Three Flames Prospects We Want To See More Of In The NHL This Season

So far this season, we’ve seen 11 different players suit up for both the Calgary Flames and their AHL affiliate Calgary Wranglers.

That includes defenseman Tyson Barrie’s conditioning assignment, but the doors have been rotating with a number of prospects pushing their way through for NHL auditions.

Forwards Matthew Coronato, Adam Klapka, Rory Kerins, Dryden Hunt, Clark Bishop, Sam Honzek, Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr, as well as defenseman Ilya Solovyov, have all done double duty. Coronato carved out a regular role after his early-season stint with the Wranglers. Klapka is being given a long look as a punishing fourth-line player, and Kerins made his NHL debut with a handful of games with the Flames before suiting up in the AHL All-Star Game.

Solovyov had a quick peak in the top pairing before the 4-Nations Face-off began, and Sam Honzek actually earned a spot on the Flames’ opening night roster before injury derailed his quest to stick around.

Pelletier was forced to part ways with the Flames franchise when GM Craig Conroy packaged the upward-trending prospect with pending UFA Andrei Kuzmenko in a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. And Walker Duehr was scooped up on waivers by the San Jose Sharks last month.

Depending on the health of Connor Zary and Kevin Bahl after the break, one or two more prospects could be pulled up. It could be a player who has already been with the Flames this season, or someone still awaiting their NHL debut.

Here are three Flames prospects we want to see this season:

Sam Morton, Center

Morton has been on an absolute offensive tear with the Wranglers recently. Morton has scored three goals and nine points in his last six games with the Wranglers. He’s elevated his game since early January and has seven of his 13 goals and 15 of his 32 points this season in his last 14 games since Jan. 5.

The 25-year-old is in his first full AHL season after being signed for this season as a college free agent last year and spending the final few weeks of the Wranglers campaign in Calgary on an amateur tryout deal.

He was one of the more impressive Flames during the rookie training camp tournament and is definitely pushing for a peek in the NHL with his play in the minors right now.

Jeremie Poirier, Defenseman

It feels like the Flames have been waiting a while for Poirier’s emergence as an NHLer but in reality he’s still just 22 and has overcome a significant injury to inch closer to his Calgary Flames debut.

Poirier had nine goals and 41 points for the Wranglers in his rookie season in 2022-23 but after recovering from offseason knee surgery, was only able to suit up for 23 contests last year while dealing with a lengthy recovery from another surgery after his arm was deeply wounded by a skate blade during a game.

The recovery took months with the prognosis uncertain, and had a major impact on a player known for his hands and creating offense as a slick defenseman

It looks like he’s fully returning to form and had a six-game point streak (with a goal and seven points) between Jan. 15 and 26. That rookie lap could be just around the corner.

William Strömgren, Left Wing

The 21-year-old Swedish prospect has quietly been one of the Flames’ top AHL players this season. With 12 goals and 38 points in 46 games with the Wranglers, his opportunity for a glimpse of NHL action should come sooner than later.

He’s a responsible two-way player but has put up solid offensive numbers as well in just his second full season in North America.

Since Jan. 14, he’s scored three goals and collected 10 points in 11 games. He’s worked his way from the bottom-six into a top-line role and could complement what the Calgary Flames have going on with a spot on the Mikael Backlund line or elsewhere for a look in the top nine.