Although the season in Calgary is not going as many had hoped, that sentiment only applies to the NHL roster.
The Calgary Wranglers hold a 21-9-3 record and sit atop the Pacific Division. The organization’s farm team continues to have success, despite a number of players and their head coach moving on from last year’s team.
That success is being recognized with the naming of the AHL All-Star rosters this morning, including two key players from Calgary.
The Nominees
Goaltender Dustin Wolf and forward Matthew Coronato will be representing the Wranglers at this year’s festivities in San Jose, two well-deserved honors. Joining them will be the Wranglers head coach, Trent Cull, who will be coaching the Pacific Division team due to the Wranglers outstanding record this season.
This will be Dustin Wolf’s second appearance at the AHL All-Star Classic, where last year he was named MVP of the tournament alongside Lukas Dostal. This season, Wolf has yet again been the Wranglers best player. Posting a 15-5-1 record so far, Wolf leads the league in wins and is second in SV% at 0.930 and also is sitting on four shutouts to boot. It may not be as dominant as last year when he was named AHL league MVP, but it’s still outstanding that he has been able to maintain his prowess season after season.
For Coronato, although he had his sights set on the NHL this year, he has shown up and performed for the Wranglers. In just 25 games this year, he has 12 goals and 16 assists. This puts him in third place among rookie point leaders, but second when you account for points per game. In just his shortened stint with the Wranglers, he has catapulted himself up to the points leader on the team despite having played almost ten fewer games. This will be his first AHL All-Star appearance.
We already knew that Trent Cull would be coaching the Pacific Division squad, but it’s worth noting how phenomenal of a job he has done so far this season. Mitch Love was an outstanding coach, but for Cull to take over after losing so many key forwards and still have the same success is a testament to his coaching abilities. Additionally, he’s played a big part in getting some of the team’s prospects promoted to the NHL this season. The Wranglers, and Flames, are in good hands with Cull.
What to expect from the weekend
The skills competition will take place on Sunday February 4th while the games will be held on Monday February 5th. This year’s tournament features a round-robin style, with each team facing the other three in 10-minute games of 3-on-3. The top two teams will face each other in the championships in a six-minute 3-on-3 game.
Congratulations to all, and make sure to tune in to the AHL All-Star game on February 4th and 5th
