The Calgary Wranglers had one of their worst years in franchise history last season, and in the AHL where seven of the 10 Pacific Division teams make the Calder Cup Playoffs, the team failed to do so, finishing the year dead last with a 23-34-10 record.
This season, things could be very different, with the likes of Jonathan Castagna, Axel Hurtig, Andrew Basha, Tyson Gross, Aydar Suniev, Hunter Brzustewicz and Kirill Zarubin all set to arrive and play key roles with the organization. That bodes well for the future of the Flames franchise, and while none may end up starring with dominant performance at the AHL level, if they can produce well and develop over the course of the 2026/27 season, the Wranglers may end up finding some success along the way.
Wranglers Announce Two-Game Series With the Abbotsford Canucks
Now, ahead of the new season, the Wranglers have announced a two-game pre-season series with the Abbotsford Canucks as a result of the NHL moving to a four-game pre-season, thus not allowing as many AHL players to get opportunities ahead of their own season.
🛫 Headed to Abby!
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) August 17, 2026
The Wranglers are hitting the road for a pair of exhibition games against the Abbotsford Canucks!
📍 Abbotsford
📅 Sept. 27 at 7 PM
📅 Sept. 28 at 2 PM pic.twitter.com/HpiaF3Kby7
The two games will take place on Sunday September 27th and Monday September 28th, and with the Wranglers regular season puck drop occurring on Friday October 2nd against those same Canucks, this will give the team a prime opportunity to find their chemistry.
Can the Calgary Wranglers Bounce Back in 2026/27?
While the Calgary Wranglers want to find success of their own, being the developmental team for the Flames is the bigger overall organizational goal, and with the injection of so much young talent, this could be a surprisingly competitive team this season.
Along with the names mentioned above, this is a team that's bringing back Sam Morton, Rory Kerins, Alex Gallant, Dryden Hunt and Arsenii Sergeev, and with so much production between that group, the building blocks are there for this team to bounce back in a big way this season.
Ultimately though, this team is all about the future, so while there may not be too much team success, the development of young players is crucial, and that all starts on September 27 and 28 when the team battle the rival Abbotsford Canucks, who too will be looking to bounce back after they missed the post-season following a Calder Cup victory back in 2025.
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