The Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers prospects met for a pair of exhibition games recently. It was the Flames who took both games from the provincial rivals with a 6-5 win on Friday in Edmonton followed by a 5-4 win on Sunday in Calgary.
The games were your traditional semi-sloppy chaotic prospect games we have been used to seeing, but a number of Flames managed to generate some attention during the games. Here are my seven thoughts on the weekend:
1. Matvei Gridin Pro Debut Can’t Come Quickly Enough
2024 1st round pick Matvei Gridin was undoubtedly the star of the show for the Flames. Gridin unleashed his wicked shot on multiple occasions, picking up two goals in the process. Throughout the games it really became apparent that he was dominating the competition and a step faster than the rest of the players on the ice. He seemed to have the indescribable quality of just “looking” like an NHLer in these games.
After being selected with the 28th overall with pick acquired from Vancouver for Elias Lindholm, Gridin put together a strong rookie season in the QMJHL with Shawinigan. He had 36 goals and 79 points in 56 regular season games for the team, which included clearly playing through some injuries during the season which kept him out of a handful of games.
While Gridin’s shot will always be his calling card, he was also impressive in his playmaking and defensive play as well which included blocking shots in the defensive zone and making a few strong breakout passes.
With Gridin joining the Calgary Wranglers this season, he should quickly become must-see viewing for Flames fans who want a glimpse of the future.
2. Aydar Suniev is Looking Like a 3rd Round Steal
When the Flames traded Tyler Toffoli, they acquired Yegor Sharangovich but also a third round pick in 2023 back from the Devils. That third round selection was used on Aydar Suniev who had been playing in the BCHL. Since his selection, Suniev has quickly risen up the Flames prospect ranks after a pair of strong seasons at UMass-Amherst. Those strong college seasons culminated in his NHL debut in Los Angeles in April after turning pro.
Over the course of two games, Suniev showed a number of flashes of elite talent, especially in the offensive zone. He snapped home a wicked one-timer goal and was buzzing all around the offensive zone. He generated a number of dangerous scoring chances but for his skating was the most impressive aspect as he used strong edgework to shield the puck and maintain offensive possession. There were a few different times over the weekend where Suniev circled almost the entire offensive zone before firing the puck to set up a scoring chance.
Just like Gridin, he is slated to start the year with the Wranglers but could be looking at a promotion in short order if he can quickly translate his play to the AHL.
3. Mace’o Phillips Could be A Problem…for Opponents
Anytime you draft a defenseman who stands at 6’6” 230 lbs, it is almost assumed that they are going to be the slower “fridge” type guys that have failed to make the NHL on countless occasions. So it was surprising when the Flames deviated from their offensive skill drafting strategy and took Phillips in the third round of the 2025 draft.
However, Phillips quickly made an impression on onlookers this weekend, not just with his size but with his skating and positioning. Obviously at his size he threw a number of big checks or just had guys bounce off him which landed him in the box on a couple of occasions. He also picked up a fighting major and quickly became the target of Oilers prospects over the weekend. Among the youngest of players in these games (and the only 2025 Flames pick playing), Phillips held his composure and played a pair of really solid games as a defensive defenceman.
With his transition to the USHL this season and then college in 2026-27, we are still a long ways off from seeing Phillips in Calgary but he showed well in his first in-person viewing for the fanbase.
4. Carter King is an Interesting Older Prospect
The Flames signed King out of the University of Denver after his senior season where he finished with 43 points in 44 games. He also had two points in two games with the Wranglers after joining them late in the season. This weekend was the first chance for the Calgary native to wear the Flaming C in actual games and he did not disappoint.
He did very well while centering two first round picks in Sam Honzek and Gridin. He made a number of strong plays in both ends of the ice and really seemed to have a lot of poise with his decision-making. King figures to be an integral player on the Wranglers for his first professional season, but he showed signs of being a guy that could receive an NHL call-up at some point especially with his center acumen.
5. Sam Honzek was Good, Not Great
Honzek had a really strong game in the Friday contest up in Edmonton but found himself on a different line on Sunday where he wasn’t quite as dominant, but still played well.
The big headline out of rookie camp was Honzek putting on 15 pounds of muscle over the summer after there being strength and injury concerns last season with the Flames and Wranglers. I thought he really took a step forward on Friday and was an integral part of the Flames jumping out to a 6-2 lead. On Sunday he definitely didn’t make as big of an impact after coming off of the “top line” but still did make a number of good plays in the defensive zone to thwart Edmonton chances.
His performance was still about what you’d expect for a former first round pick, but definitely got overshadowed by a few other standout performances from the guys above. If he can have another strong camp like he did in 2024, he could still very easily find a way to sneak back onto the Flames roster out of camp.
6. Owen Say and Arsenii Sergeev were Alright in net
Neither goalie came away from the weekend with particularly nice looking stat-lines with Say allowing five in Edmonton and Sergeev allowing four in Calgary. However both goaltenders got victories and were strong enough in the Calgary crease to not cost their teams in either game.
Prospect games are always going to be structurally messy evidenced by a number of breakaways and odd man rushes that both had to face.
Overall though it was a good enough first showing for both of them. While neither will expect to see NHL minutes this year, there will likely be a heated competition between the two for the franchises #4 position on the goaltending depth charts to back up in the AHL.
7. Nathan Brisson Showed Some Flashes as a Camp Invite
Brisson went undrafted in the 2025 draft but showed some strong reason to be considered in 2026 when he re-enters the draft. It’s very common at these prospect camps to see an invitee steal some spotlight and I thought Brisson did a really good job at making the plays he needed to and tallying at least four points by my count in the two games.
Brisson had 72 points in 62 QMJHL games with Val D’Or last season but didn’t have his name called during the draft. He will return to the club this year and try to put forth another strong season to perhaps get selected this year. Either way, he helped his stock in Calgary with a strong performance.
Also Read: 2025 Calgary Flames Under-25 Top 25
