ST. CLOUD — Tyson Gross said he had four offers from NHL teams to sign a pro contract.
Not surprisingly, the 23-year-old center ended up signing a two-year, entry-level $975,000 contract with the Calgary Flames on Thursday, March 12.
Gross is from Calgary and his father, Kevin, is the vice president of partnerships and sales for the Flames.
“He’s over the moon, for sure,” Gross said of his father.
Gross said it was more than going back to his hometown that won him over for the Flames. Calgary is 26-32-7 and in seventh place out of eight teams in the Pacific Division.
“Just the opportunity that presents itself there with the stage that the franchise is in,” Gross said. “I think that’s the No. 1 thing, was the opportunity. Then being able to go back to Calgary — that ultimately drove it over the edge.”
Gross will head back to Calgary and join the Flames for the rest of the season when they get back from their current road trip. Calgary’s next home game is Wednesday, March 18, against St. Louis. Gross is not sure when his first game might be and has a combination of emotions about playing in the NHL.
“It’s definitely intimidating in a sense and I’m definitely nervous, but I’m excited overall to be have the opportunity to join them and be around them,” Gross said. “It’s a dream come true. Being around professionals and, hopefully, learn some stuff from them. I’m super excited.”
From left, St. Cloud State junior center Tyson Gross, junior wing Barrett Hall and sophomore wing Austin Burnevik on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Mick Hatten / St. Cloud LIVE
On Oct. 17, 2021,
Gross committed to St. Cloud State while he was playing for the USHL’s Fargo Force.
The next season, he played for the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Roughriders and had 39 points in 54 games.
As a freshman with the Huskies in 2022-23, Gross had seven goals, 13 assists, 20 blocked shots, 16 penalty minutes, was plus-2 and won 51.2% (294-280) of his faceoffs in 34 games.
As a sophomore, he had nine goals, a team-leading 16 assists, 21 blocked shots, 37 penalty minutes, was minus-5 and won 54.5% (337-281) of his faceoffs in 36 games.
As a junior, he burst onto the national scene. He tied for 11th in the nation in power-play goals (seven), tied for 16th in points (41), tied for 22nd in goals (18), had 12 blocked shots and won 58.9% (489-341) of his faceoffs.
He led the nation in faceoff wins. The next closest player to him was Michigan State senior Charlie Stramel, a Minnesota Wild first-round draft pick, with 445.
St. Cloud State defenseman Cooper Wylie (26, right) , celebrates his goal with teammates Austin Burnevik (23), Tyson Gross (13), Barrett Hall (15) and Adam Ingram (34) against Alaska Anchorage in the first period Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.
Jason Wachter / Fpr St. Cloud LIVE
“I think I worked on being more explosive, being faster,” said Gross, who is listed at 6-foot-3 and 194 pounds. “It definitely helped me this year. That goes back to working hard in the summer and in the gym to get some speed and strength. Then it goes back to playing with great players and being in an environment at St. Cloud where it was unbelievable.”
Gross was named to the All-NCHC First Team and a finalist for the NCHC Player of the Year, Forward of the Year and Defensive Forward of the Year awards.
Gross is eager for his pro opportunity, but admits that he will miss
He noted all of the team’s coaches (head coach Brett Larson and assistants R.J. Enga, Eric Rud and Clark Kuster) had a big impact on him.
The Huskies finished 16-19-1 overall and lost two overtime games at Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC quarterfinals on March 6-7. SCSU did not make the NCAA tournament in any of his three seasons, but Gross has no regrets about his college choice.
Tyson Gross
SCSU Athletics
“It’s been great,” he said of his time with the Huskies. “Every single one of those guys truly cares about each player and you don’t really see that too often these days. You get hands-on feedback and an environment that is fun to be around.
“When you get the best out of everyone and everyone is having a good time — I can’t say enough good things about them and what they’ve done for me.”
Three SCSU defensemen also signed pro contracts on Thursday.
Mason Reiners
SCSU Athletics
signed with the Savannah Ghost Pirates, the ECHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. Reiners, a 24-year-old from Edina, led the Huskies in plus/minus (plus-8) and blocked shots (44) and had career-bests of two goals and seven assists in 36 games.
For his career, Reiners had two goals, 15 points, 31 penalty minutes, was plus-15, had 112 shots and 121 blocked shots in 126 games.
Max Smolinski
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Max Smolinski, a 22-year-old from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,
signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones, the ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Smolinski joined the Huskies after three seasons at RPI.
With the Huskies, Smolinski was second on the team in blocked shots (43) and had career-bests of six goals, 12 assists and 18 points and was minus-11 in 36 games.
Josh Zinger
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Josh Zinger, a 24-year-old from Red Deer, Alberta,
signed with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. Zinger joined the Huskies in 2024 after two seasons at Northern Michigan.
In two seasons with the Huskies, Zinger had five goals, 10 assists, 22 penalty minutes, 46 blocked shots and was minus-15 in 59 games.
Mick Hatten is a reporter and editor for stcloudlive.com. He began working for Forum Communications in November 2018 for The Rink Live and has covered St. Cloud State University hockey since 2010. Besides covering Huskies hockey, he is also covering other sports at SCSU and high school sports. A graduate of St. Cloud State, he has more than 30 years of experience as a journalist and has been a youth hockey coach since 2014. mick@stcloudlive.com
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