The Calgary Flames Development Camp opens today at Winsport, with 38 prospects participating this year. While the vast majority of players are draft picks of the organization, there are a number of new faces at camp this year. Here’s who will be there:
Draft picks
2024
Zayne Parekh
Zayne Parekh was the Flames’ first selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. This is the first chance for Flames fans to see the elite defenceman in the famed red jersey. Parekh is one of the closest players to the NHL and one of the organization’s top prospects.
Matvei Gridin
Selected in the first round as well, Matvei Gridin will spend next season in either the NCAA or QMJHL. A strong two-way forward, the Russian has great hands and excellent offensive instincts.
Andrew Basha
Drafted in the second round, the left winger had 85 points in 63 games in the WHL this season. He’s a great two-way winger with a ton of potential as a playmaker at the NHL level in a few years.
Jacob Battaglia
Also a second-round pick, Battaglia had 65 points in 67 games last season with the Kingston Frontenacs. A big-bodied forward, the Mississauga-born prospect has great hands and a ton of potential.
Henry Mews
The gifted offensive defenceman had nearly a point-per-game in the OHL last season. He holds his own under pressure in his own zone and uses his great skating to get out of pressure. Hopefully, he can show those skills at camp.
Trevor Hoskin
The overage forward had 100 points in 52 games in the OJHL last season. Bound for the NCAA next season, Trevor Hoskins is one of the most interesting prospects to watch at camp this year.
Luke Misa
A sneaky good pick by the Flames in the fifth round, Misa is incredibly fast and can speed through the neutral zone with ease. While not the biggest player at 5’10”, he had 81 points in 66 games and looks like a winner already.
Hunter Laing
The big-bodied WHLer had 25 points this year for Prince George. He reads the game well as a playmaker and uses his big body to get to dangerous areas of the ice.
Eric Jamieson
Missing from this list is goaltender Kirill Zarubin from Russia, who is not attending.
2023
Samuel Honzek
After a rough season battling an injury, Samuel Honzek will be looking to show that he is still one of the organization’s top prospects after being taken in the first round last season.
Etienne Morin
The offensive defenceman had a great D+1 year in the QMJHL, with 49 points in 58 games. He’ll be back in the league for one more year this season.
Aydar Suniev
Drafted by a pick acquired in the Tyler Toffoli trade, Suniev had 25 points in 36 games as a rookie in the NCAA. He will be hoping to take another step forward in his development on the path to becoming an NHLer.
Jaden Lipinski
Where Honzek struggled in Vancouver, Jaden Lipinski took a major step forward in his development, putting up 66 points in 67 games. He also showed his potential as a centreman, anchoring the top line for much of the year. He’ll be ready to show Flames management that he has the capacity to be an NHLer in a few years.
Yegor Yegorov
This is the first time Yegor Yegorov will be playing in North America at camp and the first chance for Flames fans to see him play here. While he will likely be back in Russia next year, Yegorov had a .917 save percentage in the MHL last year.
Axel Hurtig
After spending last season in Sweden, Axel Hurtig will be sticking around Calgary and joining the Hitmen next season. This will be the beginning of his North American hockey career.
Also at camp will be Hunter Brzustewicz, who the Flames acquired mid-season from the Vancouver Canucks. He finished just behind Parekh for the OHL’s scoring title for defencemen last season.
2022
Parker Bell
Parker Bell completed his WHL career with 64 points in 59 games last season before joining the Calgary Wranglers to finish his year. He will be with the Wranglers next season and will use camp to kickstart his first full AHL season.
Cade Littler
Cade Littler split his time between the BCHL and USHL, putting up similar numbers in both leagues. He will be in the NCAA next season with the University of North Dakota.
The Flames renounced their rights to second-round pick Topi Ronni, so he will naturally not be at camp.
2021
Matt Coronato
The most NHL-ready prospect at camp this year, Matt Coronato played 34 games in the NHL last season but had 42 points in 41 games in the AHL. He will use camp to show that he deserves a full-time NHL job next season.
William Stromgren
After a brutal start to last season, Stromgren finished with 27 points in the AHL. He will be looking to build on that in his sophomore season.
Lucas Ciona
The Flames’ sixth-round pick really struggled in his first AHL season, putting up just six points in 55 games. This is an opportunity for him to show he still has potential to be an NHLer in a few years.
Missing from this draft class is Arseni Sergeev, who won’t be attending. He has just committed to join Penn State after spending the last two seasons at the University of Connecticut.
The Flames didn’t sign the rest of their prospects from this draft class.
However, the Flames do have Artem Grushnikov joining camp after being acquired from Dallas. While he only had six points last season, the defensive defenceman had a great year in a shutdown role.
2020
Joni Jurmo
The only player from this draft at camp is Joni Jurmo, who the Flames acquired from the Vancouver Canucks. He will be transitioning to the North American game after spending the first part of his career in Finland.
Other bodies in the organization
Sam Morton
Signed as a senior from the Minnesota State Mankato, Sam Morton had seven points in 13 games as an AHL rookie last season. This will be his first chance to show he deserves an NHL look this year.
David Silye
The 25-year-old centre was signed following his senior season with the University of Wisconsin, where he had 32 points in 40 games. He’ll be back with the Wranglers again this season.
Connor Murphy
Connor Murphy split time between the AHL and ECHL last season and put up a .922 save percentage in 15 games. He will be looking to show he can be a tandem or starting option in the AHL next season.
Matt Radomsky
The netminder had 41 games in the ECHL for Rapid City and had a .889 save percentage. He’ll be battling with Murphy for an AHL job.
New faces
Carter King
The hometown kid had 34 points in 29 games with the University of Denver in the NCAA. He has one more year of NCAA eligibility before deciding on his future.
Luke McNamara
The forward split time between Saginaw and Kingston and averaged about half a point per game on both teams. He’ll be back in the OHL again this season.
Trevor Janicke
A teammate of prospect Jake Boltmann, Trevor Janicke had 16 points in 32 games for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He signed a deal with the Calgary Wranglers starting this season.
Kaden Bohlsen
The right-shot winger had 21 points in 34 games for Minnesota State Mankato last season. He also added 52 penalty minutes in his time with the team. He has just one more season of NCAA eligibility and could take a big step forward in his development.
Rowan Topp
The 18-year-old had just seven points in 64 games in the OHL this season. Unless he has elite defensive skills, seven points in the OHL is really, really low.
Evan Murr
The 21-year-old blueliner had 26 points in 37 games last season with Minnesota State Mankato in his first season in the league. He could be a good signing in a couple years if he continues developing this way.
Isa Parekh
The brother of Zayne, Isa Parekh had 38 points in 52 games in the BCHL. He will join Bemidji State University next season.
Hayden Hennen
Hayden Hennen had 14 points in 32 games as a rookie at Augustana University in the NCAA. Not a great hockey program, the Flames clearly like something in the 6’3″ blueliner who turns 22 next month.
Callum Tung
The 20-year-old netminder finished his BCHL career with a .917 save percentage. The 6’3″ BC product will join the NCAA’s UConn next season.
Zach Pelletier
The 18-year-old netminder played 43 games with Gatineau but ended with a not-great .875 save percentage. However, he’s a big goalie, standing 6’3″, and there may be more there than meets the eye.
Ethan McCallum
The netminder had a .886 save percentage last season in the WHL with Medicine Hat. He did only play 23 games as the backup, so the potential could be there for the 6’4″ goalie.
What is the schedule for the week?
The players have been split into two groups and will spend today and tomorrow between on-ice and off-ice sessions. Then, on Saturday, there will be a 3-on-3 scrimmage at 10:30 a.m. at WinSport. This is open to the public and is a great opportunity to see future stars play a fun game for free.
This is traditionally the start of the 2024–25 season, and while it still feels far away, the start of next season is going to creep up on us quickly. Get excited; it’s hockey time in Calgary.
