The Calgary Flames made another round of camp cuts Saturday, trimming their roster after practice sessions at the Scotiabank Saddledome and sending four players to the Calgary Wranglers.
Goaltenders Semyon Konopsky and Owen Say, along with forwards Ryder Boulton and Carter Wilkie, were all assigned to the American Hockey League club. All four are on Wranglers AHL contracts, so none had to go through the NHL waiver process.
Konopsky, 20, comes out of a season with Loko-76 Yaroslavl in Russia’s MHL, where he backed up Dmitri Borichev, one of the country’s top goaltending prospects. He signed with the Wranglers in July and is likely headed to the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush to open the season, especially with so many goalies already in the mix.
Say, 25, joined the Flames on an NHL deal in the spring of 2025 after three years in college, most recently at the University of Notre Dame. A mid-January injury required surgery, and he’s now on an AHL contract this season as he works his way back. He could wind up spending a fair amount of time with Rapid City, though there’s also a path for him to log meaningful minutes with the Wranglers if his game is back where it was before the injury.
Boulton, 20, is the son of former NHLer Eric Boulton. He played three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League as an energy forward, with stops in London and Brantford. He looks like a fit for that same kind of role with the Wranglers, even if he may not suit up every night.
Wilkie, 26, is a Calgary native who signed with the Wranglers on an AHL deal in spring 2025 after finishing his senior year at the University of North Dakota. A right-shot centre, he brings a steady, dependable game and was a useful depth piece for the Wranglers last season. He appears set to return to that same role in 2026-27.
With those moves, the Flames’ camp roster is down to 48 players: four goaltenders, 16 defencemen and 28 forwards. Of that group, 41 are on active NHL contracts, five are on AHL contracts, one player - Alex Nylander - is on a professional try-out, and one - Chase Harrington - is an unsigned draft pick.
In Other News...
Flames Just Put Hunter Brzustewicz In A Tough Spot
Training camp has a way of sorting out the pecking order quickly, and for Hunter Brzustewicz, the first glance was not especially encouraging. The Flames split their opening groups into Team Red, which looks like the NHL side of the ledger, and Team Black, which is mostly made up of younger players and those headed for the minors. Brzustewicz spent last season getting into 34 NHL games, so being on the Black side of the divide is a notable step back in the early camp picture.
The reason for the squeeze is pretty clear. Calgary added Simon Nemec over the summer, and that only thickens the competition on the right side of the blue line. For Brzustewicz, it means the path back to a regular NHL job is a lot less straightforward than it looked a few months ago, and the next stretch of camp should say a lot about whether he can force his way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Ottawas Season May Come Down To Which Ullmark Shows Up
Linus Ullmark is heading into a fresh season with a noticeably different vibe, saying he feels positive and recharged after a difficult year that included a mental health leave. Ottawa is clearly trying to give its goaltending situation more structure around him, adding Maciej Szwoch as co-ordinator of goaltending scouting and development while also setting up a timeshare in net with backup Samuel Ersson, who recently signed a two-year deal.
For the Senators, the early read on this season may hinge on which version of Ullmark they get on a night-to-night basis. There is reason for optimism in the way he is approaching camp, but there is still plenty of curiosity about how quickly the new support system around him translates into steadier play when the games start to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Camp Is Already Hinting At Whos Earning Bigger Roles
The third day of Flames training camp looked a lot like a team trying to pick up the tempo before the real games arrive. Calgary split into Team Red and Team Black again, with practices built around pace, puck movement and quick transitions, while the power-play work focused on deflections and screens. It was the kind of session that can start to hint at how roles are forming, especially with the exhibition schedule set to begin Sunday against the Seattle Kraken.
Zayne Parekh and Simon Nemec were among the names drawing attention in the special-teams rotations, and the setup of the units offered another small window into where the coaching staff may be leaning. There was also a notable absence from the main group, with Semyon Konopsky skating separately with the goalie group instead of taking part in the session, a reminder that even in camp, every rep is telling a story about who is ready to push for more. [Read more 🡒]