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It’s early, but a lot of Flames prospects are impressing

Originally posted on Flamesnation | By Ryan Pike | Last updated 10/16/24

It’s natural to be skeptical of performances early in the regular season. Not all teams find themselves fully ready for the ramping-up of pace that comes with meaningful games starting, and often it takes a few weeks for everyone to find their legs.

That said, it’s probably unfair to throw out strong early performances as fluky or unrepresentative, because those goals, assists and points – standings and scoring – count just as much in October as they do in March and April.

When it comes to the Calgary Flames and their prospects, we’re going to single out a couple of really impressive youngsters: 2023 third-rounder Aydar Suniev and 2024 second-round Jacob Battaglia. As of this writing, Suniev leads the NCAA with five goals and his six points have him in a many-way tie for sixth place overall – only five players have registered more points than Suniev has. Meanwhile Battaglia has 15 points over seven games in the OHL; only two players in the OHL have more points.

It’s early, but those two gentlemen are early pace-setters in their leagues.

Jonathan Aspirot – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

25; signed as a free agent; 6’0″, 200 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	39.85
2023-24 (AHL)	66	6	27	33	19	12	9	94	19.93

Aspirot was a healthy scratch in the Wranglers’ opener – they’re carrying eight blueliners – but he dressed as the seventh defender in Sunday’s game and had a power play assist. He’s an offensive specialist, but he’s someone that can add a lot to a power play when his game is going.

Andrew Basha – LW/C, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL

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

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	2	7	9	8	2	2	22	31.84
2023-24 (WHL)	63	30	55	85	69	52	41	189	33.41

Bad Basha news: he has just two five-on-five points to begin this season. Good news: he has seven power play points in as many games, and eight primary points overall. Heck, he had four power play assists in a single game this week, including three primary helpers.

Jacob Battaglia – LW, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL

18; Calgary’s second round pick (62nd overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 11th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	7	8	15	14	11	10	24	56.76
2023-24 (OHL)	67	31	34	65	54	39	34	168	25.70

Battaglia not only is an offensive pace-setter for Kingston, he’d be over a point per game if you wiped out all of his special teams points. Scoring tons of points? Check. Scoring tons of even strength points? Check. Scoring tons of even strength primary points? Check? Tons of shots? Check. It’s hard to criticize how well he’s performing early this season.

Parker Bell – LW/C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

20; 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	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2023-24 (WHL)	59	33	31	64	50	35	31	231	26.86

Bell played in the Wranglers’ season-opener on the fourth line, then was scratched in favour of Aspirot in their second game. It’s his first year pro, so he’ll be learning as he goes.

Jake Boltmann – D, Northeastern University Huskies, NCAA/Hockey East

22; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 188 pounds; shoots right

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	1	0	2	2	0	2	0	0	54.61
2023-24 (NCAA)	30	0	2	2	2	2	2	36	1.82

Last season Boltmann had two assists in 30 games with Notre Dame. He had two assists in his debut game with Northeastern, matching his 2023-24 production.

Hunter Brzustewicz – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

19; Vancouver’s third round pick (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 3rd-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	1	1	1	1	1	2	19.93
2023-24 (OHL)	67	13	79	92	46	65	34	140	36.37

Brzustewicz was good in his first pro weekend, setting up Rory Kerins for a nifty goal with a great pass on Friday.

The first goal of the Wranglers season belongs to Rory Kerins. Hunter Brzusetwicz also picked up his first professional point on this play. pic.twitter.com/sQheOG1lT1

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 12, 2024

Lucas Ciona – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; 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	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	2	19.93
2023-24 (AHL)	55	4	2	6	5	6	5	67	4.35

Ciona’s game has some snarl to it to begin this season, and he looked really good on a line with Clark Bishop and Walker Duehr. He scored a goal on Sunday.

Walker Duehr sets up Lucas Ciona for his first goal of the year. This ties up the game 3-3 between the Wranglers and Canucks pic.twitter.com/9umtDyCOLt

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 13, 2024

Matvei Gridin – RW, Shawinigan Cataractes, QMJHL

18; Calgary’s first round pick (28th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 182 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 6th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	3	2	5	4	3	3	32	16.63
2023-24 (USHL)	60	38	45	83	67	49	42	208	31.76

Gridin continues to generate consistent offence via putting a ton of rubber on net.

Artem Grushnikov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Dallas’ second round pick (48th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Dallas; 6’1″, 203 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 17th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2023-24 (AHL)	63	1	5	6	5	6	5	65	3.80

Grushnikov didn’t hit the scoresheet on opening weekend, but he played strong two-way hockey.

Trevor Hoskin – RW, Niagara University Purple Eagles, NCAA

20; 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	2	1	0	1	1	0	0	1	7.95
2023-24 (OJHL)	52	42	58	100	85	60	50	189	5.36

Hoskin scored a goal in his first-ever NCAA appearance.

Axel Hurtig – D, Calgary Hitmen, WHL

19; 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	7	0	1	1	0	1	0	6	3.54
2023-24 (J20)	27	3	8	11	7	11	7	54	15.10

Hurtig doesn’t generate much offence, but he’s quietly among the WHL’s leaders in plus/minus and plays a structured, physical defensive game.

Eric Jamieson – D, Everett Silvertips, WHL

19; Calgary’s seventh round pick (208th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 200 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	8	1	3	4	1	4	1	14	12.38
2023-24 (WHL)	66	10	22	32	21	27	18	174	12.01

Jamieson had a goal this week and continues to play reliable two-way hockey for one of the Dub’s better outfits.

Joni Jurmo – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Vancouver’s third round pick (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; Acquired in a trade with Vancouver; 6’3″, 190 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2023-24 (Liiga)	46	1	4	5	3	4	3	63	4.03

Jurmo didn’t dress for either of the Wranglers’ weekend games.

Rory Kerins – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s sixth round pick (174th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 5’10”, 175 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	2	1	3	2	2	1	6	59.78
2023-24 (AHL)	54	16	16	32	27	22	18	115	23.62

Kerins has been kind of a streaky player as a pro, and he’s begun the regular season on a hot streak. He scored a pair of goals against Abbotsford on Friday night.

Yan Kuznetsov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s second round pick (50th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 209 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 20th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	1	1	0	1	0	2	19.93
2023-24 (AHL)	63	5	8	13	9	12	8	88	8.22

Kuznetsov registered an assist in the Wranglers’ opening weekend.

Hunter Laing – C/RW, Prince George Cougars, WHL

18; 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	9	4	2	6	5	4	3	16	16.51
2023-24 (WHL)	66	11	14	25	18	20	14	101	9.38

Laing didn’t register any points this week.

Jaden Lipinski – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

19; Calgary’s fourth round pick (112th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’4″, 204 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 16th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
2023-24 (WHL)	67	24	42	66	47	33	23	181	24.39

Lipinski played on the Wranglers’ fourth line in their first two games. He was decent, but it sounds like he may be headed back to the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants as an over-ager.

Hearing that @NHLFlames are sending C Jaden Lipinski back to @WHLGiants. He had been with the @AHLWranglers. Giants currently have Fs Connor Levis, Tyson Zimmer and Kyren Gronick as their three 20s. Will have two weeks to make a decision on which three to keep.

— Steve Ewen (@SteveEwen) October 15, 2024

Cade Littler – C/RW, University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, NCAA/Big 10

20; 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	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2023-24 (BCHL)	24	9	12	21	17	9	6	–	5.51

Littler was a scratch in North Dakota’s opening game – he was listed as their 13th forward initially but didn’t dress.

Henry Mews – D, Ottawa 67’s, OHL

18; Calgary’s third round pick (74th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 181 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 9th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	0	4	4	2	0	0	22	17.66
2023-24 (OHL)	65	15	46	61	38	35	24	153	24.86

Mews didn’t register any points this week.

Luke Misa – LW/C, Brampton Steelheads, OHL

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

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	7	1	2	3	2	3	2	21	11.35
2023-24 (OHL)	66	26	55	81	56	58	39	210	32.51

On one hand, Misa went quiet from a scoresheet standpoint. On the other hand, he has a ton of shots.

Etienne Morin – D, Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL

19; Calgary’s second round pick (48th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 180 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 10th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	6	3	4	7	6	4	3	21	27.10
2023-24 (QMJHL)	58	12	37	49	32	21	13	191	19.67

Morin continues to consistently chip in points for Moncton early this season.

Sam Morton – C, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

25; Free agent signing; 6’0″, 185 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	1	1	1	1	1	6	19.93
2023-24 (NCAA)	37	24	10	34	32	20	19	151	24.00

Morton was a bit quiet offensively this weekend, but he still played pretty well in the first weekend of his first full pro season.

Ilya Nikolaev – C/LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

23; Calgary’s third round pick (88th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 190 pounds; shoots left

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
AHL season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
2023-24 (AHL)	29	3	3	6	6	6	6	33	8.25

Nikolaev played on the left side of the fourth line in both Wranglers games this week.

Zayne Parekh – D, Saginaw Spirit, OHL

18; Calgary’s first round pick (9th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft; 6’0″, 179 pounds; shoots right; FN’s 1st-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	5	1	5	6	2	3	1	22	31.78
2023-24 (OHL)	66	33	63	96	66	54	39	224	38.53

Parekh continues to have a fairly productive start to the OHL season.

Jeremie Poirier – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

22; Calgary’s third round pick (72nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’1″, 196 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 7th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.00
2023-24 (AHL)	23	3	10	13	5	5	2	44	22.53

Poirier is kinda quiet offensively to start the season. We’ll see if he can bounce back when the Wranglers hit the road.

Ilya Solovyov – D, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Calgary’s seventh round pick (205th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 208 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 14th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	1	0	1	1	1	1	3	19.93
2023-24 (AHL)	51	5	10	15	10	14	10	88	11.72

Solovyov scored a goal from the point in Friday’s opening game.

William Strömgren – LW, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

21; Calgary’s second round pick (45th overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 175 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 8th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.00
2023-24 (AHL)	68	7	20	27	23	18	15	74	15.82

Strömgren doesn’t have any points, but he scored a sweet shootout goal.

Thought this William Stromgren shootout goal was worth another watch pic.twitter.com/5jXGkwfnsI

— Paige Siewert (@thathockeygirly) October 13, 2024

Aydar Suniev – LW/C, University of Massachusetts Minutemen, NCAA/Hockey East

19; Calgary’s third round pick (80th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft; 6’2″, 198 pounds; shoots left; FN’s 12th-ranked prospect 2024

	GP	G	A	P	P1	5v5 P	5v5 P1	SH	NHLe
Season to date	3	5	1	6	6	4	4	12	64.45
2023-24 (NCAA)	35	12	13	25	19	16	12	100	23.02

Suniev is almost halfway to last season’s goal total in about 10% of the games played. He’ll surely slow down offensively, but it’s hard not to notice the confidence he’s playing with… or his ability to bury pucks when given the time and space he’s being given so far.

Daniil Chechelev – G, HC Vityaz, KHL

23; Calgary’s fourth round pick (96th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft; 6’3″, 187 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	–	–	–
2023-24 (VHL)	5	271	.908

Chechelev remains the third goalie for Vityaz.

Waltteri Ignatjew – G, Calgary Wranglers, AHL

24; Signed as a free agent; 6’3″, 200 pounds

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	–	–	–
2023-24 (SWE-1)	45	2614	.918

Ignatjew dressed as Devin Cooley’s backup twice but didn’t see any game action.

Arsenii Sergeev – G, Penn State University Nittany Lions, NCAA/Big 10

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

	GP	TOI	SV%
Season to date	3	182	.928
2023-24 (NCAA)	16	934	.913

Sergeev had a strong game in a tight 3-2 loss against Quinnipiac. Considering that Quinnipiac are often national championship contenders, it’s hard to really be too down about the loss.