After weeks of speculation, it is finally becoming official that forward Carter King is signing a one-year entry-level deal with the Calgary Flames. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli was first to report the news on this Sunday:
King is a Calgary product who grew up playing with a variety of Calgary hockey organizations. The left-shot forward played with the Surrey Eagles of the BCHL for one year in 2019–20, posting 33 points in 58 games. After his stint in the BCHL, he moved over to the University of Denver to play for the Denver Pioneers. In his fourth full season with the Pioneers this year, King was named team captain. He has scored 21 goals and 43 points this season—both career highs—in 44 games. King attended the Flames development camp last year.
King is not the biggest guy out there, standing at 5’11” and weighing 190 pounds, but he’s got a motor and competes hard. He’s also good in his own zone, having been nominated for defensive forward of the year in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Tim Washe of Western Michigan took home this award.
King will join the Calgary Wranglers on an amateur tryout
The King signing follows a similar path to the signing of Sam Morton last year. The Flames signed Morton as a college free agent last year. Like King, Morton could only sign a one-year ELC because of his age, which kicked in for the 2024–25 season. Morton joined the Calgary Wranglers on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2023–24 season after he signed his deal with the Flames. King will do the same, signing an entry-level deal for the 2025–26 season and reporting to the Calgary Wranglers on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the Wranglers season and playoffs.
King’s collegiate career came to an end on Thursday when the Pioneers lost to Western Michigan in double overtime by a score of 3–2. Western Michigan won the collegiate title on Saturday with a win over Boston University.
King won two NCAA championships with the Pioneers in 2022 and 2024.
Several Pioneers have signed entry-level deals with clubs in the last several days. Yesterday, Aidan Thompson and Jack Devine signed with the Chicago Blackhawks and Florida Panthers, respectively. Zeev Buium signed with the Minnesota Wild earlier today and is expected to be in the lineup when the Wild take on the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
