Wranglers rally late but fall 4-2 to Firebirds in 40-shot effort
The Calgary Wranglers pushed the pace all night and outshot the Coachella Valley Firebirds 40-21, but a second-period surge led by Lucas Ciona and Dryden Hunt was not enough in a 4-2 setback in Palm Desert. Calgary controlled possession and generated chances throughout, yet Firebirds goaltender Nikke Kokko delivered a standout performance at Acrisure Arena.
Photo by David Moll / Calgary Wranglers
PALM DESERT, Calif. — After falling behind 3-0 midway through the second period, the Calgary Wranglers responded with back-to-back goals from Lucas Ciona and Dryden Hunt to cut the deficit to one, but ultimately fell 4-2 to the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Saturday night at Acrisure Arena.
Calgary controlled stretches of play and finished with a 40-21 advantage in shots but could not solve Firebirds goaltender Nikke Kokko, who stopped 38 attempts to help secure the win.
Coachella Valley opened the scoring at 7:19 of the first period when Logan Morrison recorded his 25th goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Jani Nyman and Gustav Olofsson.
The Firebirds extended the lead early in the second period. Nyman made it 2-0 just 56 seconds into the frame with assists from Morrison and Jagger Firkus, and Firkus added another at 8:48 off a feed from Nyman and Morrison to push the advantage to three.
The Wranglers answered late in the period with a surge. Ciona put Calgary on the board at 18:29 after a pass from Clark Bishop, and Hunt followed just 27 seconds later with his 15th of the season, finishing a play from Bishop and Hunter Brzustewicz to pull Calgary within one heading into the third.
Gustav Olofsson restored a two-goal cushion for Coachella Valley at 8:38 of the third period with assists credited to Oscar Fisker Molgaard.
Arsenii Sergeev made the start for Calgary and stopped 17 of 21 shots for an .810 save percentage.
Kokko finished with 37 saves on 40 shots for a .949 save percentage and was named the game’s third star. Morrison, who recorded a goal and two assists, earned first-star honours, while Nyman was named the second star.
The Wranglers return to action Sunday afternoon for a rematch with the Firebirds in Palm Desert. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT.
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Wranglers Rally, Fall in Six-Round Shootout to Abbotsford
Calgary erased a two-goal deficit in the third period before falling 3–2 in a six-round shootout to Abbotsford, outshooting the Canucks 38–19 and collecting a point with 17 games remaining in the regular season.
Photo by David Moll / Calgary Wranglers
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers erased a two-goal deficit Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome but fell 3–2 in a six-round shootout to the Abbotsford Canucks, earning a point in a game with Pacific Division playoff implications.
Calgary entered the day three points outside a top-seven playoff spot in the division and pushed this one to the limit before settling for a single point.
Abbotsford opened the scoring at 2:04 of the first period. Danila Klimovich snapped a loose puck blocker-side shot for his ninth of the season. Chase Wouters recorded the assist to make it 1–0.
Joe Arntsen extended the lead at 9:59 of the second after Chase Stillman found the defenseman joining the rush down the left side. Arntsen beat Arsenii Sergeev under the glove for his second of the year, with Nils Åman adding the secondary assist to make it 2–0.
Calgary responded late in the third. Aydar Suniev cut the deficit at 14:27, wiring a shot from the right side near the top of the circle to beat Young for his 13th of the season and his third goal in four games. Dryden Hunt and Turner Ottenbreit collected the assists.
Just 1:24 later, Justin Kirkland tied it at 15:51 after Daniil Miromanov’s pass slid underneath the goaltender directly to Kirkland, who was waiting on the other side. He made no mistake from in close, scoring his sixth of the season. Martin Frk added the secondary assist.
Calgary finished with a 38–19 edge in shots.
Overtime carried urgency. William Stromgren broke in alone and appeared to slide the puck across the goal line while being hauled down, crashing into the goaltender in the process. The play was waved off, and the extra frame continued. Both netminders held firm through a series of odd-man chances, sending the game to a shootout.
The shootout extended six rounds before Jett Woo sealed it for Abbotsford.
Sergeev stopped 17 of 19 shots for a .895 save percentage. At the other end, Young turned aside 36 of 38 for a .947 mark.
The Wranglers have now gone beyond regulation in six of their last 10 games and 23 times this season. Sergeev made his second straight start Sunday, while Dryden Hunt has recorded two points in two games since returning from injury.
With 17 games remaining and division rivals in action later Sunday, including Henderson hosting Colorado and Tucson visiting San Jose, the Pacific Division playoff race remains fluid.
Calgary earned a point. The chase continues.
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Barracuda Rally Past Wranglers with Four-Goal Third, 5-3
Calgary carried a 3-1 lead into the third period behind goals from Aydar Suniev, Rory Kerins and Nick Cicek before a four-goal surge from San Jose flipped momentum late at Scotiabank Saddledome. Kerins recorded a multi-point night as the Wranglers opened a four-game homestand against the Barracuda.
Photo: David Moll / Calgary Wranglers
CALGARY — A strong two-period effort slipped away in the third as the San Jose Barracuda scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Calgary Wranglers 5-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome in the opener of a four-game homestand.
Calgary opened the scoring early when Aydar Suniev tucked away his 11th goal of the season just 2:10 into the first period, assisted by Sam Morton and Carter King. Lucas Carlsson answered late in the frame to send the teams to intermission tied.
The Wranglers regained control in the second. Rory Kerins restored the lead at 5:18 off a setup from Clark Bishop, and Nick Cicek extended it at 14:00 with a wrister from the blue line through heavy traffic, beating a screened Laurent Brossoit. William Strömgren and Kerins collected assists as Calgary carried a 3-1 advantage into the third. Kerins finished with a multi-point night, recording a goal and an assist.
San Jose shifted momentum early in the final period. Braden Hache cut the deficit to one at 3:19, and Anthony Vincent tied the game less than two minutes later before adding his second of the night at 10:49 to give the Barracuda their first lead. Carlsson sealed the comeback with an empty-net goal at 19:23.
Despite limiting San Jose to 9 shots against in the third, Calgary could not halt the momentum swing, surrendering control of a game they had dictated through much of the first two periods.
Arsenii Sergeev made 25 saves on 29 shots (.862) for Calgary, while Laurent Brossoit stopped 28 of 31 shots (.903) for San Jose.
The Wranglers return to Scotiabank Saddledome tomorrow night for the second half of the weekend set against the Barracuda.
Wranglers Open Homestand as Playoff Push Intensifies
Three straight wins. Fifteen points from the top line. Twenty-one overtime games already this season. Calgary heads into a home stretch with momentum and a playoff spot within reach.
CALGARY — Riding a three-game winning streak and sitting just two points back of a playoff spot, Calgary returns to Scotiabank Saddledome with momentum building around a group finding rhythm at the right time of the season.
The line of Martin Frk, William Strömgren, and Rory Kerins has powered much of Calgary’s recent surge, combining for 15 points over the last three games. Strömgren arrives following a six-point weekend, while defenceman Daniil Miromanov continues to drive offence from the back end with nine points across his last six outings.
The Wranglers have already played 21 overtime or shootout games through 51 contests, putting them within range of the AHL single-season record of 29 set by Milwaukee in 2006-07.
The schedule begins Tuesday with back-to-back matchups against the San Jose Barracuda at 7 p.m. MT before shifting to a pair of afternoon games against the Abbotsford Canucks Friday and Sunday 1 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Wranglers edge Reign 3–2 behind Suniev’s winner and Prosvetov’s strong night at the Dome
Calgary edged Ontario 3–2 at the Saddledome, powered by Adar Suniev’s third-period winner, a shorthanded finish from Clark Bishop, and a steady 22-save performance from Ivan Prosvetov. The Wranglers now head into a three-week, 10-game road trip before returning home December 9.
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers closed their homestand with a hard-fought 3–2 win over the Ontario Reign on Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome, powered by a shorthanded strike from captain Clark Bishop and a third-period game winner from rookie forward Adar Suniev.
Calgary opened the scoring late in the first when Martin Frk finished a quick passing sequence at 17:19. Matvei Gridin carried the puck on the entry, slipped it wide, and the puck eventually moved through Dryden Hunt to Frk at the edge of the crease for his fourth goal of the season. The Wranglers carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission with a 10–8 advantage in shots.
The second period delivered most of the night’s emotion. After Gridin was called for tripping as part of a sequence that included offsetting roughing minors, Calgary found itself shorthanded. Bishop turned the situation into an opportunity, jumping on a loose puck and scoring one-handed on the breakaway at 6:41 for his third of the year. David Silye recorded the lone assist.
Ontario responded with a strong push of its own. Akil Thomas cut the lead to 2–1 at 13:45, walking down the right side and snapping a high shot past Ivan Prosvetov. Martin Chromiak picked up the assist, and the Reign carried that momentum into the intermission despite trailing on the scoreboard. Calgary held a 22–12 shot advantage through forty minutes.
Ontario tied the game during a lengthy two-man advantage in the third. Jakub Dvorak pounced on a rebound at 17:17 to make it 2–2, with assists from Francesco Pinelli and Kenny Connors.
The Wranglers answered quickly. On the power play at 9:03, Suniev hammered home a cross-slot feed for his fourth of the season, restoring Calgary’s lead. The assists went to William Strömgren and Hunter Brzustewicz, who moved the puck sharply across the top before the decisive finish.
Prosvetov preserved the win with a sprawling right-pad save minutes later as Ontario threatened to tie the game again. The Reign pulled their goalie with 90 seconds left and generated pressure, but Calgary’s defensive group closed the final shift without surrendering another clean look. Shots finished 32–23 for the Wranglers.
The win sends the Wranglers into a three-week road swing that spans 10 games before their next appearance at the Saddledome. Calgary opens the trip on Nov. 15 and 16 in Henderson, followed by stops in Bakersfield (Nov. 18), San Diego (Nov. 22), Coachella Valley (Nov. 23), San Jose (Nov. 26), Abbotsford (Dec. 2 and 3), and a back-to-back in Ontario (Dec. 6 and 7). The Wranglers return home on Dec. 9 to face the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Three Stars
Clark Bishop, CGY
Adar Suniev, CGY
Ivan Prosvetov, CGY
Wranglers Extend Point Streak to Six as Gridin Scores Shootout Winner in Abbotsford
Matvei Gridin scored the shootout winner and Ivan Prosvetov stopped 25 of 26 shots as the Calgary Wranglers edged Abbotsford 2–1, extending their point streak to six ahead of a home series with Bakersfield.
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — The Calgary Wranglers extended their point streak to six games with a 2–1 shootout win over the Abbotsford Canucks on Wednesday night, finishing their two-game road set with another strong defensive showing and efficient goaltending.
Abbotsford opened the scoring in the first, but Calgary weathered early pressure and began to tilt the ice in the second period. Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov kept the Wranglers within one, turning aside several high-danger chances before the skaters in front of him found their rhythm.
The equalizer came midway through the third when Daniil Miromanov beat Abbotsford’s Jiri Patera. Matvei Gridin and David Silye drew the assists as the Wranglers pressed, outshooting the Canucks 9–5 in overtime and closing the night with a 30–26 edge in total shots.
In the shootout, Gridin—Calgary Flames’ 2024 first-round pick (28th overall)—clinched the win as the third shooter. The 19-year-old rookie from Kurgan, Russia, now with eight points through six AHL games, continues to show poise beyond his years after a 79-point QMJHL season and four-game NHL debut with the Flames earlier this fall.
Prosvetov, also Russian-born, finished with 25 saves on 26 shots, earning first-star honours. Miromanov’s goal was his second point in four AHL games this season, and the Wranglers’ special teams struggled going 0/1 on the penalty kill and 0/2 with the man advantage.
Calgary, now 4-2-2 — third in the Pacific Division, heads home for a weekend series against the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors on November 1 and 2. Both games are set for 1:00 p.m. MT at the Scotiabank Saddledome, followed by a mid-week series with the San Jose Barracuda on November 6 and 8.
Fans can catch all the action live on AHLTV via FloHockey at flosports.link/46YqCIJ.
Wranglers blank Abbotsford 3–0 to open back-to-back road set
The Calgary Wranglers opened their back-to-back in Abbotsford with a 3–0 shutout win. Yan Kuznetsov scored first in the third period, Aydar Suniev followed with his first professional goal on the power play, and Rory Kerins added the third. Ivan Prosvetov stopped all 33 shots for his seventh AHL shutout in his 150th career game.
ABBOTSFORD, B.C. -- The Calgary Wranglers opened their back-to-back in Abbotsford with a 3–0 win over the Canucks on Tuesday night. The first two periods produced no scoring before Calgary broke through in the third.
Yan Kuznetsov opened the scoring eight minutes into the period. Aydar Suniev added a second goal on the power play three and a half minutes later, his first as a professional. Rory Kerins scored the third to finish with a two-point night.
The win was driven by a trio of Russian-born contributors. Kuznetsov, a 6-foot-4 defender from Murmansk, set the tone. Suniev, a 20-year-old wing from Kazan in his first season pro after a 38-point year at UMass, doubled the lead. In goal, Moscow native Ivan Prosvetov made 33 saves for his seventh career AHL shutout in his 150th appearance.
The Wranglers and Canucks complete the two-game set in Abbotsford on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. MT. Calgary then returns home to host Bakersfield in a Saturday–Sunday set at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Nov. 1 and 2, before San Jose visits on Nov. 6.
Fans can watch Wednesday’s road meeting live on AHLTV via FloHockey at https://flosports.link/46YqCIJ.
Wranglers Look to Even Series in Colorado
CALGARY — The Calgary Wranglers will look to bounce back Saturday night in Colorado after opening their 2025–26 season with a 7–4 loss to the Eagles on Friday at Blue FCU Arena.
Despite the final score, there were bright spots for Calgary in the opener. The top line of William Stromgren, Rory Kerins, and Dryden Hunt powered the offense, combining for five points and generating consistent pressure throughout. Martin Frk provided the team’s lone power-play goal, while goaltender Ivan Prosvetov turned aside 36 of 42 shots for an .857 save percentage in his Wranglers debut.
Special teams were the difference in Game 1, as Colorado converted on three of four opportunities with the man advantage. The Wranglers, meanwhile, finished 1-for-4 on the power play and will be looking to tighten up their penalty kill and defensive coverage in front of Prosvetov for tonight’s rematch.
Friday’s assists from Jeremie Poirier and Rory Kerins moved both players into a tie with Adam Klapka for second on the Wranglers’ all-time points list (97), just one behind Ben Jones (98). Poirier, entering his third full season with the club, remains one of the team’s key transition catalysts and is expected to log heavy minutes again tonight.
Head coach Brett Sutter’s group will try to re-establish its defensive rhythm while building on the offensive chemistry that showed flashes in the opener. Calgary’s transition game and power-play execution will be focal points against a Colorado team that thrives on tempo and puck retrieval.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MT at Blue FCU Arena. After tonight’s contest, the Wranglers hit the road to Tucson for back-to-back games against the Roadrunners next weekend before returning home to the Scotiabank Saddledome on October 24 to face the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Wranglers Adjust Camp Roster as Season Nears
CALGARY -- A busy Friday of transactions reshaped the Calgary Wranglers’ camp list, with multiple assignments to ECHL affiliate Rapid City and several try-outs released one week before the AHL season opener.
Five players on AHL/ECHL contracts have been assigned to the Rapid City Rush: forwards Blake Bennett, Brett Davis, Briley Wood, and Ryan Chyzowski, along with defenceman Chase Pauls. Bennett is coming off a 52-point season with Rapid City.
Seven players who attended camp on tryouts have been released and will report to Rapid City: forwards Parker Bowman, Rasmus Ekstrom, and Chaz Smedsrud; defencemen Alexander Stensson, Arvils Bergmanis, and Billy Constantinou; and goaltender Noah Giesbrecht.
Goaltender Connor Murphy has also been assigned to Rapid City. In 2024–25 he recorded a .914 save percentage with the Rush (ECHL) and appeared in four AHL games for Calgary, posting an .881 save percentage.
With today’s moves, the Wranglers’ camp roster stands at 28 players: three goaltenders, nine defencemen, and 16 forwards. The club opens its AHL season October 10.
Wranglers Mix Youth, Veterans, and Try-Outs in 28-Man Camp Roster
Calgary development squad prepares for 2025–26 AHL season after intrasquad scrimmage at WinSport.
CALGARY -- Training camp at WinSport has brought together prospects, veterans, and hopefuls as the Calgary Wranglers prepare for the 2025–26 AHL season. The group has been on the ice since Monday, highlighted by an intrasquad scrimmage Wednesday that gave fans their first glimpse of the roster.
The Wranglers’ camp list features three goaltenders, nine defencemen, and 16 forwards, blending returning regulars with offseason additions and players on professional try-outs. Seven skaters arrived from ECHL affiliate Rapid City, while veteran defenceman Turner Ottenbreit joined on an AHL PTO.
Among the offseason signings, forward Quinn Olson stands out as a Calgary native returning home after splitting last season between Greenville in the ECHL and Ontario in the AHL. Forward Brett Davis, from Oakbank, Man., re-joins the Wranglers after time with Rapid City and Calgary. Defenceman Xavier Bernard of Mercier, Que., and forwards Briley Wood of Rivers, Man., and Blake Bennett of Grand Island, N.Y., add further depth to the lineup.
Goaltender Arsenii Sergeev enters camp as the organization’s top AHL netminder, joined by Connor Murphy and try-out Noah Giesbrecht. With Dustin Wolf now cemented on the Flames roster, Sergeev’s progression will be closely monitored as a key piece of Calgary’s long-term goaltending outlook.
Several prospects are in line to make an impact, including Lucas Ciona, David Silye, and defenceman Jeremie Poirier, all of whom could see NHL call-up opportunities during the season. Veterans Alex Gallant and Martin Frk return to provide leadership and scoring depth, while Olson offers fans a local storyline to follow.
The Wranglers now look ahead to the 2025–26 AHL regular season, which begins October 10. Full coverage continues at ProvectusMedia.ca.