0.8 | 10 | N/A | Rogle BK J20 | J20 Nationell |
| LW | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | N/A | Rogle BK | Champions HL | |
| LW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Rogle BK | SHL | |
| Tuulola, Eetu | RW | 15 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.3 | 17 | 13.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Connor Zary | C | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.4 | 4 | 19.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Dmitri Zavgorodny | W/C | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| W/C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | HC Sochi | KHL |
Defensemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Boltmann | RHD | 17 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0.5 | 16 | 12.8 | Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Cole Jordan | LHD | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 | 8 | 5.0 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL |
| Johannes Kinnvall | RHD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Yan Kuznetsov | LHD | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| LHD | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 11.6 | St John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | |
| Connor Mackey | LHD | 20 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0.7 | 20 | 25.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Jeremie Poirier | LHD | 28 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 1.1 | 20 | 24.9 | St. John Sea Dogs | QMJHL |
| Colton Poolman | LHD | 17 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0.2 | 10 | 9.6 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Ilya Solovyov | LHD | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0.3 | 6 | 10.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Cameron Whynot | LHD | 25 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 0.6 | 32 | 14.0 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL |
Goalies
| Player | Position | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | Shutouts | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chechelev, Daniil | G | 8 | 3.41 | 0.897 | 3-4-1 | 0 | Kansas City Mavericks | ECHL |
| Tyler Parsons | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Arseni Sergeev | G | 16 | 1.57 | 0.937 | 13-2-0 | 3 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Dustin Wolf | G | 13 | 1.90 | 0.939 | 11-0-2 | 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.
