Wranglers Shut Out 1–0 in Loveland as Owen Say Impresses in AHL Debut
A strong AHL debut from 24-year-old Owen Say wasn’t enough as the Calgary Wranglers were shut out 1–0 by the Colorado Eagles on Saturday night in Loveland. Say, from London, Ontario, stopped 21 of 22 shots in his first start after joining Calgary from Notre Dame, where he posted a .920 save percentage last season.
CALGARY – The Calgary Wranglers wrapped up their weekend in Loveland with a 1–0 loss to the Colorado Eagles on Saturday night, a tight defensive contest that saw Calgary shut out despite steady pressure and strong goaltending.
Colorado struck just 42 seconds into the opening frame, and that lone tally stood as the game-winner. The Wranglers battled but couldn’t find the equalizer, going 0-for-5 on the power play and managing 18 shots on goal.
The bright spot came in net, where 24-year-old Owen Say of London, Ontario made his first AHL start and turned heads. The rookie goaltender looked confident and composed, stopping 21 of 22 shots to keep Calgary within striking distance all night. Say joins the Wranglers after playing 27 games last season with the University of Notre Dame in the Big Ten Conference, where he posted a .920 save percentage and a 10-15 record.
Despite the loss, Say’s debut offered encouraging depth between the pipes for a Wranglers team that has leaned heavily on Dustin Wolf in recent seasons.
Calgary now returns home to reset before heading south to Tucson for a two-game weekend series against the Roadrunners. The Wranglers face Tucson on Saturday, October 18 at 8:00 p.m. MST, and again on Sunday, October 19 at 5:00 p.m. MST, with both games taking place at the Tucson Convention Center. After that, the team returns to the Scotiabank Saddledome for back-to-back home games against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on October 24 at 7:00 p.m. MST and October 25 at 6:00 p.m. MST.
Fans can catch all upcoming Wranglers action live on FloHockey.
Coronado’s Two-Goal Effort Not Enough as Blues Spoil Flames’ Home Opener
CALGARY — The Saturday matinee at the Scotiabank Saddledome had all the makings of a statement win, but the Calgary Flames couldn’t finish the job. Despite two goals from Matt Coronado, the Flames fell 4–2 to the St. Louis Blues in their 2025–26 home opener, ending a streak that had seen Calgary go 7-0-1 in home openers since 2016.
Coronado opened the scoring at 14:49 of the first period on the power play, converting a feed from Joel Farabee and Nazem Kadri. Late in the second, with the Flames trailing, he struck again at even strength, taking a quick pass from Kevin Bahl and ripping a shot high glove side to tie the game 2–2. The 22-year-old winger’s release and confidence were on full display, underscoring why he’s expected to be a cornerstone piece of Calgary’s next generation.
The Flames controlled much of the second period, pushing tempo and puck possession, but two quick St. Louis goals midway through the frame flipped the energy. The Blues regained their composure in the third, protecting the middle of the ice and adding insurance down the stretch to secure the win.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf faced 28 shots, stopping 24 for a .857 save percentage. He was composed under pressure, turning aside several high-danger chances that kept Calgary within reach until the final minutes.
The loss drops the Flames to 1-2-0 on the season as they regroup ahead of a high-profile matchup Tuesday night against Vegas. Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and the Golden Knights visit the Dome for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Meanwhile in Loveland, Colorado, the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers are set for Game 2 of their weekend set against the Colorado Eagles. After falling 7-4 in Friday’s season opener, the Wranglers will look to split the series before heading to Tucson next week.
Beyond hockey, Canadian sports fans have another headline to track: the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers last night to advance to the American League Championship Series, where they’ll face the Toronto Blue Jays beginning tomorrow night.
It’s a packed Saturday on the sports calendar — from Coronado’s breakout and Wolf’s early-season test to the Wranglers’ bounce-back bid and an all-north matchup brewing on the diamond.
Blue Jays advance to ALCS as Flames win Battle of Alberta and Wolf dominates early season
CALGARY — It was a defining week for Canadian sports — and once again, Calgary was right in the centre of it.
The Toronto Blue Jays punched their ticket to the American League Championship Series with a convincing win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Toronto now awaits the winner of Tigers–Mariners Game 5, which will decide who they face when the ALCS opens Sunday at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Back in Alberta, the Flames delivered an early-season statement. Down 3–0 to the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary stormed back to win 4–3 in an eight-round shootout, taking the first Battle of Alberta of the season. Matvei Gridin, Connor Zary, and Blake Coleman provided the regulation goals, with Coleman capitalizing on yet another misplay by Stuart Skinner. Nazem Kadri scored the shootout winner and added an assist, while Adam Klapka and Matt Coronato also picked up helpers.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf once again proved why he’s the cornerstone of Calgary’s crease, stopping 32 of 35 shots through regulation and overtime — plus seven more in the shootout — for a .914 save percentage. Despite being the difference-maker, Wolf was curiously left off the game’s three stars list.
For Edmonton, the same narrative continues. With two of the league’s top forwards, the Oilers’ ongoing goaltending instability remains their biggest barrier to serious contention.
Calgary dropped the second half of their back-to-back the following night in Vancouver, falling 5–1 to the Canucks. Morgan Frost notched the lone goal for the Flames, assisted by Yegor Sharangovich and Joel Farabee.
The Flames return home to the Scotiabank Saddledome for their home opener Saturday at 2 p.m. against the St. Louis Blues, aiming to climb back above .500 for the second time this season. Meanwhile, the Calgary Wranglers kick off their AHL campaign with a two-game set in Colorado against the Eagles.
Between the Jays chasing a pennant and the Flames showing early-season resilience, Canada’s sports momentum is surging — and in Calgary, the fire’s only getting brighter.
Flames Close Preseason With Shootout Loss to Jets
CALGARY – Calgary’s preseason finale had energy, offense, and a dramatic finish, but the Flames came up short in a 5–4 shootout against the Winnipeg Jets at the Saddledome on Friday night. The game capped off exhibition play and offered a final look at veterans and prospects before the regular season begins next week.
Nazem Kadri led the Flames with two goals, showing sharp form in his final tune-up. His first came midway through the opening frame when Adam Klapka worked the puck below the goal line and slipped a backhand pass to Kadri, who buried it from in close. Joel Farabee added the secondary assist.
Calgary doubled the lead minutes later as rookie forward Matvei Gridin continued his standout preseason. The 19-year-old forward collected a feed from Kevin Bahl and converted on the backhand to make it 2–0, adding to an already impressive exhibition showing.
Winnipeg responded late in the period, but the Flames answered right back. Defenceman Joel Hanley stepped into a point shot and sniped it high blocker side at 17:13, restoring the two-goal advantage with assists to MacKenzie Weegar and Morgan Frost. The Flames led 3–1 after 20 minutes, with the Saddledome crowd energized by a heavy Klapka hit on Neal Pionk that drew a roar through the building.
Kadri struck again early in the second period, finishing a return feed from Bahl for his second of the night, while Klapka picked up his second assist. That stretched Calgary’s lead to 4–1, but Winnipeg — dressing regulars Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, and former Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck — rallied with two goals to trim the gap to 4–2 after 40 minutes.
The Jets completed their comeback in the third, tying the game 4–4 to force extra time. Overtime solved nothing, and the contest went to a lengthy shootout. Calgary converted twice, but Winnipeg edged ahead with three goals to secure the win.
Despite the loss, the Flames closed the preseason with encouraging signs: Kadri producing offensively and leading by example, Gridin showing flashes of high-end skill, Klapka bringing both physicality and playmaking, and Dustin Wolf once again drawing loud support from the home crowd with timely saves.
Calgary now turns its attention to the regular season, which begins next week
Kerins, Coronato Lead Calgary Past Seattle in Preseason Win
CALGARY — The Calgary Flames leaned on a mix of youthful energy and veteran stability Tuesday night, skating to a 4–1 preseason win over the Seattle Kraken at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Yegor Sharangovich opened the scoring midway through the first period, deflecting a Hunter Brzustewicz shot to give Calgary an early edge. Seattle answered before the intermission, knotting the game 1–1.
Early in the second, Rory Kerins restored the Flames’ lead. After Connor Zary carried the puck into the zone, a broken play left the puck bouncing loose in front. Kerins pounced and snapped a shot past the Kraken goaltender from close range to make it 2–1 Calgary. The 23-year-old prospect, who scored 33 goals last year for the AHL Wranglers, added an assist later in the night to cap a strong outing.
On fresh ice to start the third, Matt Coronato struck quickly. Stationed below the left circle, he one-timed a slick low cross-slot feed from Morgan Frost, beating the Seattle goalie clean to push the Flames ahead 3–1. Jonathan Huberdeau also picked up an assist on the play.
Sam Morton sealed it with an empty-netter at 17:26, created by a sharp defensive play from Sam Honzek, who broke up a Seattle rush and turned the puck the other way before sliding it ahead for Morton’s finish.
Brzustewicz finished with two assists and two shots on goal, continuing to impress with his poise from the back end. Sharangovich, Huberdeau, and Frost each chipped in helpers to round out a balanced offensive showing.
Between the pipes, Dustin Wolf stopped 12 of 13 shots before giving way to Owen Say, who turned aside all seven attempts he faced to close out the win.
The victory offered a glimpse of Calgary’s depth in action — with veterans setting the tone and young players like Kerins, Brzustewicz, and Honzek making strong cases to stick around as roster battles intensify heading toward opening night.
Flames Shut Out of Postseason Despite Strong 96-Point Campaign
CALGARY — The Flames came as close as a team can get without crossing the line. Ninety-six points usually secures a playoff berth, but in 2024–25 it did not.
Despite finishing ahead of Eastern playoff teams Montreal and New Jersey, the Flames missed the postseason after tying the St. Louis Blues for the final Wild Card spot in the West. The NHL’s first tie-breaker — regulation wins — tipped the balance. The Blues finished with 32, the Flames with 31. The narrowest of margins decided the playoff race.
The totals painted another layer of frustration. Calgary picked up 14 overtime or shootout losses compared to eight for the Blues. Those points padded the standings but carried no weight in the tie-breaker.
If there is disappointment, there is also optimism. The Wranglers’ pipeline continues to shape the Flames’ roster. Goaltender Dustin Wolf, after back-to-back award-winning seasons in the AHL, started 53 games for the Flames in 2024–25 and posted 29 wins, earning NHL All-Rookie Team honors while finishing just one victory shy of Mike Vernon’s franchise rookie record. Vernon, of course, later backstopped the Flames to their Stanley Cup championship in 1989, a reminder of how impactful a homegrown goaltender can become.
Connor Zary of Saskatoon has now appeared in 117 NHL games, recording 27 goals and 34 assists for 61 points with the Flames. Before cementing himself as a regular, he produced 58 points in 72 games with the Wranglers in 2022–23 and added 10 points in 6 games in 2023–24.
Martin Pospisil of Zvolen, Slovakia has logged 144 NHL games, contributing 12 goals and 37 assists for 49 points. Like Zary, he passed through the Wranglers on the way up, tallying 10 points in 20 games in 2022–23 and 6 points in 6 games in 2023–24.
Leadership is another storyline heading into 2025–26. Captain Mikael Backlund has already acknowledged that defenseman Rasmus Andersson may be on his way out, suggesting a trade could be inevitable. Andersson has been a fixture on the Flames’ blue line and a key part of the leadership group, but Backlund’s comments highlight the sense of transition surrounding the roster.
That connection between change and opportunity matters. As the Flames push to convert more overtime games into regulation victories, the solution may already be skating a few feet away in the Wranglers’ locker room at the Saddledome. And with only two years left before the team moves into its new home at Scotia Place, the theme of transition is unavoidable — in the roster taking shape, and in the very building where Flames hockey has lived for nearly four decades.
Countdown to Flames & Wranglers Hockey: Wolf, Brzustewicz, and Calgary’s Next Chapter
Few players in the Flames system draw more attention right now than Dustin Wolf and Hunter Brzustewicz.
Wolf is coming off his first full NHL season, where he played 53 games, won 29, posted a .910 save percentage, and earned recognition as a Calder Trophy finalist. At 24, he has shifted from top prospect to a starter who gives the Flames a level of consistency in goal that had been missing in recent years.
Brzustewicz, meanwhile, is pushing from the AHL. After a 92-point season with the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League, he posted 32 points as a rookie with the Wranglers and made his NHL debut late in the year. His poise with the puck and ability to drive play from the blue line make him one of the most intriguing young players in the organization.
Their development provides an added layer of interest as the new season approaches. Calgary opens its preseason September 21 with a split-squad doubleheader against Edmonton, one game at the Saddledome and the other at Rogers Place. The regular season begins October 8 in Edmonton, followed immediately by a visit to Vancouver on October 9. That means the Flames will start their year with back-to-back road games before finally returning home October 11 to face St. Louis in front of the C of Red.
The Wranglers open their season October 10 with a two-game set in Colorado, continue with another pair in Tucson, and then return to Calgary for back-to-back games against Coachella Valley on October 24 and 25. That stretch represents six games across three cities in just over two weeks, a demanding way to open the year and a reminder of how quickly the AHL schedule tests a roster.
Wolf and Brzustewicz don’t define the future on their own, but they represent where the Flames and Wranglers are headed: a stronger connection between the NHL roster and the pipeline below it. One is already carrying NHL responsibility. The other is forcing his way into the conversation. Together, they are part of the bigger picture as hockey returns to Calgary this fall.