Happy New Year! The leagues’ holiday breaks are over, but it was another short week, with most leagues resuming no earlier than December 27. The Russian leagues were the exception, as they played right through the holidays.
A short week didn’t stop Shawinigan Cataractes winger Matvei Gridin and Moncton Wildcats defenceman Etienne Morin from racking up four points, though! The same can be said for the Calgary Flames’ two most exciting prospects on the blue line: Zayne Parekh (Saginaw Spirit) and Henry Mews (Ottawa 67’s).
This week also saw a Calgary Wranglers defenceman score his first goal for the team.
Another short week where we’re not short of topics of discussion. Let’s dive right in!
Note: games from New Year’s Eve are not included in this edition; they’ll be part of next week’s.
Welcome to The Win Column’s 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.
Flames prospect happenings
AHL
- Yesterday saw the Wranglers’ first game since returning from break, and it was a 4–3 win over the Abbotsford Canucks.
- We’ll start off with a first: Artyom Grushnikov scored his first goal as a Wrangler. Congratulations, Artyom! Take a look at this blast from the blue line:
GRUUUUSH FROM THE BLUE 🟦 pic.twitter.com/ercxbXfPKp
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) December 31, 2024
- Yan Kuznetsov picked up a pair of helpers, with one being a primary assist on the game-winning goal. He’s up to 10 points on the year.
- Rory Kerins, Ilya Solovyov, and Hunter Brzustewicz each nabbed an assist as well.
- William Stromgren scored his eighth goal of the season and is up to 22 points in 30 games. And this is why you go to the net:
IKEA MAKES IT 2-0 🇸🇪 pic.twitter.com/oBgG5fZNT7
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) December 31, 2024
- Unsurprisingly, the net was once again Devin Cooley’s. Given his superb play this season, we likely won’t be seeing a whole lot of Waltteri Ignatjew.
Europe
- No break for Nikita Okhotyuk, who suited up for three games, including one on December 25, when many people were busy with other things. I can’t think of what those things might be.
- Okhotyuk was—as per usual—one of CSKA’s most relied-on defencemen. He picked up four penalties in minutes and 4:50 time on ice shorthanded over the three games.
- Yegor Yegorov saw some action this week, suiting up for three games. They did not go particularly well, as he saw his record dip to 1–5–0 while sporting a 3.21 goals against average and a 0.918 save percentage.
NCAA
- Aydar Suniev was back to scoring goals this week for UMass. He scored a hat trick on five shots in Saturday’s exhibition game against the SFU Red Leafs of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League. Very impressive work by the Flames’ 2023 third-rounder!
- Niagara University picked up a 5–2 win in an exhibition game against Guelph, and Trevor Hoskin contributed a goal on his only shot.
- As a reminder, Penn State University and the University of North Dakota don’t return to action until this weekend.
OHL
- Luke Misa was quiet this week, by his standard. He picked up one assist—his 49th point of the season—in one game. Misa still sits top-10 in OHL scoring at ninth, but he will have to continue producing like he was before the break if he’s to stay there.
- Henry Mews. Wow. Another two goals and four points in four games. I really think Team Canada whiffed by passing on him for their World Junior Championship team.
- He’s up to 48 points on the year and recently took over first in the OHL in assists as well as first in points by a defenceman. Keep rolling, Henry! Nothing flashy about this play, but his calmness under pressure as he mans the point results in this goal:
Mr. December 🔥
— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) December 29, 2024
Will Gerrior has now scored in 8 of the 11 games the 67’s have played in the month of December, scoring nine times between Dec 6th and today – evening the score late in the third with his 19th of the season!#CapitalTerritory | @OHLHockey pic.twitter.com/MbvYsNeG8w
- Not forgotten is defenceman Zayne Parekh, who also had four points—all assists—in two games. He’s up to 40 points on the year and is also showing Team Canada what they’re missing out on. The difference between him and Mews? Canada passed on Parekh twice.
- Just for fun, here’s a small play from before the break where Parekh created a turnover that resulted in Sam Dickinson and Oliver Bonk—both who made Team Canada—being beaten for a goal:
mood when willis makes team usa 😤 pic.twitter.com/m4SQqjLIoj
— Saginaw Spirit (@SpiritHockey) December 19, 2024
QMJHL
- It was a good week in the Q for Flames fans, as the organization’s two prospects out east combined for eight points.
- Winger Matvei Gridin scored three goals and four points in two games, as the Cataractes scored in bushels. Gridin contributed to 7–2 and 10–2 wins this week. The 2024 first-rounder now has 18 goals and 39 points in 31 games. Check out this snipe:
Il faut s'y habituer, partisans des Cats !
— Cataractes de Shawinigan (@Cataractes_Shaw) December 29, 2024
"You have to get used to it, supporters of the Cats!"#JeSuisCataractes#Flames pic.twitter.com/486sxcH1o3
- On defence, Etienne Morin continues to have a highly productive season. In two games, he picked up a goal and four points, improving to 33 points in 31 games. His goal showcases good offensive instincts as well as his high-level skating:
Etienne adds to the 1st prd lead! https://t.co/BfbnzBTbHL pic.twitter.com/FnpWRKdPtA
— Moncton Wildcats (@monctonwildcats) December 28, 2024
WHL
- Medicine Hat Tigers winger Andrew Basha picked up two assists in one game before leaving that game with an injury. He has not played in the Tigers’ two games since. Tough break for the 2024 second-rounder, who missed a chunk of time earlier this season due to injury.
- Jaden Lipinski scored a goal and two points in two games for the Vancouver Giants. He’s up to a respectable 17 points in 24 games. He was in the right place at the right time to bury this loose puck:
Power plays, galaxy ways. 🌟
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) December 30, 2024
Jaden Lipinski opens the scoring for the G-Men!@TheWHL | @NHLFlames | #Flames pic.twitter.com/ynNJklY2fk
- Defenceman Eric Jamieson registered two helpers for the Everett Silvertips this week. He now has 23 points in 34 games. This is some good production from the Flames’ 2024 sixth-round pick.
- Last but not least is the Flames’ only representative at this year’s WJC: Axel Hurtig. He’s got one helper and a plus-two rating in four games, helping Team Sweden to first place in Group B at the tournament.
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 five (bracketed numbers denote movement from the previous week):
- Rory Kerins: 41.0 (Same)
- Aydar Suniev: 39.3 (+3)
- Luke Misa: 39.2 (-1)
- Jakob Pelletier: 37.9 (-1)
- Henry Mews: 37.3 (-1)
Overall regular season totals for Flames prospects
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Basha | LW | 23 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 1.26 | 30 | 31.2 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL |
| Jacob Battaglia | RW/LW | 34 | 20 | 24 | 44 | 1.29 | 18 | 34.2 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL |
| Parker Bell | LW | 25 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0.16 | 2 | 6.4 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Lucas Ciona | LW | 27 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 0.41 | 40 | 16.3 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Matvei Gridin | RW | 31 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 1.26 | 15 | 29.3 | Shawinigan Cataractes | QMJHL |
| Samuel Honzek | C/LW | 21 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 0.57 | 10 | 22.7 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Trevor Hoskin | C/RW | 18 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 0.83 | 6 | N/A | Niagara University | NCAA |
| Rory Kerins | C/LW | 31 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 1.03 | 8 | 41.0 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Adam Klapka | RW/LW | 17 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 0.82 | 33 | 32.7 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Hunter Laing | C | 32 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 0.66 | 24 | 16.3 | Prince George Cougars | WHL |
| Jaden Lipinski | C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0.0 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| 24 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 0.71 | 22 | 17.6 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | ||
| Cade Littler | C | 17 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0.24 | 21 | 8.6 | U. of North Dakota | NCAA |
| Luke Misa | C | 33 | 21 | 28 | 49 | 1.48 | 2 | 39.2 | Brampton Steelheads | OHL |
| Jakob Pelletier | LW/C | 20 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 0.95 | 4 | 37.9 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| William Stromgren | LW | 30 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 0.73 | 8 | 29.1 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Aydar Suniev | LW | 17 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 1.12 | 10 | 36.1 | UMass | NCAA |
Defencemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Brzustewicz | RHD | 30 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0.37 | 2 | 14.7 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Artyom Grushnikov | LHD | 25 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.08 | 6 | 3.2 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Axel Hurtig | LHD | 28 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.25 | 11 | 6.2 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL |
| Eric Jamieson | LHD | 34 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 0.68 | 31 | 16.8 | Everett Silvertips | WHL |
| Joni Jurmo | LHD | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 | 0.0 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.78 | 2 | N/A | Rapid City Rush | ECHL | ||
| Yan Kuznetsov | LHD | 31 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0.32 | 8 | 12.8 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Henry Mews | RHD | 34 | 11 | 37 | 48 | 1.41 | 38 | 37.3 | Ottawa 67’s | OHL |
| Etienne Morin | LHD | 31 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 1.06 | 18 | 24.7 | Moncton Wildcats | QMJHL |
| Nikita Okhotyuk | LHD | 38 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0.18 | 24 | 11.9 | CSKA Moskva | KHL |
| Zayne Parekh | RHD | 30 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 1.33 | 47 | 35.2 | Saginaw Spirit | OHL |
| Jeremie Poirier | LHD | 31 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 0.42 | 26 | 16.7 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Ilya Solovyov | LHD | 27 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 0.63 | 6 | 25.1 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
Goalies
| Player | Position | GP | GAA | SV% | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniil Chechelev | G | 3 | 5.30 | 0.825 | Yunison-Moskva | VHL |
| Waltteri Ignatjew | G | 9 | 3.66 | 0.879 | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Arseni Sergeyev | G | 9 | 2.34 | 0.906 | Penn State U. | NCAA |
| Yegor Yegorov | G | 4 | 3.38 | 0.870 | HK Tambov | VHL |
| 8 | 3.07 | 0.891 | MHK Tambov | NMHL | ||
| 6 | 3.21 | 0.918 | MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva | MHL | ||
| Kirill Zarubin | G | 11 | 2.37 | 0.928 | AKM Tula | MHL |
Following the prospects
Staying up to date with the development of prospects is no easy task. Follow along throughout the season for the latest happenings in the entire Flames’ development pipelines!
