When might reinforcements arrive for the Wranglers?

Friends, I don’t think we’re being unfair or telling tales out of school when we say that the Calgary Wranglers, the Calgary Flames’ top minor-league affiliate, is a depleted group.

They haven’t won a ton of late and they haven’t scored of late. Their defensive zone play is a bit mucky, and they gave up five power play goals in a recent game against the Henderson Silver Knights. Their group is working hard, but the roster is pretty lean right now.

Could some new faces be on the way to give them a boost down the stretch? Well, maybe.

The Flames have three players currently playing in the Western Hockey League: Axel Hurtig (Calgary Hitmen), Andrew Basha (Medicine Hat Tigers) and Hunter Laing (Saskatoon Blades). When any of those gentlemen have their junior seasons end, Hurtig or Laing would be eligible for amateur try-out deals while Basha could be simply re-assigned back to the AHL. (We wouldn’t expect any college help this spring: Abram Wiebe and Jonathan Castagna probably go right to the NHL when/if they sign their entry-level deals.)

Basha may be awhile. The Tigers were a certified wagon in the regular season, and especially so once Basha rejoined his old team. They seem like a group that could make a run at their second consecutive WHL championship. Meanwhile, Hurtig’s Hitmen and Laing’s Blades are in pretty evenly-matched first-round series: the Hitmen play Brandon and the Blades get Edmonton.

The earliest Hurtig or Laing’s series could be done is Apr. 2, at which point Flames and Wranglers brass would need to ponder the merits of bringing them in. We’ll see how everything unfolds over the next little while.

Onto the updates!

Andrew Basha – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL/Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

20; Calgary’s second round pick (41st overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 174 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 8th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	27	1	4	5	4	5	4	18	7.38
WHL season to date	32	18	32	50	31	29	20	116	38.69
2024-25 (WHL)	23	9	20	29	24	12	9	73	31.22

Basha finished off the regular season strong. The Tigers will face the Regina Pats in the first round of the WHL’s playoffs.

Parker Bell – LW/RW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 192 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	47	2	2	4	2	4	2	54	3.39
2024-25 (AHL)	61	7	5	12	9	12	9	67	7.84

Bell remains on the Wranglers’ fourth line.

Jonathan Castagna – C, Cornell University Big Red, NCAA

20; Arizona’s third round pick (70th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Utah; 6’2″, 203 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	32	15	19	34	25	22	13	100	24.40
2024-25 (NCAA)	32	5	10	15	10	11	7	61	10.76

Castagna and Cornell will be facing Denver in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament on Friday.

Nick Cicek – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

25; free agent signing; 6’3″, 201 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	61	5	16	21	11	18	8	66	13.72
2024-25 (DEL)	50	3	14	17	10	16	9	75	9.81

Cicek missed a game with an injury.

Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 210 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	43	5	2	7	7	6	6	52	6.49
2024-25 (AHL)	68	8	14	22	18	17	14	91	12.89

Ciona is on the shelf with an injury.

Artem Grushnikov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas; 6’1″, 203 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	55	1	1	2	2	2	2	50	1.45
2024-25 (AHL)	61	1	4	5	3	4	3	43	3.27

Grushnikov is playing primarily with Daniil Miromanov on the Wranglers’ de facto first pairing.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Merrimack College Warriors, NCAA

21; Calgary’s fourth round pick (106th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 175 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	33	13	22	35	26	18	14	66	34.18
2024-25 (NCAA)	36	12	27	39	29	28	23	80	17.23

Hoskin and Merrimack won the Hockey East’s playoff tournament as heavy underdogs – they were eighth in the conference in the regular season and went on a run. They’ll be facing North Dakota on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 202 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	64	6	13	19	10	18	9	100	7.35
2024-25 (WHL)	55	5	11	16	12	14	10	66	7.20

Hurtig ended up beating out last year’s offensive production by a few points. The Hitmen will be facing the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round of the WHL’s playoffs.

Eric Jamieson – D, University of Denver Pioneers, NCAA

20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	39	7	9	16	9	13	8	71	14.77
2024-25 (WHL)	66	14	22	36	26	27	19	175	13.51

Jamieson and Denver won the NCHC’s conference playoff tournament. They’ll be facing Cornell on Friday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 15th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	50	17	28	45	31	30	22	105	35.87
2024-25 (AHL)	63	33	28	61	52	40	35	135	38.59

Kerins remains out week-to-week with an injury.

Carter King – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; free agent signing; 5’11”, 190 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	59	5	8	13	10	11	8	65	8.78
2024-25 (NCAA)	44	21	22	43	31	16	14	116	35.18

King has remained a utility player for the Wranglers, bouncing between lines (and centre and the wing) depending on what the team needs.

Hunter Laing – C/RW, Saskatoon Blades, WHL

19; Calgary’s sixth round pick (170th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’5″, 205 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	62	24	31	55	37	32	23	166	21.97
2024-25 (WHL)	64	25	23	48	40	35	29	153	18.57

Saskatoon is facing the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round of the WHL’s playoffs.

Jakob Leander – D, HV71, U20 Nationell

18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 196 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	38	2	11	13	8	11	8	52	5.61
2024-25 (J20)	39	1	5	6	3	5	3	33	2.52

Leander has three points in four games in the J20’s round robin relegation playoffs. HV71 is undefeated so far, so they’re likely to remain in the top division going forward.

Cade Littler – C, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 197 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	33	5	8	13	11	9	7	50	14.18
2024-25 (NCAA)	33	7	2	9	8	9	8	30	9.82

Littler and North Dakota are facing Merrimack on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Yan Matveiko – C, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL/Zvezda Moskva, VHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (211th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 150 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
MHL season to date	48	15	22	37	23	28	17	86	9.04
VHL season to date	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	n/a
2024-25 (MHL)	42	10	14	24	20	21	17	68	6.70

Krasnaya Armiya has qualified for the MHL post-season, but don’t have a set opponent yet.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA

19; Calgary’s fifth round pick (150th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 170 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 13th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	35	8	11	19	14	11	9	88	14.82
2024-25 (OHL)	67	34	51	85	58	63	43	211	33.60

Penn State opens the NCAA’s national tournament on Friday when they face Minnesota-Duluth.

Etienne Morin – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL/Rapid City Rush, ECHL

20; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 180 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 10th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	34	1	5	6	3	6	3	32	7.03
ECHL season to date	7	1	3	4	2	1	1	20	13.12
2024-25 (QMJHL)	62	14	44	58	29	40	24	222	21.79

Morin is playing on the Wranglers’ third pairing.

Brennan Othmann – LW, Hartford Wolf Pack/Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; NY Rangers’ first round pick (16th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with NY Rangers; 6’0″, 192 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	34	8	12	20	18	14	13	64	23.44
2024-25 (AHL)	27	12	8	20	–	–	–	–	29.52

Othmann is playing in the Wranglers’ top six. He had an assist this week.

Mace’o Phillips – D, Green Bay Gamblers, USHL / United States Junior Selects, WJAC

18; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’6″, 228 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	40	1	9	10	5	8	5	69	5.74
2024-25 (USHL)	25	2	1	3	3	3	3	31	2.76

Phillips had an assist this week. Green Bay is a good bet to make the USHL’s playoffs.

Cole Reschny – C, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA / Canada National Junior Team, WJC

18; Calgary’s first round pick (18th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’11”, 183 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 2nd-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	33	5	29	34	23	18	14	65	37.09
2024-25 (WHL)	62	26	66	92	70	48	46	213	36.75

Reschny and North Dakota are facing Merrimack on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Theo Stockselius – C/RW, Djurgårdens IF, U20 Nationell/SHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (54th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 181 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 12th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
U20 season to date	11	4	12	16	10	12	9	39	23.85
SHL season to date	16	0	1	1	1	1	1	14	3.05
2024-25 (J20)	40	22	29	51	38	35	29	93	20.91

Stockselius’ SHL team was eliminated from their playoffs in three games. The day after that game, he was back in the U20 Nationell, where he scored four goals in an overtime win for Djurgardens’ junior team to advance them in their playoffs.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 16th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	57	10	32	42	32	28	22	74	29.36
2024-25 (AHL)	70	14	35	49	35	26	20	107	27.90

Stromgren is a bit quiet offensively of late.

Aydar Suniev – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 9th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	52	15	5	20	19	13	12	79	15.33
2024-25 (NCAA)	35	20	18	38	31	21	17	119	34.99

Suniev remains a top six fixture for the Wranglers and one of their most dangerous offensive players.

Gavin White – D, Texas Stars/Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Dallas’ third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in trade with Dallas; 6’0″, 196 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	42	3	4	7	4	6	3	72	6.64
2024-25 (AHL)	46	2	9	11	6	8	4	60	9.53

White is playing primarily on the Wranglers’ second pairing lately.

Abram Wiebe – D, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA / United States Collegiate Selects, Spengler Cup

22; Vegas’ seventh round pick (209th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vegas; 6’3″, 209 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	37	5	22	27	16	12	6	71	26.27
2024-25 (NCAA)	38	4	20	24	16	11	8	74	22.74

Wiebe and North Dakota are facing Merrimack on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Ethan Wyttenbach – RW, Quinnipiac University Bobcats, NCAA

18; Calgary’s fifth round pick (144th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 180 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 20th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	38	24	34	58	45	36	28	99	35.04
2024-25 (USHL)	44	24	27	51	42	38	30	127	26.61

Wyttenbach and Quinnipiac are facing Providence on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA’s national tournament.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Rapid City Rush, ECHL / Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 192 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
AHL season to date	23	1269	.894
ECHL season to date	12	714	.922
2024-25 (NCAA)	33	1982	.919

Sergeev has been getting the bulk of the work for the Wranglers down the stretch.

Yegor Yegorov – G, MHK Spartak-MAX, MHL

20; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 183 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	38	2122	.918
2024-25 (MHL)	20	1032	.904

Spartak-MAX missed the playoffs in the MHL.

Kirill Zarubin – G, AKM Tula, MHL/AKM Tula Region, VHL

20; Calgary’s third round pick (84th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 178 pounds; FN’s 18th-ranked prospect 2025

	GP	TOI	SV%
MHL season to date	46	2481	.934
VHL season to date	1	60	.967
2024-25 (MHL)	21	1157	.935

AKM Tula is playing against SKA Academy in a best-of-three play-in series, starting Wednesday.