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Dustin Wolf, Calgary Flames (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Flames News & Rumours: Wolf, Kadri, & Parekh

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 3:30 PM ET

In this week’s edition of Calgary Flames News & Rumours, Dustin Wolf continues to fly under the radar as he was left off USA’s 2026 Winter Olympic orientation camp roster. Meanwhile, Nazem Kadri is still hoping to appear in the Olympics despite being left off of Canada’s orientation camp roster. In other news, general manager (GM) Craig Conroy had positive words to say when it comes to Zayne Parekh cracking the Flames roster this coming season.

Wolf Snubbed by USA Hockey

Once again, Dustin Wolf is being looked over. This is nothing new to the undersized 24-year-old goalie, who has had to prove detractors wrong throughout his entire playing career. Despite often being looked over due to size concerns, he has continued to prove everybody wrong at each and every level throughout his playing career, including the NHL.

After excellent numbers in the American Hockey League for three-straight seasons, Wolf made his presence felt with the Flames in 2024-25, posting a 2.64 goals against average (GAA) along with a .910 save percentage (SV%), numbers that were good enough to see him named a Calder Trophy finalist. Despite the great season, however, there appear to still be doubters surrounding his game.

Wolf was left off of USA’s Olympic orientation camp roster in favour of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, and Joey Daccord. Though Hellebuyck and Oettinger were viewed as locks to make the team, Swayman’s struggles in 2024-25 seemed to give Wolf an opportunity to make this team. As for Daccord, his invitation comes as a surprise, and makes it impossible to view Wolf’s non-invitation as anything but a snub.

Kadri Still Has Sights Set on Olympics

Another Flames snub for Olympics came earlier this month, as Nazem Kadri was left off the 42-man roster for Canada’s orientation camp. While he would have been viewed as a longshot to crack the roster, his combined 64 goals and 142 points over the past two seasons should have seemingly been enough to get his name called to come to camp.

Kadri was undoubtedly frustrated by not being named, and stated that he feels as though he deserved a chance to be on that list. That said, not being included in the camp doesn’t mean he can’t wind up cracking the final roster, something which he is still very much looking to do despite this initial snub.

“Honestly, man, it would be an absolute dream come true to somehow crack the team,” Kadri said to The Athletic last week. (from’ Julian McKenzie: Nazem Kadri talks Hockey Canada Olympic camp snub: ‘I deserve a chance’ The Athletic 08/15/25). “I’ve been a long shot before. I’m looking forward to giving myself an opportunity. But I understand I’m going to have to play well.”

Kadri played a big part in the Flames nearly making the playoffs last season, scoring a career-high 35 goals and posting a team-leading 67 points. The season prior saw him put up 75 points, which is second to only his 87-point season in 2021-22 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.

Conroy Confident in Parekh Heading into Camp

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline entering the Flames’ upcoming training camp revolves around Zayne Parekh and whether he can crack the roster. The 19-year-old blueliner is coming off of a 107-point season in the Ontario Hockey League, and seemingly has nothing left to prove at the junior level. That said, he’s going to need to prove in camp that he can be an NHL regular in 2025-26, something his GM seems quite confident will happen.

Zayne Parekh, Calgary Flames (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

“Just watching Zayne all year and seeing what he can do offensively and the way he kind of plays, and even when he came up at the end,” Conroy said to TSN’s Gord Miller. “To watch him in practice, he just does things differently than most guys. To get the one [NHL] game and score the goal, it was pretty exciting. We’re really looking forward to it. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but he’s going to have a great opportunity to make this team next year.”

Conroy also mentioned that while Parekh is undoubtedly ready from an offensive standpoint, it’s going to be his play away from the puck that determines whether or not he’s ready to join the Flames this coming season. While it isn’t a guarantee, the ball is in Parekh’s court on whether he is indeed an NHL player in 2025-26.

Looking Ahead for the Flames

The two biggest stories surrounding the Flames right now continues to surround Rasmus Andersson and Connor Zary. For the former, trade rumours continue to swirl as he enters the final year of his contract. Zary, meanwhile, remains a restricted free agent but both sides hope to get a deal done before training camp.