Lipinski was the fourth of six selections the Flames made in 2023 and their highest pick of the class who has yet to sign an entry-level deal with the club. The Flames chose Honzek, Etienne Morin, and Aydar Suniev with their first three picks in 2023.

The Flames stand to benefit in a meaningful way from Lipinski advancing to the NCAA. Under previous circumstances, Lipinski’s exclusive signing rights with Calgary would’ve been set to expire this off-season; however, with him now heading to college, the Flames will retain his rights for at least the upcoming two seasons.

Lipinski fell below a point-per-game pace in both of his junior seasons after being drafted. Even with the Flames lacking centre prospects, the Arizona-born forward didn’t quite do enough in the WHL to earn an entry-level deal. Now that he’s in college, Lipinski will have more of an opportunity to make an impression on the Flames’ development staff.

During his time with the Giants, Lipinski appeared in three games with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers as a reserve. If all goes according to plan, he could return to the Wranglers as a full-fledged roster player in a year or two.

The Maine Black Bears finished the 2024-25 season with a 24-7-6 record under head coach Ben Barr, defeating UConn to win the Hockey East men’s tournament before falling to Penn State in the NCAA regional semifinals.