After Craig Conroy‘s first press conference as the new general manager (GM) of the Calgary Flames, prospects were left frothing at the bit and couldn’t wait to get back on the ice. Conroy had all but promised that the new-look Flames would include new and younger skaters who could bring youthful exuberance and speed to an aging roster. Never mind that they could easily fit into the Flames’ tight salary cap structure.
Related: Calgary Flames Top 10 Prospects
The narrative from the Flames’ front office remains that they are going ahead with their established core but that complementary pieces will come from their stable of young prospects. The Flames’ future is now for these youngsters, and they will get long looks at training camp and every opportunity to make the big club. This article will examine five players who are on the cusp of making the big jump to the show.
Adam Ruzicka
Adam Ruzicka fits the mold of where NHL teams want to go. At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he has good size and is a good skater. He’s not the fastest on his team, but he’s no slouch, either. He is primarily a defensive centre with strong offensive upside.
For the last three seasons, Ruzicka has toiled 98 games with the Flames’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, tallying 32 goals and 68 points. He has also seen limited action in 75 games during those same three seasons with the Flames but still managed to amass 11 goals and 31 points at the NHL level. I see Ruzicka as the Flames’ fourth-line centre who could also move up the lineup as a winger if required. He could be relied on in a penalty-killing role as well.
Walker Duehr
Although Walker Duehr is not primarily a physical type of big hitter, he won’t be intimidated, either. He will patrol up and down his right wing, and when the time is right, he can drive the net with his great speed and size at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds. Duehr impressed last season with seven goals and 11 points, playing in 28 games on the fourth line. As an effective depth forward deployed at the bottom of the circulation, he’s fair value with his team-friendly cap hit.
Jakob Pelletier
In spite of his diminutive size (5-foot-9 and 160 pounds), Jakob Pelletier is a bit of a spitfire. He is a great skater with excellent vision and passing skills. He is also versatile in that he can play both wing and centre. He is defensively responsible, and because of his speed and on-ice awareness, he makes a good fit on special teams.
Pelletier does, however, need to add some strength to be more effective at the next level. In 2022-23, he played 24 NHL games, mostly riding the bench, but he still managed three goals and four assists. I project Pelletier to be a top-nine forward with a centre like Mikael Backlund while used in shutdown situations.
Matthew Coronato
Matt Coronato, nick-named the “Bison” because of his on-ice tenacity and hockey IQ, is the Flames’ best offensive prospect. In his last two seasons at Harvard in the NCAA, he scored basically a point per game. He has deceptive speed and plays a good 200-foot game. Although he is a bit on the smaller side (5-foot-10 and 183 pounds), he still plays with an edge and is not afraid to go into tight spaces. The right shot Coronato only has one NHL game with no points to his credit so far, but he does project as an NHL top-six forward.
Dustin Wolf
There’s not much to go on for Dustin Wolf at the NHL level so far, as he only has one game to measure; 60 minutes with one goal against. But that doesn’t really mean all that much when you consider he has excelled at every level he has played. In his last two seasons with the Everett Silvertips, he was the top goalie in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and has been the best AHL goalie since the 2021-22 season.
Because of his small size, just 6-foot-0 and 160 pounds as far as modern-day goaltenders go, the Flames were able to pick him in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Wolf tracks the puck well, has extremely fast reflexes, displays outstanding athleticism and is technically sound. It has been said he is the best goaltending prospect on the planet.
Related: Dustin Wolf Looking Like a Star in the Making
Possible Flames’ Opening Night Line-up:
Left Wing Centre Right Wing
- J. Huberdeau E. Lindholm A. Mangiapane
- D. Dube N. Kadri M. Coronado
- B. Coleman M. Backstrom Y. Sharangovich
- J. Pelletier A. Ruzicka W. Duehr
Left D. Right D.
- N. Hanifin R. Andersson
- N. Zadorov M. Weegar
- O. Kylington C.Tanev
Goal
- J. Markstrom
- D. Wolf
Of course, this is all conjecture, and training camp doesn’t start until mid-September. Trades could still happen, and the cap numbers have to be balanced. It is, however, that we could see a rookie-laden line-up like the one above.