COVID Protocols have extended some teams’ holiday breaks, but most Calgary Flames prospects were back on the ice this past week. The Stockton Heat prospects were particularly prolific, playing four games and winning twice. Across the CHL, there were numerous trades, with all the prospects with Flames’ prospects making major moves. Let’s break it all down.
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 (AHL)
| GP | G | A | P | P/GP | NHLe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1.2 | N/A |
| Season total | 26 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 1.0 | 41.4 |
Matthew Phillips had himself another monster week this week, putting up five points in the Heat’s four games. He started it off with a beautiful shortside top corner goal that would make Johnny Gaudreau jealous:
He also put home a sweet breakaway that was setup by Byron Froese at the blue line:
He also set up the game winner for Connor Mackey in overtime with an excellent drop pass that fooled the entire opposition:
It is hard to see what more Phillips needs to do to earn himself a call-up to Calgary. He is clearly a play-driver in Stockton, and has been probably the best Heat player not named Dustin Wolf. He is inside the top 10 in AHL scoring and in even-strength primary points per 60 minutes. All the other nine players on this list have already been called up to their respective NHL teams.
There is definitely an argument to be made for maximizing cap space, but if the Flames continue to struggle to get depth scoring, bringing Phillips up may be the best short-term solution this season. In any event, if the Flames’ think they have a player in Phillips, it may be a cheaper to call him up than to try their luck on the trade market.
This and that
AHL
- The Heat went 2–2–0 this week, splitting their series with the Tuscon Roadrunners and San Diego Gulls.
- Dustin Wolf picked up his first regulation loss of the season, and saw his numbers drop a touch. That being said, one regulation loss in 19 games is dang impressive.
- It was a big week for Justin Kirkland and Eetu Tuulola who put up two and three goals each respectively. Both are on a bit of a heater right now, but will need to keep it up to show that this is more than just a streak.
- Three more assists for Jakob Pelletier this week. He continues to be the second best skater in the entire AHL, all while also being a rookie.
- Other prospects with multiple points: Walker Duehr (1 goal, 2 assists), Connor Mackey (1 goal, 2 assists), Glenn Gawdin (1 goal, 1 assist), and Luke Philp (3 assists). Three of them are working themselves into the call-up conversation while Philp probably has to show some more.
- Connor Zary picked up another assist and is quickly working out of his plus/minus deficit. He’s just -2 now! Progress.
- Finally, Daniil Chechelev was sent back to Kansas City this week. He did not feature in any games. The Heat called up Koletrane Wilson from KC and have added defenceman Nolan Valleau on a PTO.
QMJHL
- No games this week in the Q but lots of trades and moves to announce.
- In Saint John, the Sea Dogs made nine moves acquiring (deep breath) goalies Nikolas Hurtubise and Thomas Couture, defenceman Vincent Sevigny, prspect forward Danny Akkouche, and forwards Marshall Lessard, Connor Trenholm, Philippe Daoust, Nicholas Blagden, and Raivis Ansons. They did not end up getting Elliot Desnoyers.
- Most exciting on that list is Daoust, who moves from the AHL’s Belville Senators back to the Q. The Ottawa Senators’ prospect has five points in 15 games in the A this season.
- The arrival of Sevigny put the Sea Dogs over the overager cap for the Q. This meant they had to waive Christopher Innis, Jeremie Poirier’s defensive partner. He is now is Chicoutimi, and this allows the Sea Dogs to potentially pair Porieir with Yan Kuznetsov for a potential Flames pairing preview a few years down the line.
- The Halifax Mooseheads have acquired free agent forward Evan Boucher from the Ontario’s CCHA. He was second in the league when acquired.
- Arguably the biggest mover was the Acadie Bathurst Titans, who have added three players: Felix LaFrance, Miguel Tourigny, and Thomas Belgarde. All three are above a point-per-game this season.
- The Q is on pause until each team can play their games with 50% capacity, and are shooting to play the week of January 18th.
KHL
- Former Heat forward Dmitri Zavgorodniy is making a name for himself in Russia. He has three assists in nine games so far for HC Sochi, and has been skating on the team’s second line. Great to see him getting regular playing time and making the most of his role.
- This is his second time in Russia in two seasons. He played just six games for SKA St Petersburgh last year, and noted that he enjoyed the team trip to the ballet when he was there.
NCAA
- Matthew Coronato is back on the ice for Harvard. He skated on the second line this past weekend, but did not pick up any points.
- No points as well for Joshua Nodler at Michigan State, but Mitchell Mattson appeared in a game again this week. He also had no points.
- Demetrios Koumontzis picked up an assist this weekend for Arizona State, while Jake Boltmann picked up an assist for Notre Dame. The latter is quietly making a name for himself on a very strong Fighting Irish side. The only rookie defenceman in the team’s top six, Boltmann sits fourth in scoring among defenceman on the team. Not bad for an unknown pick in 2020.
- It looks like Koumontzis has picked up an injury as he did not feature in ASU’s last match. Hopefully he’s back on the ice soon.
Swedish hockey
- Emil Heineman remains injured for Leksands.
- No points for either Lucas Feuk or William Stromgren this week.
USHL
- Ilya Nikolayev picked up three more assists this past weekend as the Tri-City Storm picked up two wins. He sits above a point-per-game in the league.
- The Storm are playing Arseni Sergeev like the Flames played Miika Kuprusoff through the mid-2000s. He played both halves of a back to back this weekend and won both. He continues to be the best netminder in the league, and is putting up the best numbers of any goalie in the league since 2017–18.
WHL
- No games for any of the Flames’ WHL prospects this week as there were multiple COVID-19 postponements.
- Happy belated Birthday to Lucas Ciona of the Seattle Thunderbirds!
OHL
- A slow week for Rory Kerins this week. He managed only two points, a goal and a primary assist as the Hounds lost 5–3 and 10–4 this week. Here’s the goal he scored:
- They are getting some reenforcements this week, as the team added Ty Anselmini, Keegan McMullen, and Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jack Thompson to their roster. Thompson should help the team on the blueline substantially as the Hounds have struggled to keep the puck out of the back of their own net this season.
- Jack Beck continues to be on the sidelines with no timeline for return.
- When he does return, he will be joined by his friend and Ottawa Senators prospect Tyler Boucher. An off-the-board selection, the Sens picked Boucher tenth overall, signed him to an ELC after he posted three points in 16 games for Boston University, then sent him to the 67’s. Hopefully he can be a productive add for the OHL side.
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)
- Adam Ruzicka (AHL) 49.0 (Same)
- Rory Kerins (OHL): 44.0 (Same)
- Jakob Pelletier (AHL): 42.6 (Same)
- Matthew Phillips(AHL): 41.4(+1)
- Glenn Gawdin (AHL) 38.3 (-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 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 0.5 | 46 | 12.4 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL |
| Matthew Coronato | RW | 12 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 1.1 | 2 | 23.0 | Harvard Crimsons | NCAA |
| Walker Duehr | RW | 21 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0.5 | 14 | 19.1 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Mathias Emilio Pettersen | C/LW | 22 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.3 | 4 | 10.8 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Lucas Feuk | C/W | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | N/A | Vasterviks IK | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| C/W | 13 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0.8 | 20 | N/A | Nybro IF | HockeyEttan | |
| Ryan Francis | RW/C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| RW/C | 18 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 1.3 | 12 | 29.8 | St John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | |
| Glenn Gawdin | C/RW | 27 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 1.0 | 24 | 38.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Emil Heineman | LW/RW | 30 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 0.4 | 16 | 19.5 | Leksands IF | SHL |
| LW/RW | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.6 | 0 | N/A | Leksands IF | Champions HL | |
| Cole Huckins | C | 24 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 0.9 | 41 | 21.4 | Acadie Bathurst Titans | QMJHL |
| Rory Kerins | C/LW | 32 | 19 | 34 | 53 | 1.7 | 10 | 44.0 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL |
| Justin Kirkland | C/W | 28 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 0.4 | 32 | 15.5 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | LW | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0.5 | 18 | N/A | Arizona State Sun Devils | NCAA |
| Mitchell Mattson | C | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 2 | 5.0 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Ilya Nikolayev | C | 25 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 1.0 | 27 | 23.0 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Josh Nodler | C/RW | 22 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.6 | 4 | 15.0 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Jakob Pelletier | C/LW | 29 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 1.1 | 10 | 42.6 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Matthew Phillips | C/RW | 26 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 1.0 | 10 | 41.4 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Luke Philp | C/RW | 29 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 0.6 | 10 | 24.7 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Martin Pospisil | C/W | 21 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.6 | 29 | 22.7 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Adam Ruzicka | C | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 1.2 | 2 | 49.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| William Stromgren | LW | 31 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 0.7 | 14 | 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 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 0.5 | 24 | 18.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Connor Zary | C | 21 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0.4 | 8 | 17.1 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Dmitri Zavgorodny | W/C | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| W/C | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 | HC Sochi | KHL |
Defencemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Boltmann | RHD | 21 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0.4 | 20 | 11.7 | Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Cole Jordan | LHD | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 16 | 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 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.8 | 0 | 17.5 | St John Sea Dogs | QMJHL | |
| Connor Mackey | LHD | 29 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 0.6 | 34 | 23.5 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Jeremie Poirier | LHD | 30 | 9 | 23 | 31 | 1.1 | 20 | 24.9 | St. John Sea Dogs | QMJHL |
| Colton Poolman | LHD | 25 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0.2 | 10 | 8.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Ilya Solovyov | LHD | 21 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.2 | 8 | 9.6 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Cameron Whynot | LHD | 28 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 0.5 | 32 | 12.6 | Halifax Mooseheads | QMJHL |
Goalies
| Player | Position | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | Shutouts | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chechelev, Daniil | G | 8 | 3.13 | 0.899 | 5-5-1 | 0 | Kansas City Mavericks | ECHL |
| Tyler Parsons | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Arseni Sergeev | G | 22 | 1.60 | 0.932 | 18-3-0 | 4 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Dustin Wolf | G | 19 | 1.92 | 0.936 | 16-1-2 | 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.
