The Calgary Flames are in the final days of narrowing down their roster ahead of the 2024/25 regular season, and now they've sent three intriguing young prospects back to the AHL.
Despite strong training camps, the trio of Yan Kuznetsov, Artem Grushnikov and Waltteri Ignatjew will all be joining the Wranglers for the start of the regular season, with all three expected to play huge roles for the team.
We have assigned Artem Grushnikov, Yan Kuznetsov and Waltteri Ignatjew to the @AHLWranglers.#Flames | @original16beer pic.twitter.com/LT0eBK4HkP
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 1, 2024
Kuznetsov saw one game of NHL action with the Flames a year ago, with the 22-year old former second round draft pick playing a solid game at the AHL level, despite posting a -4 and adding just 13 points in 68 games played. However, he remains steady as a defensive defenseman, and if the Flames look to move some of their blue liners or potentially suffer an injury, he would be an underwhelming yet solid fill in for the NHL club.
Next up is the intriguing Artem Grushnikov, who was a part of the Chris Tanev trade with the Dallas Stars, and while he tallied just one assist in the AHL after arriving, his defensive presence continues to make him a clear standout on the ice. The Flames have some offensive minded blue line prospects in the system such as Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and Jeremie Poirier, but in Grushnikov the team have a stay at home defenseman that can pair beautifully with those three, so expect to hear his name quite a bit in the coming years.
Finally we have Waltteri Ignatjew, an undrafted 24-year old goaltender out of Finland, who heads to North America for the first time after a stellar 2023/24 campaign in Sweden where he carried a .918 save percentage and a 2.34 GAA in 45 games played. With Dustin Wolf ascending to the NHL level and Devin Cooley joining the fray, Inatjew will likely find some solid playing time alongside Connor Murphy, with the team hoping he can become a huge part of the future for Calgary.
The Flames are now down to 35 players in camp, and with the regular season opener just 8 days away, they'll look to finalize their roster in the coming days, with plenty of promising players likely to start their season in the AHL alongside these three.