Craig Conroy isn’t dressing up the Calgary Flames’ plan for the season ahead. He wants the young players to play, compete and prove they belong, and he’s not interested in shielding them from the pressure that comes with bigger roles.
That message came through loud and clear during an interview with Jock Wilson on QR770 on Tuesday night. Conroy said the organization expects its younger players to make real progress, and he believes they’ll be handed chances plenty of teams wouldn’t offer.
“I want to see growth from these young guys,” Conroy said. “They’re going to be put in situations and given opportunities that they wouldn’t get on a lot of teams. Now they’ve got to take advantage of it.
“They have to grab the bull by the horns and take that spot. Everyone wants to be on the first power play, everybody wants to be [on the] PK, everybody wants to be out last minute of the game when you’re winning, and you’re losing.
These guys are going to get that opportunity, and who’s going to take those jobs? This is an evaluation year.”
The Flames’ handling of young talent was a source of frustration for fans last season, especially in the case of Zayne Parekh, who was a healthy scratch numerous times in 2025-26. Based on Conroy’s comments, that kind of approach does not sound like the direction going forward.
He also made it clear that development for this group is about more than what happens on the ice. With veterans like Blake Coleman, MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, and Nazem Kadri gone, Conroy wants the younger players to start carrying more of the leadership load, too.
“Maybe they were following the older guys [last season]; I need them to step up and start being leaders,” Conroy explained. “I want them all to show me, ‘Hey, if we’re going to have success here, we’re going to need to do it.’ I expect them to take a big step this year.”
Conroy did not offer any win-loss predictions, which fits the reality of a rebuilding season. The spotlight instead falls on which young Flames seize the openings in front of them and show they can be part of the club’s next core.
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