For Wranglers who spent time with Flames, expectations are high

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When they begin their second-round series against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Friday, the Calgary Wranglers will be armed with eight players who made NHL appearances this season.

They also have a lot of guys that were knocking on the door to play for the Calgary Flames this year. It’s definitely not like the guys who played in the NHL this year are the only ones worth paying attention to, that’s just false and a little unfair to the rest of the guys, if we’re honest about it.

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But if you’re a Flames fan who’s fascinated by Dustin Wolf’s continued development between the pipes… or how Jakob Pelletier is recovering from shoulder surgery that interrupted his season… or wants to see how Matthew Coronato can Using the experience he gained in his first pro season…well, right now would be a good time to start paying attention to the Wranglers.

And in the eyes of Flames head coach Ryan Huska, participating in the playoffs with the Wranglers could be invaluable for all of the young, developing players.

“Other than the Stanley Cup playoffs and playing games that matter as you get closer to the end of the season, it’s the best option,” Huska said at the Flames’ end-of-season media availability last week. “When you have young guys that are in those situations, there is a higher level of pressure, of course, every play in the game matters. You quickly learn the difference between winning and losing.”

The 2023-24 season was a year of transition for the Flames. They traded veterans who were destined to become unrestricted free agents and got younger. Even if some of those established NHL guys had opted to sign on the dotted line and extend their stays in Calgary, Craig Conroy had prioritized finding opportunities for young players. He said it explicitly when he got the Flames’ general manager job last spring.

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And that didn’t always make life easier for the Wranglers.

When the guys got an opportunity thanks to their play in the AHL, the Flames were more than willing to give them a try in the NHL. That wasn’t always true when Darryl Sutter was the head coach.

On the one hand, that served as motivation for the guys when they were with the Wranglers.

On the other hand, it meant that guys like Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil left the Wranglers earlier in the year and never returned. Wolf, the AHL’s best goalie in recent years, played 17 games with the Flames this year. Coronato basically split his time between teams, playing 34 games with the Flames and 41 with the Wranglers. Ilya Solovyov, Adam Klapka, Cole Schwindt, Jordan Oesterle and Yan Kuznetzov also spent time with the Flames and are now back to contend for the playoffs.

Obviously having those guys come in and out of the lineup was a little disruptive for the AHL team and they finished with a 35-28-6-3 record, but getting those guys back for the playoffs after they’ve acquired some of NHL experience can help. It will only be a good thing.

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The Wranglers were considered the underdogs heading into their first-round playoff series against the Tuscon Roadrunners, but they confidently brushed them aside.

“They should be confident now, they’ve done great things in the American League before,” Huska said. “What we need is for them to be impact players and help the team win. It’s not just about going down there and being a body that you put on the ice, they have to take this as an opportunity to make a difference when they step on the ice. That’s what the Wranglers need from them, and in the long run, that’s what we need from them.

“This is an opportunity for them to continue improving and help the team win.”

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