The joke around the Calgary Wranglers was that you didn’t want to get stuck with Yan Kuznetsov as your road roommate.
Not because he snores, and not because he’s some sort of slob.
Because as this up-and-coming defenceman continued to chase his NHL dream, he wanted to be sure even on travel days that he stayed sharp with his stickhandling.
So when the Wranglers checked into a hotel, Kuznetsov would often have one his CCMs with him.
“Don’t listen to those guys, what they say,” the Flames rookie protested with a wide smile. “They like to exaggerate that I stickhandle at 8 a.m. or something like that, and that’s not true. I had my stick stolen a couple times on the road, too.”
Whatever is deemed to be an appropriate hour to work on your dangles, the rest of the farm-clubbers won’t have to worry about it any longer.
Their good buddy — and apparently bad roomie — has officially graduated to the big leagues.
When Kuznetsov hit the ice for Sunday’s 5-2 victory in Vancouver, it marked his 10th game since he was called up from the minors in early November.
That means this Russian rearguard would require waivers to be reassigned, and the Flames would be foolish to risk it.
Besides, the 23-year-old has quickly established himself as an every-nighter in an important role, proving to be the best option as a left-shot sidekick for workhorse righty MacKenzie Weegar.
Calgary Flames defenceman Yan Kuznetsov warms up before the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
On Saturday, as the Flames scratched their way to a 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Dallas Stars, Kuznetsov was tapped for a crucial shift on a late five-on-three penalty-kill and then was their busiest blue-liner in overtime. During a gruelling weekend back-to-back, he ranked third on the team in total minutes.
“He has, I think, fermented very well as a defenceman in the American League,” said Flames assistant coach Trent Cull, who scored a promotion of his own after two seasons as bench boss for the Wranglers. “And I think now you’re seeing a pretty good finished product.”
You might feel like you’re seeing a bit of a repeat.
This has become a nice November trend around the Saddledome — a youngster making the most of a call-up opportunity and never returning to the lower level.
Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary made the leap as linemates in 2023.
It was a year ago that Matt Coronato, now one of the Flames’ most dangerous marksmen, made it clear that he was done with the yo-yo.
The latest success story is wearing No. 37.
This one isn’t necessarily a surprise — listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, there has long been excitement within the organization about Kuznetsov’s blend of size and skating ability — but it can be tough to project when a stay-at-home defenceman is ready to go to work against some of the best in the biz. The stats won’t always show when the shutdown sorts have outgrown the AHL.
“He’s been really good,” Huska said of Kuznetsov, who logged his NHL debut in January 2024 and then had to wait 600-and-some days for a second opportunity to skate on the biggest stage. “He’s been consistent with his game. There was the one night in St. Louis where I thought he had an off-night, like a really off-night for a younger player, but it really hasn’t happened again.
“I think with him spending so much time in the minors and understanding the messaging that we were trying to get across to him as to how we feel like he can be an everyday NHL player, he took it to heart. He has a good understanding of what he has to be on a daily basis to have an impact for our team.
“He has added a lot to our back-end since he’s been here … and I think he’s helping MacKenzie. I think he has been a really good partner for him.”
On the day that Kuznetsov was recalled, Huska talked about the benefits of letting a prospect “overcook for a little bit and making sure they’re ready for when they come up so they can keep building confidence.”
Cull made a similar reference, reminding that young blue-liners typically require plenty of patience and the best approach is often to “put them in the slow-cooker.”
Kuznetsov, who turns 24 in March, is showing now that he put that development time, including 239 career appearances in the AHL, to good use.
He has impressed with both poise and professionalism.
“One thing with Kuzy is he’s a really intelligent young man and he works at his craft, and he always has,” Cull said. “We don’t have long conversations because I know that he has watched everything, he’s seen everything, he’s reviewed it all. So we can have quick little conversations and I know that he knows exactly what’s going on.”
“He definitely takes care of his body,” Weegar added. “He’s a big boy. He’s absolutely ripped. And he’s pretty confident, which I think is a good sign when a kid comes up from the minors and has confidence. I think he knows that he’s capable of playing in this league and he wants to be here.”
He’s staying in the NHL now.
Sunday’s suit-up in Vancouver made it official.
The Wranglers can chuckle when they reminisce about Kuznetsov’s road routine, although there’s a lesson here on how one of the hopefuls can find just that sliver of separation.
“Usually when we have a travel day, we don’t skate, so I take the stick to the hotel just to get my touches,” Kuznetsov explained. “If it can give me an extra one percent, a little bit of edge … Like, obviously I’m not known for my stickhandling. But if I can improve that even a little bit and that’s going to help my game, I will do it.”
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