The Calgary Wranglers added to their roster yesterday. The team announced that Brett Sutter has re-signed. He was last year’s team captain and son of former Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter.
At least one Sutter is staying in Calgary
Sutter’s contract is an AHL only contract, meaning it does not allow him to be called up to play for the Flames. He will likely play the whole year with the Wranglers as their captain, looking to avenge their third round playoff defeat to the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Pacific Division Final.
Last season was a big one for Sutter as he became just the eighth player in history to skate in 1,000 AHL games. His milestone game came against his former team the Ontario Reign, in which he scored the game-winning goal.
The outlook on the Wranglers
The Wranglers will benefit from the continuity of Sutter’s presence both on the ice and off, as their captain, and one of the best AHLers to ever play. In his first season playing with the Flames organization, he scored 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points, his best offensive total since 2018–19 with the Reign. With Matthew Phillips moving on from the Flames, and Jakob Pelletier looking poised to be a full-time NHLer, the Wranglers are losing out on major offence here. It wouldn’t be surprising if Sutter sees a dip in his offence as the Wranglers are a little bit more unknown in terms of expectations this coming season. Not to mention that Dustin Wolf is going to challenge for NHL time as he has nothing left to prove in the AHL.
So far, the Wranglers have 16 forwards, seven defencemen, and two goalies under contract. It looks like their roster is now set for the 2023-24 season, where they’ll aim to defend their division title, and contend for the Calder Cup once again.
