
1. Joel Farabee- Another trade by the Calgary Flames, and another smart move by GM Craig Conroy. Kuzmenko and Pelletier had just reclaimed the worth on the market that they were lacking most of the season, and Flames management wasted no time collecting a couple of young skilled players in Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost. Farabee was drafted 14th overall by the Flyers in 2018. The last 10 games Farabee played for the Flyers saw him score 2 goals and 3 assists and his +/- was a +2 in that span of time while putting up 17 shots on net. So far this season, Farabee has scored 8 goals and 19 points, 3 of those points coming on the powerplay. Farabee has 201 points in 386 games played throughout his career, with 2 seasons of 20 or more goals scored. He will probably be best utilized on the Flames top 6 with considerable powerplay time as well. I like the speed and tenacity he plays with. Great move to acquire him.
2. Morgan Frost- Frost could quite possibly be the Center that Conroy has talked about acquiring for some time now. Frost was Drafted 27th overall by the Flyers in 2017, and has produced 51 goals and 85 assists in 280 games for 136 points in his career so far. In his last 10 games with Philadelphia, Frost had 2 goals and 4 points with 1 of those goals coming on the powerplay. During that 10 game span, he has a +/- of -1 with 21 shots on goal. With the increased opportunity, I could see Frost heating up early in his tenure in Calgary. So far this season Frost has 12 goals and 14 assists with a +/- of -12, 7 points on the powerplay and 94 shots on goal. Like Farabee, expect to see Frost on the powerplay for the foreseeable future.
3. Mackenzie Weegar- At this point in his tenure with the Flames, it would be surprising to see Weegar having anything other than a good season. The trustworthy top pairing D-man has scored 1 goal and 2 assists in games 41-50, and is a +4 in that time. Through the first 50 games of the season, Weegar has 6 goals and 19 assists, with 10 of those points coming from the powerplay. While he’s still over 20 points away from his career high of 20 goals and 52 points achieved last season, he’s still one of the more consistent players on the team, and provides a needed stability and offensive flair to the back end. Weegar is under contract with the Flames until the end of the 30/31 season, where he will become a UFA. I could see him finishing the season around 40 points.
4. Zayne Parekh- After Parekh was cut from team Canada at the World Juniors, his production has exploded. In his last 10 games played for Saginaw Spirit, Parekh has accumulated 12 goals and 24 points and is currently on a 9 game point streak. He’s 3rd out of all OHL skaters in powerplay assists with 21 this year and currently sits 13th overall with 24 goals and 67 points in 42 games played. He’s currently a +28 while averaging 1.60 points per game with 178 shots on goal. I am beyond excited to see how Parekh finishes the season, and ultimately see him push for a roster spot with the Flames in main camp before the start of the 25/26 NHL regular season. He’s something special.
5. Andrew Basha- Now for a quick update on Basha. Through 23 games played this season for the Medicine Hat Tigers, Basha has scored 9 goals and 20 assists and carries a +/- of +1. Hes scored 2 goals and 11 assist on the powerplay while scoring 3 shothanded points and putting 73 shots on net. In his last 10 games played he has 4 goals and 13 points, with 9 of those points coming in his last 5 games and currently sits 9th in team scoring and has 30 minutes in penalties so far. He averages 1.26 points per game and is projected to finish the season with 16 goals and 51 points.
6. Nazem Kadri- Kadri finished with 29 goals and 75 points in 82 games played last season and while hes not on pace for totals that high, he’s still having a pretty good year. In games 41-50, Kadri posted 2 goals and 4 assists with 2 of those assists coming on the powerplay. Hes a +1 and has 23 shots on goal through 208 shifts skated in that time frame. This season, Nazem has 170 shots on goal, 2 game winning goals and has a +/- of -14 while having an average ice time of 18:51. If the Calgary Flames hope to make the playoffs, they need Kadri to heat up down the stretch.
7. Rasmus Andersson- Rasmus just recently ended a goal drought that saw him go 20 contests without one. In games 41-50, Andersson has just one goal for 1 point which came on the powerplay January 25th against the Minnesota Wild. In that time span, he has 23 shots on goal through 322 shifts taken. This season, Andersson has posted 7 goals and 13 assist, is a -11 and has 48 minutes in penalties. He has 3 goals and 7 points on the powerplay while averaging 24:05 on ice. He has one game winning goal and has thrown 104 shots on net. His offensive production has become somewhat stagnant. The Flames need him to return to the type of play he started the season with.
8. Devin Cooley- To this point in the AHL season, Cooley has a record of 18-8-1 with the Wranglers. He has 3 shutouts, a 2.24 GAA and a 0.928 SV%. His 2.24 GAA is good for 7th overall out of all AHL goalies and he’s been perfect in the shootout this year. Whether the Flames intend to trade him or keep him, they won’t be making any decisions until they figure out what to do with Vladar. Cooley could be a serious backup candidate for Wolf, who has cemented himself as the number 1 Flames goalie with his play this season. In his last 10 games, Cooley has allowed 24 goals and has a 89.66 SV%. Cooley has also been asked to attend the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic, which is another tip of the cap to his play this season. This is the 3rd year in a row that the Wranglers have sent one of their goalies to the event.
9. Rory Kerins- Kerins had an absolutely great showing once joining the Calgary Flames for a 5 game stint from January 13th to January 23rd. He collected 4 assist with one of them being on the powerplay, had a +/- of +3 in that time span while his average time on ice was 12:14. With the showing he had, it should give Flames management and the fans some confidence in him and what he can supply at the NHL level. In 36 games played with the Wranglers, Kerins has produced 21 goals and 13 assists with accumulating 10 minutes in penalties. Kerins was drafted 174th overall in the 6th round during the 2020 draft.
10. Adam Klapka- The 6’8″, 235 pound forward was recently called up to the big club from the AHL before the Flames played the Washington Capitals on January 28, and didn’t take long to make an impact. In his second game after the callup, Klapka scored a beauty on Ducks goaltender John Gibson, helping the Flames to a 4-1 victory while showcasing his puck handling skill and insane reach he possesses. Klapka has played 10 games this season with the Flames, and in those 10 games, he has 1 goal, is a +1, has 10 minutes in penalties, 13 shots and an average time on ice of 8:31. In 29 games played with the Wranglers this year, Adam has 13 goals and 12 assists while earning 50 minutes in penalties. I think everyone can agree that it’s fun to watch the big man strut his stuff.
