While it is typically buried at the bottom, we’re going to start with the fine print.
This marks the first instalment of what will become a monthly Postmedia feature — a power ranking of the Calgary Flames’ most promising prospects.
The first order of business is to define ‘prospect,’ and here’s what we’ve determined — anybody who is currently on the NHL roster is ineligible.
That means that Zayne Parekh and Sam Honzek, while both big pieces of the Flames’ future, won’t be on this list. They’re busy skating in ‘The Show,’ and we will instead focus on some of the best stories in the pipeline.
Now that we’ve established the ground rules, here’s how we have ’em ranked after the opening month of the season …
1. Matvei Gridin
Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
So far this season: 4 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 P in NHL; 8 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 P in AHL
Simply the best story for the Flames this fall — he was Calgary’s pre-season standout, notched a goal in NHL debut and has clearly taken his demotion to the minors in stride. Gridin has so far logged eight appearances with the Wranglers, and he’s picked up points in seven of those. The 19-year-old winger currently sits second in the AHL’s rookie scoring race and the only reason we doubt that he’ll contend for that title is that he should soon enough be back in the NHL. With impressive speed, a wicked shot and serious swag, this kid has a very bright future ahead.
2. Cole Reschny
North Dakota Fighting Hawks (NCAA)
So far this season: 8 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P
The offensive numbers don’t leap off the page but it’s encouraging that the 18-year-old Reschny, as a true freshman, is consistently featuring as either first- or second-line centre for one of the NCAA’s most prominent programs. Several of Calgary’s hockey-ops execs have already made the trip to North Dakota to see him in live action, which speaks to their level of excitement about this first-round pick from this past summer. Reschny has been dynamite at the faceoff dot as a college newbie, winning 61 percent of his draws so far.
3. Hunter Brzustewicz
Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
So far this season: 10 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 8 P
Brzustewicz scored five goals as a rookie rearguard in the AHL. He’s already buried four in the early stages of his sophomore campaign. After learning last season that it’s really hard to sift pucks through to the net at the pro level, he is making his shots count this fall. Brzustewicz, who turns 21 this month, has superb vision, although the Wranglers coaches and development staff continue to push this rising righty to play and process the game with a little more pace. As that clicks, we have no doubt that he’ll become a fixture on the Flames’ blue-line.
4. Rory Kerins
Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
So far this season: 10 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
When Kerins was among the Flames’ final forward cuts at training camp, part of the rationale was that there wasn’t room for a middle-six centre. Could we see this 23-year-old eventually return in a fourth-line role? While it’s little surprise that Kerins is a leading scorer for the farm team, it’s worth noting that Wranglers bench boss Brett Sutter is now comfortable matching him head-to-head against opposing top lines. “He has picked up right where he left off offensively,” Sutter said of Kerins, who made a leap in 2024-25 from often-overlooked to AHL all-star. “But now he’s taken the game to the next level where he’s really responsible defensively.”
5. Henry Mews
Michigan Wolverines (NCAA)
So far this season: 10 GP, 0 G, 9 A, 9 P
Mews seemed to be making a seamless transition from the OHL to the NCAA, but Monday brought brutal news, with the University of Michigan confirming that the 19-year-old defenceman suffered a season-ending injury on a knee-on-knee collision this past weekend. This cerebral righty was off to a superb start, already a setup machine for the highly-ranked Wolverines. In fact, the only Div. I freshman with more assists so far this fall is a rising-star forward by the name of Gavin McKenna.
6. Cullen Potter
Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA)
So far this season: 8 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 P
It’s been a bit of a sluggish start for this Sun Devils speed-demon, a guy that the Flames were thrilled was still available at No. 32 overall in the 2025 NHL Draft. The underwhelming stat-line probably has a lot to do with the extra attention that comes with being a first-line centre and first-round pick. Potter, 18, is being checked hard and that won’t hurt his long-term development.
7. Yan Kuznetsov
Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
So far this season: 10 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
There are higher-upside options further down this list, but we have Kuznetsov ranked here because of his any-day-now ETA. He’s a rangy, reliable left-shot rearguard, and that happens to be something that the Flames are lacking. The key will be seizing his next NHL opportunity, whenever that comes.
Calgary Wranglers rookie Andrew Basha protects the puck from Connor Clattenburg of the Bakersfield Condors. Photo by David Moll, courtesy of Calgary Wranglers
8. Andrew Basha
Calgary Wranglers (AHL)
So far this season: 8 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 P
Basha is eligible to return to junior, but this sparkplug-in-progress seems to be proving he is ready for a regular role with the Wranglers. His first pro goal was a beauty — he dipsy-doodled around a defender at high speed and converted with a glove-side shot.
9. Jacob Battaglia
Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
So far this season: 13 GP, 7 G, 5 A, 12 P
Although he is tied for his team lead in goals, you have to do a surprising amount of scrolling to find Battaglia’s name on the OHL’s scoring charts. Perhaps the 19-year-old left-winger is feeling a little extra pressure as captain in Kingston. He averaged 1.32 points per game last winter, and we’d expect to see him return to a similar clip.
10. Theo Stockselius
Djurgardens (Sweden)
So far this season: 7 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 P in U-20; 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P in SHL
In one workhorse day this fall, Stockselius had a morning skills session, squeezed in an off-ice workout, practised with the Swedish Hockey League squad and then played a junior game that evening. This 18-year-old forward is on the radar for world-junior duties, although he has lately been sidelined by a skate laceration that fortunately didn’t cause major damage.
Who’s knocking on the door?
Aydar Suniev was the toughest omission. The 20-year-old has two goals in his past four outings with the Wranglers, so he seems to figuring out how to contribute as an AHL rookie … Is Sam Morton still a prospect at age 26? That’s up for debate, but he is a definite call-up candidate. Morton has mixed four goals and six assists in 10 minor-league spins this fall … Ethan Wyttenbach, a fifth-round draft pick in 2025, has been a point-per-game guy as a freshman at Quinnipiac … William Stromgren, 22, leads the Wranglers with eight assists … Owen Say, signed in the spring as a college free agent, is off to a solid start to his pro puck-stopping career. The 24-year-old has posted a 2-1-1 record and 2.51 GAA in four AHL appearances.