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 Prospects Edge Oilers 6–5 in NextGen Opener
EDMONTON — The Calgary Flames’ future talent wasted no time making an impression in the opening game of the NextGen home-and-home series, holding off a late surge to defeat the Edmonton Oilers prospects 6–5 on Friday night at Rogers Place.
Six different Flames found the back of the net, underscoring the organization’s depth and balance. Hunter Laing, Nathan Brisson, Sam Honzek, Aydar Suniev, Matvei Gridin, and Parker Bell each chipped in goals, with scoring spread across every part of the lineup.
Edmonton opened the scoring early, but Calgary quickly answered. Laing, the six-foot-six center drafted in the sixth round in 2024, went to the crease, took a feed from Brisson, and swatted the puck home to tie the game. Brisson, a forward from Deux-Montagnes, Quebec who developed with the Saint-Eustache program before moving on to Val-d’Or in the QMJHL, then redirected a pass from Jacob Battaglia midway through the second to put Calgary in front.
Moments later, Sam Honzek added to the lead on the power play. The Trenčín, Slovakia product, who made his NHL debut last season with five games for the Flames while also posting 21 points in 52 games for the Wranglers, was rewarded when a puck deflected in off his skate to make it 3–1.
Suniev extended the margin late in the period. Acquired in the Tyler Toffoli trade and now skating with UMass, he hammered a one-timer from the slot to give Calgary a 4–1 advantage heading into the intermission.
In the third period, first-round pick Matvei Gridin restored the cushion. After putting up 83 points with Muskegon in the USHL in 2023–24 and 79 more with Shawinigan in the QMJHL last season, the highly touted winger showed off his scoring touch, burying his own rebound from a sharp angle. Just twenty seconds later, Parker Bell, a winger from Estevan, Saskatchewan and a product of the Tri-City Americans, ripped a shot from the circle to stretch the lead to 6–2.
Edmonton rallied late with three goals in the final minutes to close the gap, but Calgary’s youngsters held firm for the win.
Several Flames prospects had standout nights on the scoresheet. Gridin and Brisson each collected a goal and two assists. Laing, Suniev, and Battaglia added multi-point efforts of their own, showing Calgary’s attack was anything but top-heavy. In goal, Owen Say of London, Ontario made timely stops, including a key glove save on the penalty kill in the opening frame that kept the game level.
For Calgary, the victory represented more than just an early win in September. It was a clear sign of the organization’s pipeline strength — size down the middle, skill on the wings, puck-moving ability on the back end, and steady goaltending.
The Flames and Oilers prospects meet again on Sunday, September 14 at 4:00 p.m. MT at the Scotiabank Saddledome, as the series shifts south for the second half of the NextGen showcase.
Wranglers Launch Season in Colorado, Host Firebirds October 24–25
CALGARY — Year four of the Calgary Wranglers begins this fall, marking the latest chapter since the club relocated to southern Alberta in 2022. In three seasons at Scotiabank Saddledome, the Wranglers have made the playoffs every year, including a Pacific Division title in their debut campaign, while building rivalries across one of the toughest divisions in the American Hockey League.
The new season opens October 10 with back-to-back road games against the Colorado Eagles, followed by a two-game trip to face the Tucson Roadrunners on October 18 and 19. The Wranglers’ home opener arrives October 24, when they welcome the Coachella Valley Firebirds for the first of two games that weekend.
The AHL is split into two conferences, the 17-team Western and 15-team Eastern, with four divisions beneath them. Calgary plays in the Pacific Division alongside the Abbotsford Canucks, Henderson Silver Knights, Colorado Eagles, Tucson Roadrunners, San Jose Barracuda, San Diego Gulls, Ontario Reign, Bakersfield Condors, and Coachella Valley Firebirds. Each year, 23 of the league’s 32 teams qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs, with the top seven from the Pacific advancing.
The Wranglers’ leadership has evolved over three seasons. Brett Sutter wore the “C” in the club’s first two years before retiring, with Clark Bishop of St. John’s taking over as captain in 2024. Bishop returns this season alongside veteran forward Martin Frk, who joined last year and quickly became one of the team’s top scorers.
Last season’s points leaders included Rory Kerins with 61, Martin Frk with 60, Dryden Hunt and William Strömgren with 49 each, Sam Morton with 45, Jérémie Poirier with 42, and captain Clark Bishop with 38. These totals reflected a balanced offense, a mix of emerging talent and established contributors.
The Wranglers’ record book has already seen standout marks, highlighted by Matthew Phillips’ 36 goals, 40 assists, and 76 points in 2022–23, and Dustin Wolf’s 42 wins and .932 save percentage that same year. Jakob Pelletier’s 10-point playoff run in 2023 remains a postseason benchmark.
As the Wranglers head into their fourth season in Calgary, the foundation is set: three playoff berths in three years, a growing rivalry with Coachella Valley, and a roster that combines leadership with developing talent. The early-season road trip through Colorado and Tucson sets the stage for a much-anticipated home-opening weekend against the Firebirds.