The Calgary Flames may have a strong presence when the 2027 World Junior Championships get going in Edmonton and Red Deer on Boxing Day.
Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis released his projected United States roster on Thursday, and two Flames prospects made the cut: forwards Ethan Wyttenbach and Cullen Potter.
Wyttenbach arrived in the Flames system as a fifth-round pick, 144th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft. He followed a solid USHL season with the inaugural Gaudreau Award, then jumped to college hockey in 2025-26 and kept rolling.
In fact, he lead the NCAA in scoring. He also earned an invite to the United States’ World Junior Summer Showcase and impressed there, and he’s among the NCAA’s leading scorers again this season.
Potter was taken much earlier, going 32nd overall in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. The son of women’s hockey legend Jenny Potter spent two seasons at Arizona State University after arriving in the NCAA at 17, then transferred to Michigan State University for this season.
He was invited to the World Junior Summer Showcase, though he did not take part in any on-ice work as he was coming back from season-ending shoulder surgery. Potter has opened this season well at Michigan State, where his coach, Adam Nightingale, also serves as Team USA’s bench boss for the World Juniors.
Ellis also noted 2026 first-round pick Jack Hextall, another Michigan State forward, as just missing the roster.
If Ellis’ projected American group, his projected Canadian roster and Swedish junior lock Theo Stockselius all hold, the Flames could wind up with six World Junior representatives: Wyttenbach, Potter, Stockselius, Carson Carels, Cole Reschny and Chase Harrington.
The final answer will come when the tournament starts on Boxing Day.
In Other News...
Flames Give Fans A New Way To Celebrate The Saddledome Finale
The Saddledome is getting one more nod in the Flames wardrobe. Calgary will unveil its Scotiabank Saddledome-inspired Hometown Remix uniforms in a home game against the Anaheim Ducks, a special edition look tied to the NHLs league-wide push to celebrate local team culture and the places that have shaped each franchises identity.
For Flames fans, it is another way to mark the building that has been home for so many big nights and familiar routines. Forward Matt Coronato liked what he saw from the new jerseys, and he said the group felt an extra jolt while wearing a different throwback look in a recent win, a reminder that these alternate sweaters can do more than change the aesthetic for one night. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Turnaround Suddenly Has Fans Rethinking Their Biggest Weakness
A month ago, the Flames looked like a team trying to survive its own crease. Five straight losses to open the 2026-27 season had already put the spotlight on goaltending, and the early questions around Calgary were less about style than whether the team had enough stability in net to stop the slide. Since then, Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley have helped flip that conversation, giving the club a much steadier backbone as it has climbed out of the hole.
The turnaround has been strong enough to make fans rethink what had seemed like the rosters biggest weakness. Calgarys recent run has been built on far better work from its goalies, and Cooleys stretch has drawn league notice during the winning streak. For a team that began with so much doubt hanging over the crease, the bigger question now is whether this is a short burst of form or the start of something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Get A Real Chance To Build Momentum Back At Home
The Flames are back at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night with a chance to settle into a rhythm at home, and the timing feels useful after a stretch where every point has carried extra weight. It will be the third meeting of the season with Anaheim, and Calgary will also unveil its Hometown Remix jerseys for the first time, adding a little extra energy to a matchup that already has some familiarity to it.
There is still plenty to sort through on both benches, with injuries thinning out the lineups and forcing both clubs to keep adjusting on the fly. Calgary is expected to turn to Dustin Wolf in goal, while Anaheim is projected to counter with Lukas Dostal, and the game will be carried on Sportsnet West and QR Calgary as the Flames try to turn a home date into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]