We’re a little more than halfway through Calgary Flames training camp.
The start of the regular season is only a week and a half away.
Do we have answers, though?
Before camp started, we highlighted five position battles we were planning on monitoring closely throughout training camp. The Flames have a relatively set roster heading into opening night this season. They are mostly returning a similar group to the one that grinded all year in 2024-25 and finished agonizingly short of a playoff position.
But there are still a few positional battles that we need to pay attention to.
So, what do we know now?
Let’s take a look at the five fights we thought were intriguing and break down what may or may not have changed:
Related1. Weegar’s partner
We thought this was going to wind up being Joel Hanley, and nothing we’ve seen through pre-season has changed our opinion.
Hanley has been included in lineups that didn’t include MacKenzie Weegar during pre-season, including Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, but it’s pretty clear where he’s going to play this season.
There was potential for Daniil Miromanov to push for this spot, given that he’d started pre-season as Weegar’s partner last year, but there’s been nothing to suggest he’s upending the status quo so far.
Everything we’ve seen suggests Hanley will be Weegar’s partner this year.
Calgary Flames from left; defenceman MacKenzie Weegar, forward Blake Coleman and defenceman Joel Hanley take part in the first day of training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
2. Third pairing
Brayden Pachal has played on both sides.
Jake Bean spent a lot of time with Zayne Parekh early in camp.
Yan Kuznetsov has looked really solid and shouldn’t be discounted.
Honestly, this reporter doesn’t have a good read on how the Flames’ third pairing is going to look.
Rasmus Andersson and Kevin Bahl will play together, at least until Andersson is traded. As we mentioned earlier, Weegar and Hanley should be a match.
Let’s assume the third duo will involve Pachal and … someone on most nights this season. Parekh will be part of the equation, it’s just impossible to say who else is involved.
Calgary Flames defenceman Zayne Parekh smiles during the first day of training camp at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.
3. Fourth-line centre
A few weeks ago, we treated this like it was a battle between Sam Morton and Justin Kirkland.
Martin Pospisil certainly needs to be considered, too.
Pospisil didn’t last long in the middle of the ice last season, but the Flames rolled him out at centre at the start of camp this year. The results have been mixed.
Head coach Ryan Huska said Morton might have been the Flames’ best forward in their split-squad game at home against the Edmonton Oilers on Sept. 21 and credited him with being solid a few nights later against the Seattle Kraken.
Kirkland likely still has the inside track, but this is a position battle that feels like it will come down to the final buzzer.
Centre Martin Pospisil was photographed during practice with the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.
4. Backup goalie
Pre-season stats are unreliable, especially for goalies.
They don’t tell you who was playing in front of them, so it’s entirely possible that one goalie’s tough night came when they were playing behind a group of guys who are destined for the AHL this season, while another shot-stopper’s amazing outing came with NHLers in front of him.
That said, Ivan Prosvetov’s stats do seem to have him edging in front of Devin Cooley for the right to back up Dustin Wolf.
Prosvetov has a 2.50 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage, while Cooley has a 3.54 GAA and a .879 save percentage.
Again, those numbers don’t tell the full story, but the Flames will want Wolf getting more playing time before the regular season starts and the early returns suggest Prosvetov has the advantage.
Goaltender Ivan Prosvetov was photographed during practice with the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.
5. On the wings
We’re mostly using this as an opportunity to talk about Rory Kerins, who has stood out throughout the pre-season.
Through four games, he’s scored once and added three assists. Only Morgan Frost has more points since the start of the exhibition schedule.
Matvei Gridin, Sam Honzek and Aydar Suniev have all shown flashes, but it’s Kerins who appears to be pushing hardest to be in consideration for NHL playing time.