There are no guarantees that you’ll get your wish, but every invitee to the AHL All-Star Classic is asked in advance to pick their preferred events for the skills competition.
At the top of Matvei Gridin’s list?
The Calgary Flames’ forward call-up ranked the accuracy shooting — a race to shatter all four foam targets — as his first choice.
“I think I’d be good at it,” said Gridin, who has been selected to represent the Calgary Wranglers at the minor-league showcase in Rockford, Ill. “I think I have pretty accurate shooting.”
That’s something he hopes to prove before the all-star shindig.
The 19-year-old speedster — the hot lap, by the way, was second on his list — did score in his NHL debut in October, although it was a hardly a bar-down beauty. He was attempting to pass to a teammate in the slot when the puck banked off the skate of an opponent and wound up in the back of the net.
In six games so far in this second stint in ‘The Show,’ Gridin has notched a pair of assists.
“I think I’ve played pretty good lately,” he told Postmedia after Friday’s team meeting and workout at the Saddledome. “Just can’t score on my chances, but I have them every game.
“I want a real goal, you know what I mean? From a shot or something, to feel that. But I think if I keep playing like I am, I think I will score soon. Hopefully.”
The Flames would love a goal or two from Gridin, who was averaging just shy of a point per game with the Wranglers before scoring a promotion and has all the tools to be a consistent contributor.
The talented teen is currently in a top-six slot, skating with a pair of crafty playmakers in Morgan Frost and Jonathan Huberdeau.
On Thursday in Minnesota, Gridin was working to get open for a dish on a two-on-one rush, but Frost noticed that the defenceman was cheating to prevent the pass and instead ripped a glove-side shot.
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It’s was Calgary’s lone marker in Minny. More on that discouraging trend in just a moment.
While Gridin wants to provide a boost to a struggling offence, he realizes the key to spending the rest of this season in the big leagues is to continue to prove that he can be trusted when the other guys are on the attack.
“I think I’m playing better without the puck now,” Gridin said. “I just need to do it consistently. I might do it a couple times and then not do it, and they could score on that one. In the NHL, it’s one mistake and they score. In the AHL, you could make five mistakes and they maybe don’t score until the fifth.
“So I understand I have to do it to stay as long as I can here. Like, hopefully, forever.”
Even if this does turn out to be a permanent stay, Gridin will still be available for the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic. It’s set for Feb. 10-11, which falls during the Olympic break.
Flames forward Matt Coronato attempts a wrap-around shot during a game against the Seattle Kraken on Monday, Jan. 5.
One won’t cut it
The NHL’s most dangerous marksmen have been scoring at a record clip in January, with more hat-tricks than in any previous month in league history.
However, there isn’t a single Flames player with a two-goal game since the calendar flipped to 2026.
Three snipes in one night?!? It feels like a pipe dream.
Immediately after Calgary’s 4-1 loss in Minnesota, they shared this startling stat on Sportsnet — the Flames are now tied for the league lead in games where they’ve generated one goal or less.
Thursday marked the 18th such instance. The New York Rangers have endured that same number of one-or-none outings.
Dustin Wolf, Devin Cooley, Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick might want to form some sort of support group.
“I think there have been games where we’ve played really well defensively and without the puck, checking-wise, but sometimes it takes more than one to get the job done, right?” said forward Matt Coronato, who leads the Flames with 14 strikes on the season. “Our goalies have been great. I feel like our structure has been good. It’s just a matter of capitalizing on chances.”
Heading into Saturday’s matinee matchup with the San Jose Sharks, the Flames have once again bottomed out as the NHL’s lowest-scoring squad. That’s in both total tallies (133) and goals per game (2.47).
When they manage only one (or less), they’re a woeful 0-15-3.
Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar carries the puck against the Detroit Red Wings on Dec. 10, 2025.
Block party
Flames workhorse MacKenzie Weegar was credited with seven blocked shots against the Wild, equalling his career-high.
In each of the previous two contests, he was pelted five times.
Weegar has sacrificed his body in front of 121 shots this season. The 32-year-old rearguard is tied for fifth in the league in that stat.
“I’ve always been blocking shots but obviously, the last few games it’s been a little bit more,” Weegar said. “Sometimes, I eat a few more than regular. I’d love to not eat them and play more offence, but I think that just goes with me making the next play, not defending as much, not checking as much.
“I’m obviously blocking a lot because I’m in the defensive zone. I’d like to be joining the rush and playing more offence than defence. But I’m just trying to do whatever I can right now to give me a spark and give me some confidence.”