The Calgary Flames have signed Tyson Gross, one of the biggest NCAA free agents this season. The Flames also have 12 other drafted prospects currently playing in the NCAA.
Even on the trade front, both the Rasmus Anderson trade and Mackenzie Weegar trade netted capable NCAA prospects in UND defender Abram Wiebe and Cornell forward Jonathan Castagna respectively. It is safe to say that general manager Craig Conroy and the Flames organization are going all in on the NCAA.
The recent signing of Gross begs the question for any Flames fan, “How has the Flames historically done with other undrafted NCAA free-agents?”
Let’s take a look at the track record of the Flame’s undrafted college free agents from the past dozen years.
The List of Undrafted NCAA Players the Calgary Flames Have Signed:
- Owen Say, Goaltender, (2025)
- Carter King, Forward, (2025)
- Sam Morton, Forward, (2024)
- Walker Duehr, Forward, (2021)
- Colton Poolman, Defence, (2020)
- Connor Mackey, Defence, (2020)
- Luke Philp, Forward (2019)* USports
- Spencer Foo, Forward (2017)
- Josh Healey, Defence, (2017)
- Kenney Morrison, Defence, (2015)
- Bryce Van Brabant, Forward, (2014)
- Garnett Hathaway, Forward (2014)
Owen Say, Goaltender, University of Notre Dame (2025)
The jury is still out for the London, Ontario product, as the 2025–2026 campaign is the goaltender’s first season in the Flames organization. Across three NCAA campaigns, Say posted a .914. Last season, in 28 games with Notre Dame generated a .920 save percentage and a 2.82 GAA.
Say has struggled this season, but so has the entire Wranglers organization. In his AHL rookie campaign, Say has made 19 appearances with the Wranglers, with a 3.36 GAA and a .889 save percentage. It’s not going to be smooth sailing for a goalie when your team is sitting 9th in the AHL’s Pacific Division.
The 24-year-old may see some NHL time in the near or far future.
Carter King, Forward, University of Denver (2025)
The former Denver Pioneers captain had a solid NCAA career as a reliable two-way forward. King was also a key piece of Denver’s forward core when the club won the NCAA title in the 2023–2024 season. The gritty defensive forward amassed a 0.71 PPG at the NCAA level.
Through this three-zone game, good point production, and a championship background, King quickly became one of the most sought-after NCAA free agents last season, with Calgary winning the race after the 2024–2025 season.
The local Calgary product’s adjustment to the professional game with the Calgary Wranglers has been slow. He largely serves as a middle-six forward with the Wranglers and is a reliable physical and defensive presence for the club.
The 24-year-old’s projection is likely as a two-way top-6 AHL forward, but injuries, circumstances, and momentum can change that. It is still possible that King sees NHL action in the future.
Sam Morton, Forward, Minnesota State University (Mankato) (2024)
Morton was another heavily hyped NCAA free agent, and unlike the previous two players on this list, he has appeared in 4-games of NHL action with the Flames. The high-paced 26-year-old forward had a lengthy NCAA career split between Union College and Minnesota State, where he was a reliable forward.
As far as professional hockey projections go, Morton likely slots in as a fringe NHLer with bottom-6 potential.
Morton is a productive AHL-level forward, appearing with the Wranglers in the past three seasons, 136 games, where he has posted 37 goals and 47 assists, good for 84 points. He plays an energetic, engaged game, which shows good off-puck play and basic enough senses that he could be a reliable NHL 4th liner.
Walker Duehr, Forward, Minnesota State University (Mankato) (2021)
Duehr was not as highly touted a prospect as some of the other players on this list, but he has proven himself to be a reliable depth option as a fringe NHLer.
After a 4season career with Minnesota State University (Mankato), the 1997-born forward played parts of five seasons and 127 games in the AHL with the Flames organization between the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers.
Duehr played a total of 84 NHL games with the Flames, where he posted 11 goals and 10 assists. Duehr’s Calgary Flames tenure ended on January 22nd, 2025, after being claimed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks.
Colton Poolman, Defence, University of North Dakota (2020)
Poolman was an under-the-radar signing by the Calgary Flames in March of 2020. The hard-nosed shutdown-defender with good mobility had high praise from the organization, with some seeing him as a stalwart 2nd pairing defender of the future.
Ultimately, Poolman would play parts of four seasons for the Stockton Heat and Calgary Wranglers from 2020 to 2024, but never got an opportunity to suit up for a regularseason NHL game. After three consecutive 1-year extensions, the Flames then let the 6’01 defender walk in the summer of 2024.
Connor Mackey, Defence, Minnesota State University (Mankato) (2020)
Mackey played an honest physical edge game with offensive upside, which attracted the attention of NHL scouts in March of 2020, eventually signing with the Calgary Flames. The 1996-born American rearguard played a threeseason career at Minnesota State University (Mankato), where he was 0.52 PPG.
Mackey split time between the AHL and NHL for three seasons. Only ever appeared in 19 games with the Flames.
While never really establishing himself at the NHL level, Mackey was a force in the AHL, appearing in 80 games with the Stockton Heat and putting up 52 points before being part of a March 2023 trade with Brett Ritchie for Troy Stetcher and Nick Ritchie.
Luke Philp, Forward, University of Alberta (Usports) (2019)
Philp is the sole college player on this list, not from the NCAA, but he was one of the highest-touted Canadian college players in the last decade, after posting 103 points across just 78 games. Also being named a USports All-Star, MVP, and Champion in the 2018–2019 season before signing with the Flames.
Philp was then assigned to the Stockton Heat of the AHL, where he carved out a consistent role in the affiliate’s top-6 forward group. The intelligent puck handler found ways to manipulate opponents generated 92 points across 148 games and three seasons in the AHL.
Despite this production, the USports product never got an opportunity with the Flames, as they let him walk into free agency in the summer of 2022. The 5’10 forward eventually appeared in three NHL games with Chicago in the 2022–2023 season.
Spencer Foo, Forward, Union College (2017)
Foo was a highly touted Hobey Baker finalist in the 2016–2017 season after a 62-point season with Union College. The Edmonton product proved to be a speedy, creative, and passing fiend, who had some scouts projecting him as high as a middle-6 forward.
Despite this Foo spent the majority of his two-year stint with the Stockton Heat of the AHL, even serving as an assistant captain in his second season. He also got the opportunity to play four games of the 2017–2018 season with the Flames where he netted his only two NHL goals of his career.
He has since carved out a solid KHL career with Kulun Red Star and Shanghai Dragons, where he currently serves as team captain.
Josh Healey, Defence, Ohio State University (2017)
After an impressive 25-point senior year with Ohio State, the 1994-born defender would choose to sign with the Calgary Flames in March of 2017. Healey would go on to play two seasons with the Stockton Heat in a second/third pairing role.
Healey was more known for his physicality and defensive-zone play. The Flames would then let the defender walk to free agency in the summer of 2019. The 6’02 defender bounced around the AHL before eventually retiring after the 2023–2024 season.
Kenney Morrison, Defence, Western Michigan University (2015)
Morrison was a smooth-skating, stable two-way defender who was not scared to shoot. He would sign as an undrafted free agent in March of 2015, after leading the Western Michigan blueline for the prior two seasons.
Initally he was assigned to the Adirondack Flames, where in the brief 10-game period from 2014–2015, he impressed, posting two goals and four assists in his first ten AHL games. Unfortunately for Morrison that was the most productive he ever was in North American hockey.
After two seasons with the Flames organization and one split between the AHL and ECHL. Morrison would then make the jump in 2017–2018 to play in Norway, then Slovakia for the following two seasons, and finally Germany for three seasons in the DEL2 before retiring from competitive hockey in the summer of 2023.
Bryce Van Brabant, Forward, Quinnipiac (2014)
Van Brabant made the jump to the NHL in six games with the Flames immediately after their March 2014 signing of the Quinnipiac star, where that would be the only NHL action the Canadian would see.
Van Brabant eventually split time between the AHL and ECHL before retiring from professional hockey in the summer of 2017.
Garnett Hathaway, Forward, Brown University (2014)
Hathaway is a name that is familiar to Flames fans. Hathaway is the only undrafted NCAA signing on this list to become an NHL regular, where he is now an 11season vet. The hard-skilled American forward has carved out a role as a shutdown bottom-6 forward with strong physicality and a relentless work effort.
Hathaway initially signed with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat, in 2014. After a strong 2014–2015 showing in a 36-point, defensively strong AHL rookie season, the Flames officially signed Hathaway in April of 2015. The forward would make his NHL debut on February 29th, 2016, against the Flyers.
The 1991-born forward now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers and has appeared in 660 NHL contests.
What does this mean for the Flames Organization
When it comes to signing undrafted college free agents, there’s a possibility of finding a diamond in the rough, as the Leafs did with Bobby McMann in 2022, or the Sharks did with Colin Graff in 2024. That being said, there’s also a chance that the player becomes NHL depth or an AHL star.
When a team like Calgary gets the chance to add a prospect for nothing, it never hurts to at least try and see if they develop into anything. As for Tyson Gross, Flames fans will have to wait and see if he’s the Flames equivalent of Graff, or a name on this list.
