Calgary Flames Prospect Update: The Old School mentality

The Calgary Flames’ 3-game win streak means momentum is on the rise for the rebuilder. This momentum also means that for the first time this season, their prospect development and NHL success are both positive.

Let’s take a look at the core of every rebuilding roster, their prospects’ performance this past week.

Welcome to the TWC Calgary Flames prospect update. Each week, we’ll dive into how the Flames prospects have done in their respective leagues, along with a feature on one standout prospect in Calgary’s system. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games and was born in 2001 or earlier.

Maceo Phillips. D, Green Bay Gamblers, (USHL)

The Calgary Flames selected Phillips in the third round of the 2025 NHL Draft. With only nine combined points across 83 games in his draft year, don’t let the scoresheet fool you; he is a strong junior-aged defender who thrives in the grittier areas of the game.

Phillips is a throwback to the old-school, physically punishing shut-down defenders that both old-school and new-school Flames fans will appreciate.

High-quality physicality, a strong competitive level, and capable puck skills highlight the Wayzata, Minnesota, product’s skill set.

He provides suffocating defence that prioritizes pace management, physical pressure, and opponent isolation. In the defensive zone, he’s a slot presence that prioritizes good boxouts, stick lifts, and risk mitigation. All the while being a force in board play.

Compete level-wise, he expresses good intensity, endurance, and hustle on every play. His space management and motor are also improving.

Offensively, he displays strong breakout passing, with decent vision and pressure awareness to initiate successful offensive transitions that other forwards finish.

The main limitations of the 6’6″ Phillips are his senses (creativity, offensive instincts, timing and playmaking), as he largely serves as a play supporter at best, and skating (power, power crossover integration, and a slower stride recovery).

Additionally his intense

Where does he fit in with the Flames?

Well, one step at a time means Phillips is expected to attend the University of Minnesota for the 2026–2027 season. That being said, he has the opportunity there to work out his skating and sense shortcomings.

He has the hard skills to be a solid third-pairing defender with penalty kill upside. The scoresheet does not define the NCAA hopeful. A lack of offensive production means little for his overall development.

Calgary Flames prospect updates

AHL

• The Calgary Wranglers had a solid week, going 2–1–0. Calgary lost to the Bakersfield Condors 5–2 on the 18th, but rebounded with a 3–2 win against the San Diego Gulls on the 22nd, and a 5–4 win against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on the 23rd.
• Calgary is now tied for 2nd in the AHL’s Pacific Division with the San Jose Barracuda at 22 points. The Wranglers have a 10–7–2 record through the 2025–2026 season.
• Matvei Gridin leads Flames-affiliated players in goals (8) and points (20).
• The Wranglers continue to split starts between 26-year-old Prosvetov and prospect Say.
• Sam Morton got called up to the Flames on the 24th, but was quickly reassigned the following day. ECHL player Carter Wilkie joined the Wranglers from the Rapid City Rush on the 21st, but has yet to appear in a game.

ECHL

• It was a rough week for the Rapid City Rush as they dropped a pair of games against the Kansas City Mavericks on the 21st and 22nd.
• The Rush continue their slide down the ECHL standings to 7th in the Mountain division. Rapid City currently has a 5–8–2 record.
• Flames prospect goaltender Arsenii Sergeev appeared in the game against Kansas City on the 21st. The Russian goaltender continues to get regular reps, splitting the net with ECHL and AHL vet Connor Murphy.

NCAA

• Maceo Phillips appeared in a pair of games this past week, with two victories against the Omaha Lancers. Phillips now has 66 penalty minutes this campaign, which is fourth-highest in the entire USHL.
• Eric Jamieson and the University of Denver played Arizona State University on the 21st and 22nd. Jamieson recorded an assist in the first game and a season low TOI of 14:30. Cullen Potter has also extended his point streak to five games after an assist on the 21st and a goal on the 22nd.
• Ethan Wyttenbach is now on a 6-game point streak, after an assist in Quinnipiac University’s 4–1 victory against Clarkson on the 21st, and another assist in their 4–2 victory against St. Lawrence University on the 22nd.

OHL

• Jacob Battaglia and the Kingston Frontenacs are on a 3-game slide after dropping a game to Ottawa on the 19th, and a pair of games against the Peterborough Petes on the 21st and 22nd. The pressure absorption expert Battaglia posted an assist on Friday and a goal on the 22nd.

WHL

• After an assist on the 21st in the Saskatoon Blades’ 3–2 win against the Swift Current Broncos and a goal in their 3–2 loss against the Brandon Wheat Kings on Saturday, Hunter Laing is now on pace to shatter his points total with 71.

Russia

• Kirill Zarubin played a single game, which was a 2–1 loss on Monday against MHK Dynamo Moskva. He stopped 26 of 28 shots and played a decent game overall, showing good tracking, mobility, and athleticism.

Forwards