The Calgary Flames made the decision to move their farm team into town as they relocated the Stockton Heat right into the Saddledome, which included a rebrand to the Calgary Wranglers. Having one of the hottest teams in the entire AHL play out of Calgary has given Flames fans many great opportunities to watch the organisation’s best prospects play and follow along in their development. The AHL is now in its own All-Star break and the Wranglers are first overall in the Pacific Division—scratch that, they’re first overall in the whole league.
Yes, since the move to Calgary, the Wranglers have been one of the best teams in the AHL and have put on an incredible performance all season long. With that said, have Flames fans made the trip to the ‘Dome to catch some Wranglers hockey this season? We asked, you answered.
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Rallying for the Wranglers
Going to an AHL game is unique in that half of the players are those who just weren’t good enough to make it as NHLers, and the other half are knocking on the doorstep of the big league. This is also true for Calgary. Captained by Brett Sutter, an AHL veteran with now over 1,000 games played, the Wranglers are filled with promising prospects that can soon find themselves suiting up for the Flames.
From Matthew Phillips, Walker Duehr, and Jakob Pelletier who have gotten call-ups this season, to Connor Zary and Dustin Wolf who just feel like they’re due next, the Wranglers’ roster has plenty of young talent in the pipeline.
Going to a Wranglers game is by far the best opportunity to watch the Flames’ budding prospects and see their development for yourself. The competition is fierce on most nights too as any given opponent will also bolster a healthy mix of seasoned hockey players and young prospects.
Here’s what some replies in the poll had to say about their own experiences:
Yes, I have been to, was there yesterday for the Battle of 'Berta Wranglers v. Condors 🥳🥳🔥🔥
Originally tweeted by Anand – Flames 🔥 Fan (@UnnithanAnand) on February 5, 2023.
I have and it's GREAT.
Originally tweeted by Milanista Economista 🔴⚫ (@milanecon) on February 4, 2023.
Twice, and Wranglers' games are honestly way better value than NHL games.
Originally tweeted by ⓋDiscipline93Ⓥ (@vickraive) on February 4, 2023.
Was in the front row last night, $21/ticket.
Can’t beat it.Originally tweeted by Calin (@CalinWay) on February 5, 2023.
Taking in AHL hockey
While we know not every Flames fan is from Calgary and thus watching a Wranglers game may not be possible for everyone, we still wanted to see how many people have made the trip.
Was the move to Calgary worth it from both the organisation’s perspective and a fan perspective, or was it just primary to the benefit of the team?
As of right now, it looks as though about one in four voters have took in a Wranglers game at the Saddledome (or maybe even on the road), and more than half the voters haven’t gone but would like to.
It’s a clear success for both the Flames and the growth of the sport that so many people are interested in catching AHL action. Taking the Flames’ best prospects and moving them to Calgary just feeds into many ways to build on Flames hockey. From allowing diehard fans to catch all things Flames, to giving more casual fans less cost-prohibitive ways to watch some of Calgary’s most NHL-ready players, or simply introducing the game of hockey to new fans with a good level of competition, there’s a bit of everything for everybody.
The Wranglers this season
As mentioned, the Wranglers are the best team in the AHL right now. Led by Phillips’ 24 goals and 24 assists in 38 games with Zary and Pelletier not far behind, as well as Dustin Wolf being one of the best goalies bar none in the league, the Flames top prospects have been the team’s best players all year long.
When playing in front of the home crowd, the Wranglers are an incredible 16–7–1–0, which makes for the second best home record in the league—only behind the Hershey Bear’s 16–6–2–1 record. Any time a team comes to the Saddledome, they’re in for a hard match with the Wranglers rarely losing.
Simply put, watching the Wranglers on home ice is an especially good experience to take in, even more so during their inaugural season in Calgary.
Catch a game, courtesy of The Win Column
If you’re among the fans who do want to go see a Wranglers game, we have been giving away tickets all season long with some prime second row seats. Here’s just a few shots from lucky winners from earlier this season.
Follow our social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to catch the next giveaway! We’re giving away tickets all season long.
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