The things that Lucas Ciona did in his second professional season to stand out as a player were not always things you could find on a stat sheet or in a highlight package. His value came from his decisions prior to big plays and involvement in off-ice community activities to further develop his leadership capabilities.

Ciona was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the 2021 NHL Draft. He was a late round selection going in the sixth round, 173rd overall. His “claim to fame” as a Flames prospect was his junior career with the Seattle Thunderbirds and in his last year, he captained the roster that won the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2022-23. That season, Ciona had 75 points in the regular season and nine points in playoffs. 

The next season, he made his professional debut with the Calgary Wranglers and played in 55 games with the AHL affiliate. His production was limited with six total points consisting of four goals and two assists. With the amount of options the Wranglers had for playoffs last season, Ciona was a roster option but did not play in any of the six postseason games.

2024-25 expectations

Lucas Ciona was expected to be a grinder in the 2024-25 season. With the talent the Wranglers had, he wasn’t expected to be a top two line guy but he was expected to contribute in the ice time he had. It was expected to be the season for him to play in more games and show the team what his hockey personality is. He and players like Parker Bell and William Stromgren could’ve all made a push for the second and third line depending on how they were performing. 

Ciona was also expected to show some maturity and growth in the AHL after getting that rookie season done and understanding the system the Wranglers ran. With his history of captaining the Thunderbirds, he felt like he would be someone the young guys could learn from and lean on when the veterans were unavailable. 

2024-25 results

On-ice, Ciona did what was expected of him. He wore down his opponents and used his bigger body to make room for his linemates. The aspect of his game he exceeded expectations on was on the fighting side of things. He and Parker Bell took some one-on-one time to learn the ropes from Alex Gallant and by the midway mark of the season, that part of their game emerged. Lucas Ciona played quite a few games on the same line as Gallant so that definitely helped progress this skill along. 

Ciona seemed to pick up the fighting part of the game naturally and was smart about his timing and tilt partners. Even with this becoming a more regular part of his game, he still didn’t exceed his 2023-24 season PIM’s. He was just shy of them at 75 when he had 82 in his rookie season. 

On the production side of things, Ciona nearly quadrupled his points from his rookie season, putting up 22 points in 68 games consisting of eight goals and 14 assists. In playoffs as well, he was one of the goalscorers in the two post-season games Calgary took part in. There were times in the season when Ciona earned time on the top line even as a reward for his runs of good performance.