The Calgary Flames have had an up-and-down 2023-24 season, to say the least. With less than a month until Christmas, the team has a 10-11-3 record and is currently two points out of a playoff spot. Things haven’t quite gone according to plan after an offseason of immense front office and coaching turnover. However, from the start of November to the time of this writing the team has gone on a 8-4-2 stretch. This has turned many heads and is most definitely in relation to three successful call-ups from the Flames’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers. Forwards Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil as well as defenceman Nick DeSimone were inserted into the lineup and have thrived at the NHL level. The team has also recently called up Wranglers’ defenceman Ilya Solovyov after trading NHLer Nikita Zadorov.
Related: Calgary Flames: Youth Providing Team With Much Needed Spark
Of course, this practice is nothing new. When a veteran-laden squad struggles, it is always a worthwhile decision to inject it with some youth. Young or inexperienced NHL players know that time in the big leagues is precious and that they need to make the best of whatever opportunity they are given. With strong play, they could convince organizational brass to keep them around which could very well be the case for the aforementioned three players. Should the team struggle again, the action may repeat itself and more Wranglers could become Flames in 2023-24. With that being said, here are the Flames’ next three top options for AHL call-ups.
Ben Jones, Centre/Wing
First up on our list is the Wranglers’ current first-line centre, Ben Jones. A native of Waterloo, Ontario, he spent his junior days tearing up the Ontario Hockey League with the Niagara IceDogs, recording 240 points in 260 career games with the franchise. Shortly before being named captain of the IceDogs, he was one of the Vegas Golden Knights’ first-ever draft picks, taken in the seventh round back in 2017. The now-24-year-old has been plying his trade in the AHL since the 2019-20 season, but made his NHL debut with the Golden Knights in 2021-22. Jones was signed by the Flames as a free agent the following offseason and spent the entire 2022-23 campaign with the Wranglers.
Jones had recorded 34 goals and 64 total points in 140 AHL games before becoming property of the Flames. Last season with the Wranglers, he set a new career-high with 37 assists and 54 points in 71 games. He also achieved a very impressive plus-28 rating. Currently, he has taken over top-line duties in Zary’s absence and is playing his best hockey yet. At the time of this writing, he has six goals and 16 points through 19 games and is proving more and more that he can successfully contribute at the professional level. On a nightly basis, he faces and outperforms the opposing team’s top forward lines. Perhaps it could be beneficial to give him his Flames audition and see if he can take the next step.
Adam Klapka, Right Wing
Next up is hulking Czech forward Adam Klapka. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound winger put forth a notable performance at this year’s Flames training camp, surviving multiple rounds of cuts before being assigned to the Wranglers on Oct. 9. He had just come off of a relatively successful rookie season in North America, recording 13 goals and 25 points in 60 games while playing primarily bottom six minutes. Klapka added four goals in nine playoff games. Before this, he played junior in the United States Hockey League (USHL) and a season back home in Czechia before signing with the Flames as an undrafted free agent in May 2022.
Fast forward to this season, and Klapka is demonstrating vast growth. He’s already recorded over half of last season’s offensive totals in a quarter of the games. As of this writing, he has eight goals and 14 points in just 19 games, sitting third in team scoring. No Wrangler skater has more goals, but only Jones has a higher plus/minus rating than Klapka’s plus-9. In addition to his newfound offence, Klapka offers fantastic toughness qualities as he utilizes his huge frame to throw crushing checks. He stands up for his teammates and does not back down from any challenges to a fight, which are rare likely due to his size. Only three Wranglers have more than Klapka’s 30 penalty minutes this season. If the Flames need to add some grit, they could look no further than calling up Klapka, and they’d get an added scoring ability to boot.
Matt Coronato, Wing/Centre
Last is a familiar name for Flames fans, winger Matt Coronato. Including him on this list is almost cheating given that he began the season on the Flames roster, but he has been busy since being sent down to the AHL on Nov. 3. The Flames’ 13th overall pick in 2021 made his NHL debut in the last game of 2022-23 against the San Jose Sharks, going pointless but not looking out of place. He followed it up by making the Flames’ roster out of training camp this season and playing the first ten games with them. After scoring his first career goal in his second game, he added only one more assist in the next eight matches. The team went on a six-game losing streak during this time and subsequently made the aforementioned changes.
Instead of taking his demotion negatively, Coronato has used the opportunity wisely. He has been given more playing time, a starring special teams role and a longer leash defensively. As a reward to the organization, he has scored seven goals and 16 points in only 13 games. His 1.23 points per game scoring rate is 16th best in the AHL. Coronato has fired a whopping 47 shots on net, is plus-7, and has committed just one minor penalty. In addition, two of his goals have been game-winners. The American forward has brought back the hope that fans had for him before he fizzled out in his NHL audition with his outstanding play. If the Flames need a scoring boost on the wing or need a big shot on the power play, Coronato is their guy.
The Flames shouldn’t make many more drastic changes if they keep on winning more often than not. However, should more big names get traded or the inevitable injury bug hits, these players should be first in line for a call-up.
