He’s back!
On Tuesday, the Calgary Flames sent Cole Schwindt, their 13th forward, to the American Hockey League so he could play a game with the Calgary Wranglers since he hadn’t played a game in 10 days. On Wednesday, after he played that game, he was called back up to the NHL club to join them for practice.
Schwindt is in the third year of his entry-level deal with the Flames – it was originally signed with the Florida Panthers, but then he was traded to Calgary in the Matthew Tkachuk deal. He’s been a really reliable two-way centre for the Wranglers, and his status as a rightie that can take draws has made him really useful. His offensive numbers aren’t gaudy, but his role for the Wranglers is similar to how Mikael Backlund is used: if it’s a high-leverage situation and they need somebody to win a draw or deal with a tough line, it’s often Schwindt who’s relied on.
This is technically Schwindt’s third call-up. He was previously brought up before the All-Star break, then was called up again following the All-Star break, but didn’t get into the lineup as the fourth line of Jakob Pelletier, Kevin Rooney and Walker Duehr performed quite well and the coaching staff likely didn’t want to disrupt their mojo.
In 3 NHL games this season, Schwindt has yet to hit the scoresheet. In 41 AHL games, he has 9 goals and 21 points.
The Flames are back in action on Thursday when they host the San Jose Sharks.
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