Calgary Flames Prospect Roundup: NCAA players continue to thrive

With all leagues underway now, the organization is in prime early-season form. The NCAA remains the busiest league for Calgary Flames prospects as some continue to find momentum, and others continue to exceed expectations. Speaking of expectations, it was a mixed week for both the Calgary Wranglers and Rapid City Rush.

Let’s take a look at the system for the C of Red.

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.

Trevor Hoskin, Forward, Merrimack College, (NCAA)

The 2024 fourth-rounder was selected by the Calgary Flames with the 106th overall pick, and although he has little fanfare, the Canadian forward has found success everywhere he goes. From Junior A to the NCAA, and likely beyond, Trevor Hoskin could be a dark horse to make the Flames roster in the near future.

Hoskin is traditionally seen as a late bloomer, as the forward wasn’t on any NHL teams’ radars until his 20-year-old season.

The mid-round pick initially impressed with a 100-point season with the OJHL’s Cobourg Cougars in 2023–24, which garnered attention in the NHL draft. After being selected by the Flames, he moved to the NCAA, where he impressed, scoring over a point per game with Niagara University.

The forward then entered the transfer portal after a stellar freshman season and selected Merrimack College for the 2025–26 campaign. With Merrimack, he should see higher-level competition, which will only elevate his game.

The Canadian’s game is one of a two-way forward that thrives in all three zones. Hoskin’s play style is highlighted by effective skating (posture, acceleration, and moderate agility), quality senses (hockey IQ, timing, and play reading), and puck skills (handling, vision, and effective decision-making).

He can make himself a threat in any of the three zones, and this complete nature is something that will adjust well to the pro game. It’s rare that a double-entry NHL prospect sees as much success as Hoskin has, and for the benefit of Flames fans, here’s hoping the momentum continues.

Calgary Flames prospect updates

AHL

• The Wranglers are 1–2–1 after trading a pair of games with the Tucson Roadrunners on October 17 and 18.
• Rory Kerins continues to lead the team’s prospects in points with two goals and three assists across four games.
• Hunter Brzustewicz leads the back end, with a goal and three assists.
• Matvei Gridin also made his debut with the Wranglers on the 18th, and the sniper impressed, finding space and showcasing improved finishing ability, netting four points. He won’t be with the Wranglers for long if this play continues.

ECHL

• The Rapid City Rush begin their season 1–1–0 after trading a pair of games with Kansas City.
• There remains only a single Calgary-affiliated player on the roster, in the form of NCAA standout Arsenii Sergeev.
• 2021 seventh-rounder, Arsenii Sergeev, is off to a strong start with Rapid City, collecting his first professional win, and stopping 36 of 38 shots in his debut on the 18th against the Kansas City Mavericks.

Europe

• Jakob Leander continues to find his place at the U20 Swedish level, but expect him to thrive as a shutdown defender at the next level. He appeared in two games this past week, going +2, and finding the back of the net in his second game against Västerås IK U20 on October 19.
• Swedish forward and recent Flames draftee, Theo Stockselius, was just acquired by the Calgary Hitmen earlier in the month, so expect him to make the jump from U20 in Sweden to the WHL sometime in the near future.

NCAA

• Mace’o Phillips isn’t scared of the scoresheet, rough plays, or standing up for his teammates. He shows high aggression, leading to him potting an assist in his game on October 16 and earning 17 penalty minutes in his second game of the week against the Youngstown Phantoms on the 18th.
• Eric Jamieson looks to slot in as a third-pairing defender for the University of Denver this year, consistently getting around 15–19 minutes a night. Look for steady growth as the physical defensive defender aims to further develop his game over the next four years. He played two games this past week.
• Michigan remains undefeated, with two more victories this past week. This is good news for offensive-minded defender Henry Mews, who chipped in an assist in their second victory against RMU on October 17.
• Flames 2022 seventh-rounder, Cade Littler, looks to be a consistent bottom-six contributor for the University of North Dakota, averaging 12:03 in their first game against Minnesota on the 17th, and 9:02 in their second game the following day. Teammate Cole Reschny looks to be a main contributor and solid first-line two-way forward, who collected an assist in their first game on the 17th.
• 2025 first-rounder Cullen Potter remains a consistent contributor in all three zones, and the freshman even found the scoresheet with an assist in his second game of the week against Augustana University. Potter remains a workhorse for ASU, averaging around 21 minutes a night.
• 2024 fourth-rounder Trevor Hoskin had a stellar three-assist performance against the University of New Hampshire on October 18, in his only game of the week. Look for the forward to be a consistent top-six two-way forward presence for Merrimack as the season goes on.
• 2023 fourth-round forward Jaden Lipinski had mixed results this week. He found the scoresheet with an assist in his first game of the week, and had a scrappy outing in Maine’s 4–0 loss to Quinnipiac as he accumulated 15 penalty minutes in just 2:42 of TOI.
• Quinnipiac forward Ethan Wyttenbach is now on a six-game point streak. Look for the 2025 fifth-rounder to continue to build on this momentum and have a breakout season in his freshman year.

OHL

• The sole Flames OHL prospect, Jacob Battaglia, continues to build momentum as his hockey sense, timing, and give-and-go puck management continue to find results, as he scored and potted an assist across three games this past week.

WHL

• The 2023 seventh-rounder, Axel Hurtig, scored his second goal of the season in a 7–6 OT loss to Lethbridge on October 17 and won a game against the Spokane Chiefs 5–0 on the 19th. Expect the big Swede to be more of a physical shut-down bruiser at the next level, but he shows some offensive upside.
• The 6’6″ forward, Hunter Laing, continues to be a net-front threat in every game he plays, and the two-way forward continues to show improvement in all three zones this season. He posted two assists across three games this past week.

Russia

• The 2024 third-rounder, Kirill Zarubin, collected two wins this past week. This also includes his first shutout of the season, in a 3–0 victory against Krasnaya Mashina Yunior Krasnogorsk on October 19, and a 6–5 win on the 21st against MHK Atlant Mytishchi.

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