Hitmen name Flames prospect Axel Hurtig their new captain

When the Calgary Hitmen hit the ice for their game in Red Deer on Saturday night, one of the most important players will look a little different. On Friday, the Hitmen announced their new captain, and he’s a familiar face to Calgary Flames fans: blueliner Axel Hurtig.

Hurtig was named the 33rd Hitmen captain, and the first European to wear the C for the club since their introduction into the Western Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1995.

Nicknamed “Big Axe,” Hurtig is a product of Högås, Sweden and he’s a left shot defenceman listed at 6’5″ and 209 pounds. After playing in the Rögle BK system in Sweden, he was selected by the Flames in the sixth round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Selected by the Hitmen in the 2023 CHL Import Draft, Hurtig spent 2023-24 with Rögle’s junior team as he recovered from off-season shoulder surgery, then made the jump to North American hockey in 2024-25.

In 2024-25, Hurtig had five goals and 16 points in 55 games with the Hitmen. So far in 2025-26, he has two goals in six games. (He also represented Sweden at the World Juniors last year.) He may not be a huge offensive contributor, but he’s a really consistent and reliable defensive defender, and he’s the type of player that coaches love because his defensive prowess allows the team’s more creative offensive players to do their thing. With the positive feedback we’ve heard from those around the Hitmen organization about his play since arriving, it’s no small wonder that he was named captain.

Previous Hitmen captains include franchise touchstones like Brad Moran (1999-2000) and Kris Beech (2000-01),  Flames draft choice Wade Davis (2002-03), former Flames Brett Carson (2005-06) and Michael Stone (2009-10), future NHLers like Ryan Getzlaf (2004-05), Karl Alzner (2007-08) and Mark Kastelic (2017-20). The three most recent Hitmen captains prior to Hurtig were Riley Fiddler-Schultz (2022-23), Tyson Galloway (2023-24) and Carson Wetsch (2024-25).

As a 2023 draft choice out of Europe, the Flames have four years – until June 1, 2027 – to sign Hurtig to an NHL contract before losing his rights. As a 2005 birthday, Hurtig was eligible to play in the AHL this season or return to the WHL as a 20-year-old overager. Next season, he’ll age out of junior. Based on his play thus far, we would imagine he has a good chance to be playing pro hockey within the Flames system in 2026-27.