Calgary Wranglers

Ice hockey team in Calgary, Alberta
     Owner(s)Calgary Sports and EntertainmentGeneral managerBrad PascallHead coachTrent CullCaptainBrett SutterAffiliatesCalgary Flames (NHL)
Rapid City Rush (ECHL)Franchise history1977–1987Maine Mariners1987–1993Utica Devils1993–2003Saint John Flames2005–2007Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights2007–2009Quad City Flames2009–2014Abbotsford Heat2014–2015Adirondack Flames2015–2022Stockton Heat2022–presentCalgary WranglersChampionshipsRegular season titles1 (2022–23)Division titles1 (2022–23) Current season

The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. They are members of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Wranglers began play in the 2022–23 AHL season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate team, the Calgary Flames.

History

On May 23, 2022, the Calgary Flames announced the relocation of the Stockton Heat to Calgary.[1] This followed a recent trend of Canadian NHL teams moving their AHL affiliates closer to home, principally to allow for players to be called up on a shorter notice. On August 2, 2022, the team announced its name, bringing back the "Wranglers" moniker used by the WHL team of the same name from 1977 to 1987.[2] The Wranglers played their first game on October 16, 2022, a 6–5 loss against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.[3][4]

Despite a slow start to the season,[5] the Wranglers enjoyed significant success in their inaugural year, capturing the regular season championship with 51 wins, and being awarded the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.[6] Their overall 51–17–4 record was the ninth-best record in AHL history.[6]

The Wranglers failed to live up to their regular season success during the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, losing to the Firebirds 3 games to 2 in the third round.[7]

Season-by-season results

Regular season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT GF GA Standing Year 1st Round Div Semi-finals Div finals Conf. finals Finals
2022–23 72 51 17 3 1 106 .736 256 174 1st, Pacific 2023 BYE W, 3–1, ABB L, 2–3, CV

Current roster

Updated March 22, 2024.[8]

Team roster
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
48 Canada Jonathan Aspirot D L 24 2023 Mascouche, Quebec Wranglers
19 Canada Clark Bishop C L 28 2022 St. John's, Newfoundland Flames
17 Canada Lucas Ciona LW L 21 2023 Edmonton, Alberta Flames
11 Canada Riley Damiani C R 24 2024 Mississauga, Ontario Flames
35 Sweden Oscar Dansk G L 30 2022 Stockholm, Sweden Flames
20 Canada Alex Gallant (A) LW L 31 2022 Summerside, Prince Edward Island Wranglers
2 Russia Artem Grushnikov D L 21 2024 Voskresensk, Russia Flames
42 Canada Sam Jardine D L 30 2023 Lacombe, Alberta Wranglers
18 Canada Ben Jones C L 25 2022 Waterloo, Ontario Flames
23 Canada Rory Kerins C L 21 2022 Caledon, Ontario Flames
43 Czech Republic Adam Klapka RW R 23 2022 Prague, Czech Republic Flames
37 Russia Yan Kuznetsov D L 22 2022 Murmansk, Russia Flames
33 Canada Brady Lyle D R 24 2023 North Bay, Ontario Flames
6 United States Mitch McLain C L 30 2022 Baxter, Minnesota Wranglers
45 United States Sam Morton LW L 24 2024 Lafayette, Colorado Flames
1 United States Connor Murphy G L 25 2023 Hudson Falls, New York Wranglers
14 Russia Ilya Nikolaev C L 22 2022 Yaroslavl, Russia Flames
15 United States Jordan Oesterle D L 31 2023 Dearborn Heights, Michigan Flames
49 Canada Jakob Pelletier LW L 23 2022 Quebec, Quebec Flames
4 Canada Jeremie Poirier D L 21 2022 Valleyfield, Quebec Flames
5 United States Colton Poolman D L 28 2022 East Grand Forks, Minnesota Flames
13 Canada Mark Pysyk D R 32 2023 Sherwood Park, Alberta Flames
10 Canada Cole Schwindt RW R 22 2022 Kitchener, Ontario Flames
8 Belarus Ilya Solovyov D L 23 2022 Mogilev, Belarus Flames
44 Sweden William Stromgren LW L 20 2023 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Flames
7 Canada Brett Sutter (C) C L 36 2022 Viking, Alberta Wranglers
36 Canada Matthew Wedman LW L 24 2024 Edmonton, Alberta Wranglers

References

  1. ^ "Flames' AHL affiliate will move from Stockton to Calgary". The Athletic. May 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "Flames officially reveal Calgary Wranglers as new AHL affiliate". Sportsnet. August 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "2022–23 AHL schedule unveiled". theahl.com. July 21, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  4. ^ Saelhof, Todd (October 16, 2022). "Warm Calgary welcome for AHL Wranglers despite debut loss at Dome". Calgary Sun. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  5. ^ Saelhof, Todd (November 3, 2022). "Wranglers hope time cures 'rocky start' to AHL campaign". Calgary Herald.
  6. ^ a b Gilbertson, Wes (April 16, 2023). "Calgary Wranglers finish regular season with best record in the AHL". Calgary Herald.
  7. ^ Gilbertson, Wes. "Calgary Wranglers eliminated from playoffs in overtime heartbreaker". Calgary Sun.
  8. ^ "Calgary Wranglers 2023–24 roster". eliteprospects.com. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.

External links

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Calgary Wranglers
  • Formerly the Maine Mariners, Utica Devils, Saint John Flames, Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, Quad City Flames, Abbotsford Heat, Adirondack Flames and Stockton Heat
  • Founded in 1987
  • Based in Calgary, Alberta
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