The Calgary Wranglers were in the spotlight this past week, as they entered the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs as the lowest seed in the Pacific Division… and beat the Tucson Roadrunners twice on their home ice to sweep their way into the division semi-final round.
Because the series was a two game sweep and the Wranglers went with 11 forwards and seven defenders in the series, the line and pairing usages were pretty interesting.
Up front, Trent Cull used two offensive-minded lines:
And then there were two checking lines:
On the blueline, it shook out like this:
Dustin Wolf started both games, backed up by Oscar Dansk.
Now, the challenge for the Wranglers is they’re essentially entirely healthy now. And they got bodies back from the Flames. So that means that a bunch of good regular AHL roster players weren’t in the lineup for the first round. Among them: Alex Gallant, Lucas Ciona, Rory Kerins, Brady Lyle and Artem Grushnikov. But if the Wranglers are hoping to push a strong Coachella Valley team in the second round, they’ll need that depth.
Round 2 begins on Friday night in Calgary.
Let’s dive into this week’s prospect update!
20; Calgary’s fifth round pick (155th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
WHL season to date | 59 | 33 | 31 | 64 | 50 | 35 | 31 | 231 | 26.86 |
AHL season to date | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
2022-23 (WHL) | 55 | 25 | 39 | 64 | 51 | 36 | 28 | 187 | 28.82 |
Bell didn’t dress in first round.
22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 36 | 1.82 |
2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 42 | 3.69 |
Boltmann’s NCAA season is complete. He’s transferred to Northeastern University for the 2024-25 season.
19; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
OHL season to date | 67 | 13 | 79 | 92 | 46 | 65 | 34 | 140 | 36.37 |
AHL season to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
2022-23 (OHL) | 68 | 6 | 51 | 57 | 32 | 31 | 21 | 110 | 22.20 |
Brzustewicz didn’t dress in the first round.
21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (173rd overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 11th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 55 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 67 | 4.35 |
2022-23 (WHL) | 63 | 28 | 47 | 75 | 53 | 54 | 37 | 194 | 29.48 |
Ciona didn’t dress in the first round.
21; Calgary’s first round pick (13th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 2nd-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 41 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 28 | 27 | 17 | 140 | 40.82 |
2022-23 (NCAA) | 34 | 20 | 16 | 36 | 31 | 19 | 16 | 141 | 24.31 |
Coronato had a goal and an assist against Tucson, including a very patient empty-netter in Game 1.
Matt Coronato scores an empty net goal! It's 2-0 Wranglers!
: AHL TV pic.twitter.com/RTMhwokRdi
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) April 25, 2024
23; Dallas’ fifth round pick (137th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 66 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 94 | 14.49 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 59 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 24 | 18 | 14 | 87 | 20.94 |
Damiani spent much of the Tucson series playing in a checking role, but he managed to score a goal off the rush.
20; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 63 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 65 | 3.80 |
2022-23 (OHL) | 65 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 116 | 6.93 |
Grushnikov didn’t dress in the first round.
19; Calgary’s first round pick (16th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 4th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
WHL season to date | 33 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 86 | 23.26 |
WJC season to date | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | n/a |
AHL season to date | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
2022-23 (WHL) | 43 | 23 | 33 | 56 | 40 | 36 | 26 | 134 | 32.25 |
Honzek didn’t dress in the first round.
18; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
J20 season to date | 27 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 54 | 15.10 |
SHL season to date | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
HockeyEttan season to date | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | n/a |
2022-23 (J20) | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 47 | 3.82 |
Hurtig’s season is finished.
24; Free agent signing; 12th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 72 | 21 | 22 | 43 | 34 | 28 | 22 | 208 | 23.80 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 71 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 41 | 28 | 21 | 202 | 30.31 |
Jones didn’t hit the scoresheet in the first round.
21; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Liiga season to date | 46 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 63 | 4.03 |
CHL season to date | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | n/a |
AHL season to date | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
2022-23 (Liiga) | 52 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 6 | 118 | 9.27 |
Jurmo didn’t dress in the first round. He was released from his amateur try-out deal on Tuesday.
21; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 14th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 54 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 27 | 22 | 18 | 115 | 23.62 |
2022-23 (ECHL) | 38 | 17 | 20 | 37 | 31 | 25 | 21 | 117 | 22.36 |
Kerins didn’t dress in the first round.
23; Free agent signing; 18th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 65 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 34 | 31 | 22 | 182 | 27.59 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 60 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 103 | 16.61 |
Man, Klapka came back to the AHL with some swagger, and he was one of the better Wranglers against Tucson. He had three assists over two games and was used in a lot of different roles.
Adam Klapka makes an incredible pass to Cole Schwindt who scores on the backhand!
1-0 #Wranglers
: AHL TV pic.twitter.com/SxalbG4jis
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) April 25, 2024
23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (108th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 47 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 84 | 9.28 |
2022-23 (NCAA) | 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 67 | 13.28 |
Idaho advanced in the ECHL’s playoffs, but Koumontzis didn’t dress at all.
21; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 17th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 63 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 88 | 8.22 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 63 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 19 | 11 | 65 | 12.02 |
Kuznetsov played alongside Poolman on the second pairing, with his usage skewed towards defensive situations.
19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 16th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
WHL season to date | 67 | 24 | 42 | 66 | 47 | 33 | 23 | 181 | 24.39 |
AHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
2022-23 (WHL) | 66 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 36 | 35 | 23 | 152 | 19.14 |
Lipinski didn’t dress in the first round. He was released from his amateur try-out deal last week.
19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (219th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
USHL season to date | 13 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 30 | 19.43 |
BCHL season to date | 24 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 17 | 9 | 6 | – | 5.51 |
2022-23 (BCHL) | 51 | 29 | 39 | 68 | 47 | 36 | 27 | – | 8.75 |
Littler returned to the Vees’ lineup for the second round and helped them advance to the conference finals, though he has yet to register a playoff point.
24; Free agent signing
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 47 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 102 | 12.72 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 51 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 124 | 24.22 |
Lyle didn’t dress in the first round.
18; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
QMJHL season to date | 58 | 12 | 37 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 13 | 191 | 19.67 |
AHL season to date | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
2022-23 (QMJHL) | 67 | 21 | 51 | 72 | 47 | 34 | 21 | 213 | 25.03 |
Morin didn’t dress in the first round. He was released from his amateur try-out on Tuesday.
24; Free agent signing
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
NCAA season to date | 37 | 24 | 10 | 34 | 32 | 20 | 19 | 151 | 24.00 |
AHL season to date | 13 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 21.46 |
2022-23 (NCAA) | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 21.00 |
Morton scored a goal in Game 1 against Tucson.
22; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
AHL season to date | 29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 33 | 8.25 |
ECHL season to date | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 30.61 |
2022-23 (ECHL) | 40 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 97 | 18.94 |
Nikolaev didn’t dress in the first round.
22; Calgary’s first round pick (26th overall); 3rd-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 18 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 45 | 26.57 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 35 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 92 | 42.13 |
Pelletier had an assist in the Tucson series.
21; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; tied for 5th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 23 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 22.53 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 69 | 9 | 32 | 41 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 172 | 23.68 |
Poirier played alongside Poolman on the second pairing, with his usage skewed towards offensive situations.
22; Florida’s third round pick (81st overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Florida; 9th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 66 | 14 | 22 | 36 | 27 | 23 | 15 | 128 | 21.74 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 70 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 118 | 18.22 |
Schwindt had a goal and an assist in the Tucson series.
23; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 8th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 51 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 88 | 11.72 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 68 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 16 | 8 | 82 | 10.55 |
Playing on the top pairing with Oesterle, Solovyov was dynamite in all three zones for the Wranglers in round one. He scored a key goal in Game 2, and he was a shot-blocking machine throughout the series.
Ilya Solovyov rips a shot on Villalta and makes it a 3-2 game for the Wranglers. pic.twitter.com/HYh7PhlNnj
— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) April 27, 2024
20; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 19th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 68 | 7 | 20 | 27 | 23 | 18 | 15 | 74 | 15.82 |
2022-23 (SHL) | 45 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 8.69 |
Strömgren continues to be on a tear since the New Year. He had a goal and an assist against Tucson, including a doozy of a goal that stood up as the series-deciding marker.
William Stromgren with fresh legs off the bench goes the distance in the Roadrunners zone and puts Calgary up 4-2 pic.twitter.com/p8hTZtCxrQ
— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) April 27, 2024
19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 13th-ranked prospect
GP | G | A | P | P1 | 5v5 P |
5v5 P1 | SH | NHLe | |
Season to date | 35 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 100 | 23.02 |
2022-23 (BCHL) | 50 | 45 | 45 | 90 | 73 | 47 | 40 | – | 11.81 |
Suniev’s season is finished.
22; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft
GP | TOI | SV% | |
KHL season to date | 1 | 58 | .880 |
VHL season to date | 5 | 271 | .908 |
2022-23 (ECHL) | 39 | 2135 | .892 |
Chechelev’s season is finished.
20; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 15th-ranked prospect
GP | TOI | SV% | |
Season to date | 16 | 934 | .913 |
2022-23 (NCAA) | 19 | 1104 | .912 |
Sergeev’s season is finished. He’ll be joining Penn State for the 2024-25 season.
22; Calgary’s seventh round pick (214th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 1st-ranked prospect
GP | TOI | SV% | |
Season to date | 36 | 2082 | .922 |
2022-23 (AHL) | 55 | 3239 | .932 |
Wolf was spectacular against Tucson, stopping 85 of 88 shots on net.
18; Calgary’s sixth round pick (176th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft
GP | TOI | SV% | |
Season to date | 25 | 1319 | .917 |
2022-23 (MHL) | 15 | 786 | .915 |
Yegorov’s season is finished.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!