Most of the Calgary Flames’ prospects went home this week with at least one assist, as if assists were given out by Oprah. Rory Kerins went home with two to place him third in OHL scoring. Glenn Gawdin went home with three this week, putting him 14th in the AHL in points this week, while Ilya Nikolayev went home with a whopping five assists this week. Surprisingly, none of these players is this week’s Standout Performer, as that honour went to a new forward. Let’s dive right 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.
Want to see where all the Flames’ prospects are playing this year? Check out our map visualization here:
Standout Performer
Justin Kirkland – Stockton Heat
| GP | G | A | P | P/GP | NHLe | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This week | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1.0 | N/A |
| Season total | 32 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 0.5 | 19.9 |
Justin Kirkland has quietly been on an absolute tear for the Stockton Heat. He scored both goals in the Heat’s 3–2 loss at the hands of the San Diego Gulls, then added the third goal in what would be a 4–3 overtime loss to the Henderson Silver Knights.
Unfortunately, AHLTV was not working so there is no video for any of the three goals. Never fear, the Heat’s Twitter did do an artistic rendering of the first goal by Kirkland:
The 2014 third-round selection of the Nashville Predators is a bit of a late bloomer, having struggled to hit the half-point-per-game at the AHL level in his time with that organization. However, since then he has developed nicely into a very good AHLer, and someone that could potentially earn an NHL call-up this season. Remember, he was one of the last cuts in this year’s training camp, ahead of both Matthew Phillips and Jakob Pelletier in that regard.
Does this mean that he is the next Andrew Mangiapane or Dillon Dube? Of course not! Kirkland probably tops out as a replacement-level NHLer or a strong AHLer, but teams need those types of guys in their organizations. For now, it is worth celebrating his success and hoping he continues to produce.
This and that
AHL
- The Heat went 1–1–1 this week, starting with a loss in the midweek game, picking up a win over Henderson then losing in overtime again to Henderson in the third match.
- With the team being off until the weekend, Connor Mackey and Byron Froese have been called up to the taxi squad in Calgary this week. They join Adam Ruzicka in Calgary, who potted a goal on Monday night’s win. Expect some of the three to be returned to Stockton before the game on Saturday with a few days of NHL pay in their jeans.
- Stockton got points from across the gambit. Aside from this week’s standout performer, the Heat got multi-point weeks from their top line of Glenn Gawdin (3 assists), Jakob Pelletier (1 goal, 1 assist), and Matthew Phillips (2 assists) as well as from Martin Pospisil (1 goal, 1 assist).
- The Heat currently have six players with ten or more goals to this point, the most in the AHL. They are exactly who you would probably expect: Phillips (13), Gawdin (12), Pelletier (12), Froese (10), Ruzicka (10), and Kirkland (10).
- It was great to see Johannes Kinnvall in the lineup finally in Stockton. He quarterbacked the team’s top power play unit and picked up a power play assist. Unfortunately he looked to have picked up a bit of an injury, but returned for the Sunday night game. He is already a difference-maker for the Heat to this point. Expect him to take a huge step forward in the back half of the season.
- One win and one overtime loss for Dustin Wolf this week. He sits second in the AHL in save percentage, behind Akira Schmid who has played 11 fewer games. There are only 64 goaltending jobs in the NHL at any given point that to see Wolf putting up these numbers ahead of netminders who have played dozens of NHL games is nothing short of incredible.
USHL
- The Tri-City Storm were without last week’s Standout Performer Arseni Sergeev. He was suspended after committing a hit to the head on a player last weekend. He should be back next week.
- Ilya Nikolayev did not score a goal but did have five assists playing on the Storm’s second line. He is now just over a point-per-game.
QMJHL
- Still on pause this week in the Q. They are not expected to begin until February 1, although the restrictions on attendance are a significant hurdle.
- The issues in New Brunswick have forced the Saint John Sea Dogs and Acadie Bathurst Titans to practice in Quebec. The Sea Dogs are in Reviere-du-Loup while the Titans are in Carleton-Sur-Mer.
- There are some rumblings that the dates of the Memorial Cup could change or that the format could be impacted due to the ongoing pandemic. This is a major revenue-earner for the CHL that having fewer games or struggling with attendance restrictions could seriously impede the profitability of the league. This is a story to keep watching.
- One other story to watch as the Q hopes to return this season is how many more points Jeremie Poirier totals this season. He is currently nine away from the all-time Sea Dogs’ point record currently held by Thomas Chabot. Poirier has played 14 fewer games than Chabot so far in his career, and given he is at around the point-per-game mark, there is a very good chance that he breaks this record.
KHL
- No games this week for Dmitri Zavgorodniy in Sochi. The coach of the team made a statement this past week that it is time to cancel the season. Given the massive cost overruns of trying to reschedule games, it is just not feasible to continue. This is another story to keep watching.
- If the KHL suspends for the year, Zavgorodniy will be back in Stockton.
NCAA
- Two assists this week for Matthew Coronato as Harvard went 1–2 this week. He will be relied upon to carry the team with a number of players away playing for Team USA. He probably deserved a shot himself.
- Uh oh, Josh Nodler is starting to slide. The 2019 fifth-round pick has no points in the last two weeks and has been a fixture on the second line. Not a good sign for a player looking for an entry-level contract this summer.
- Mitchell Mattson has been a steady fixture in the lineup over the last few weeks. He played both games this week but did not record a point. Check out him with his pup this week:
- No points this week for Jake Boltmann at Notre Dame. He unfortunately did not get to showcase his puppy on socials.
- Demetrios Koumontzis is still injured for Arizona State unfortunately. Hopefully he is back shortly. He was a true fan at the game this past weekend and was ecstatic when his teammate tossed a puck over the glass to him. Check out this wholesome moment:
- According to the USCHO Rankings, Notre Dame sits 11th in the NCAA, while Harvard and Arizona State are just on the outside of the top 20.
Swedish hockey
- One assist this week for Lucas Feuk in the HockeyEttan, Sweden’s third division.
- A goal and an assist this week for William Stromgren in the Swedish J-20. He sits fifth in point on his team to this point.
- Welcome back Emil Heineman! The prospect that came back in the Sam Bennett trade had a goal and an assist in his return to the SHL. He sits fourth among U21 skaters in the league.
- Leksands has started him back slowly by playing him in a sheltered role on the fourth line. Despite that, he has put up great numbers to this point.
ECHL
- Local legend Daniil Chechelev had a bit of a rough week with two losses for Kansas City. He saw his numbers take a bit of a plunge after allowing multiple goals in both losses. KC is struggling, sitting one from the bottom of their division.
- Your Chech Moment of the Week is this:
WHL
- A great week for Lucas Ciona who put up three goals and an assist this week for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He has been about a half-point-per-game player for the T-Birds this season, so seeing him putting up a few more points this week is great news. Check out two of his goals here:
- Two assists this week for Cole Jordan in Moose Jaw to go along with another bundle of penalty minutes. The heavy blueliner was heavily touted for his impressive underlying numbers at the draft, but his injury this year has limited his minutes to this point. He is currently skating on the second pairing for the Warriors.
OHL
- Jack Beck continues to be sidelined.
- Another two points this week for Rory Kerins, both assists. He continues to be inside the league’s top five in points, and sits third at this point. Kerins’ numbers have put him among elite company, and point toward a strong future if all continues to progress the way it has.
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): 44.2 (Same)
- Matthew Phillips(AHL): 41.0 (Same)
- Jakob Pelletier (AHL): 39.9 (Same)
- Glenn Gawdin (AHL) 38.7 (Same)
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 | 1.4 | 6 | 37.6 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL |
| Lucas Ciona | LW | 31 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 0.6 | 50 | 15.1 | Seattle Thunderbirds | WHL |
| Matthew Coronato | RW | 16 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 0.9 | 4 | 21.4 | Harvard Crimsons | NCAA |
| Walker Duehr | RW | 26 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.5 | 14 | 18.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Mathias Emilio Pettersen | C/LW | 27 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 0.3 | 4 | 12.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Lucas Feuk | C/W | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | N/A | Vasterviks IK | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| C/W | 15 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0.7 | 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 | 32 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 1.0 | 37 | 38.7 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Emil Heineman | LW/RW | 33 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 0.4 | 18 | 30.5 | 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 | 36 | 22 | 38 | 60 | 1.7 | 14 | 44.2 | Soo Greyhounds | OHL |
| Justin Kirkland | C/W | 32 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 0.5 | 41 | 19.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Demetrios Koumontzis | LW | 23 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 0.5 | 18 | N/A | Arizona State Sun Devils | NCAA |
| Mitchell Mattson | C | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0.2 | 2 | 5.5 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Ilya Nikolayev | C | 29 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 1.1 | 27 | 25.2 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Josh Nodler | C/RW | 26 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0.5 | 4 | 12.6 | Michigan State Spartans | NCAA |
| Jakob Pelletier | C/LW | 33 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 1.0 | 14 | 39.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Matthew Phillips | C/RW | 31 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 1.0 | 10 | 41.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Luke Philp | C/RW | 32 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 0.6 | 10 | 23.5 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Martin Pospisil | C/W | 24 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 0.6 | 38 | 23.1 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Adam Ruzicka | C | 13 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 1.2 | 2 | 49.0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| William Stromgren | LW | 34 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 0.8 | 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 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0.5 | 28 | 17.9 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Connor Zary | C | 22 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0.4 | 8 | 16.3 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Dmitri Zavgorodny | W/C | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| W/C | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 | HC Sochi | KHL |
Defencemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Boltmann | RHD | 24 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0.4 | 22 | 10.4 | Notre Dame | NCAA |
| Cole Jordan | LHD | 17 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0.3 | 28 | 7.7 | Moose Jaw Warriors | WHL |
| Johannes Kinnvall | RHD | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 19.9 | 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 | 34 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 0.6 | 51 | 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 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0.2 | 10 | 6.8 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Ilya Solovyov | LHD | 26 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0.2 | 10 | 7.6 | 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 | 15 | 3.71 | 0.889 | 7-7-1 | 0 | Kansas City Mavericks | ECHL |
| Tyler Parsons | G | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0-0 | 0 | Stockton Heat | AHL |
| Arseni Sergeev | G | 24 | 1.52 | 0.934 | 21-3-0 | 5 | Tri-City Storm | USHL |
| Dustin Wolf | G | 22 | 2.10 | 0.930 | 17-2-3 | 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.
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