Flames prospect Jaden Lipinski is headed back to the Western Hockey League as an over-ager

If there’s one Calgary Flames prospects we’ve gotten the most questions about during September and October, it’s been centre Jaden Lipinski. In an organization that doesn’t have a ton of centres, the 20-year-old product of Scottsdale, Arizona represents an intriguing property: big, mature, and with an impressive junior resume.

So the Flames tried him out with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers for a couple of games on opening weekend.

On Wednesday, Lipinski was released from his AHL professional tryout contract and assigned to the Western Hockey League’s Vancouver Giants. (Stick-taps to Postmedia’s Steve Ewen, who originally reported this on Monday.)

Lipinski’s a 2004 birthday, so he’s going to be an over-age (20-year-old) player in the WHL. Each team is limited to three on their roster, and the Giants will have two weeks to get down to three 20-year-olds again – either by trade or by releasing someone. Lipinski had a superb 19-year-old season in 2023-24, posting 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points over 67 games. He was Mr. Everything for a Vancouver team that was missing a lot of key pieces over the course of the season. Lipinski was also second in the WHL in face-offs taken and won, with a 57.4 winning percentage.

So if Lipinski was so great, how come he couldn’t make the transition to pro hockey? Well, you can argue it’s just as much about the wrong type of opportunity as it is about Lipinski himself. He played two games as a fourth-line centre with the Wranglers, playing behind Rory Kerins, Clark Bishop and Sam Morton. He was decent enough, but struggled at the face-off dot. But the fourth line in the AHL is a tough place to learn and improve in pro hockey, as the role doesn’t afford you consistent ice time.

The two options available to get Lipinski more reps were the Giants or the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush, and right now it feels like the WHL is the better option considering the play-styles and competitive levels of each league. (They did the same thing with Parker Bell last season, sending him back to the Tri-City Americans for his 20-year-old season.) Lipinski’s a 2023 draft selection, and the Flames have until June 1, 2025 to sign him to an entry-level contract or lose his NHL rights.

Lipinski’s departure to the WHL potentially signals that 25-year-old David Silye, signed to an AHL deal, could become the fourth-line pivot instead. Given that Silye’s probably closer to his developmental ceiling than Lipinski is, that seems like it could work for everyone involved.