With the NHL season starting on Wednesday. For the prospects within the system, this means even more leagues are starting up for the year as well. The NCAA had its first week of action, and that means Calgary Flames fans got the first look at some of the nine Flames prospects playing college hockey.
A lot less movement this week, and more stability as Flames prospects get comfortable.
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 and feature one standout prospect. 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.
Krill Zarubin, G, AKM Tula, (MHL)
The MHL product is a 2024 third-rounder of the Calgary Flames. The 2005-born goaltender is quietly putting together a solid season that might see him emerge as a stable professional in the next couple of years.
That being said, goaltenders are always a longer-term project than skaters, so don’t expect him to be appearing with the Flames or the Calgary Wranglers next season.
Zarubin has all the skills that it takes to find success at the next European and North American levels. His game is highlighted by high-end senses—checking up, play anticipation, and play processing—mobility (strong t-pushes, athleticism, and post-ups), and a solid glove hand with relatively good high and low blocker ability.
The young Russian does have an element of clutch factor that allows him to single-handedly be a difference maker for his team as well.
The one knack on the young goaltender looks to be his puck tracking and puck elevation challenges, which can all be sorted out with more reps and game time.
If Zarubin maintains his current momentum, the 2025–26 campaign could be a breakout season for him, and he could start looking like a steal for the Flames organization.
Calgary Flames prospect updates
AHL
- The Wranglers had no preseason games scheduled for this season. They begin their season on the road against the Colorado Eagles for a pair of games on October 10 and 11. They then head to Tucson to play the Roadrunners the following weekend on the 18th and 19th.
- The Wranglers’ roster is mostly set for the season, so expect to see a similar team to last year.
- Wranglers defender, Ilya Solovyov, was claimed by the Colorado Avalanche after being put on waivers this past week.
ECHL
- The Rapid City Rush begin their ECHL Season on the road against the Kansas City Mavericks on October 17.
- No Flames prospect has been assigned to their ECHL affiliate yet, but the Flames do have a history of using the Rush for younger prospects, so don’t be surprised if a Wrangler or two get assigned to Rapid City.
Europe
- The 2025 second-round pick, Theo Stockselius, made his professional debut this past week, playing two games with the SHL’s Djurgårdens IF on October 2 and 4, before being reassigned to the U20 team on October 5. In his first game back with the U20, the Swede scored his first goal of the season and went a +3 in a 5–2 win against Brynäs IF U20.
NCAA
- Mace’o Phillips found the scoresheet for the first time this season, collecting an assist in his first of two games against the USNTDP Juniors this week. He continues to shine with strong shutdown physicality.
- It was a scoring fest at the University of Michigan this past weekend, where Herny Mews made his NCAA debut. Mews put on a clinic, collecting a trio of assists as the Wolverines defeated Mercyhurst 11–1 on October 3, and then collected a fourth assist in a 7–1 victory against Mercyhurst the following day.
- The recent transfer portal star, Trevor Hoskin, made his debut with his new team, Merrimack College, against UMass-Lowell on the third.
- USHL alumni, Ethan Wyttenbach, also made his debut on the third in the NCAA with Quinnipiac in a 4–3 win against Boston College, where he scored his first point of his college career on an assist.
- Luka Misa made his NCAA debut in a pair of wins against ASU. The OHL alumni looks to be one of many high-skilled forwards playing alongside Gavin McKenna this year at Penn State.
- The 2025 first-rounder, Cullen Potter’s two-way game is translating nicely in the NCAA, and he even found the scoresheet twice against Penn State.
OHL
- Jacob Battaglia’s Kingston Frontenacs are on a three-game win streak after this past week, collecting victories against the Oshawa Generals and Erie Otters. Look for the 2006-born forward to continue to be a focal point of Kingston’s offence with his timing, pressure absorption, and playmaking ability.
WHL
- Hunter Laing continues to be a difference maker in all three zones for the Saskatoon Blades through his physicality, senses, and finishing ability. He went a combined +4 across his two games this past week and is now on a two-game point streak as well. Also, talk about a goal machine, four goals across four games.
Russia
- 2023 sixth-rounder, Yegor Yegorov, played a single game this past week, losing 5–4 in overtime to Sakhalinskiye Akuly.
- Another week, another two wins for Kirill Zarubin. The Russian stopped 45 of 49 combined shots, good for a 0.918 SV%, and remains on track to be a promotion candidate to the VHL this season.
- Yan Matveiko continues to be a high quality playmaker, and boy did his sense and puck skills shine this past week, as he posted a goal and two assists against AKM-Yunior Tula Region in a 4–3 loss on the first, and found the back of the net on his teams only goal in a 1–0 OT thriller against Kapitan Stupino on the October 4.
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rory Kerins | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Cullen Potter | C/LW | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1.00 | 0 | Arizona State University | NCAA |
| Cade Littler | C/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of North Dakota | NCAA |
| Hunter Laing | C/RW | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1.25 | 2 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL |
| Samuel Honzek | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Carter King | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Cole Reschny | C/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of North Dakota | NCAA |
| Jaden Lipinski | C/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Maine | NCAA |
| Luke Misa | C/LW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Penn State University | NCAA |
| Trevor Hoskins | RW/C | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Merrimack College | NCAA |
| Theo Stockselius | C/LW | 6 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 1.33 | 4 | Djurgårdens IF U20 | U20 Nat |
| Yan Matveiko | C | 11 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 1.27 | 4 | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | MHL |
| William Stromgren | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Matvei Gridin | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Lucas Ciona | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Parker Bell | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Andrew Basha | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Jacob Battaglia | LW/RW | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1.00 | 4 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL |
| Aydar Suniev | LW/RW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Ethan Wyttenbach | LW/RW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | 0 | Quinnipiac University | NCAA |
| Aiden Lane | RW/LW | – | – | – | – | – | – | Harvard University | NCAA |
Defence
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yan Kuznetsov | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Jeremy Poirier | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Etienne Morin | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Artyom Grushnikov | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Jacob Leander | RD | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.29 | 35 | HV71 | U20 Nat |
| Hunter Brzustewicz | RD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Axel Hurtig | LD | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.50 | 2 | Calgary Hitmen | WHL |
| Henry Mews | RD | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2.00 | 0 | University of Michigan | NCAA |
| Eric Jamieson | LD | – | – | – | – | – | – | University of Denver | NCAA |
| Mace’o Phillips | LD | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.25 | 4 | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL |
| Zayne Parekh | RD | – | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Flames | NHL |
Goaltenders
| Player | GP | GAA | SV% | Record | SO | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenii Sergeev | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Owen Say | – | – | – | – | – | Calgary Wranglers | AHL |
| Yegor Yegorov | 5 | 3.19 | .914 | 2-3-0 | 0 | MHK Spartak-MAH Moskva | MHL |
| Kirill Zarubin | 7 | 2.20 | .923 | 3-2-0 | 0 | AKM Tula | MHL |
