The Calgary Flames’ prospects training camp opened Friday, and while plenty of familiar young names are in the mix, a handful of try-out players have also joined the group.
Some arrive with junior momentum, others with AHL experience, and a few are local products getting a shot to show where they fit. Here’s a look at the nine camp invitees on try-outs or AHL deals.
Landon Amrhein is one of the more intriguing amateur try-out players. The 18-year-old right-shot forward from Celina, Texas is heading into his second season with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen.
He was teammates with Flames prospect Axel Hurtig last season and will skate alongside Jakob Leander this year. At 6-foot-5 and 192 pounds, Amrhein drew attention from scouts for his size and mobility, and it came as something of a surprise that he went undrafted in June after Central Scouting ranked him 81st among North American skaters.
He finished last season with 31 points in 64 games for the Hitmen and should have a major role with the club this year.
Another amateur invitee, Riley Boychuk, comes out of Cochrane and plays right wing for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. The 18-year-old was also passed over in the draft despite being ranked 182nd among North American skaters by Central Scouting. He produced 59 points in 68 games with Prince Albert, giving him a chance to prove there was more there than the draft result suggested.
Brett Olson, a right-shot forward from Spruce Grove, is also on an amateur try-out. He skates with Joe Iginla on the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and posted 30 points in 68 games last season. Like Amrhein, he has some size at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, and he went undrafted even though Central Scouting had him at 173rd among North American skaters.
The AHL side of the camp roster brings a different kind of experience. Kent Anderson, listed as a right-shot defenceman, is a Calgary kid who grew up playing with McKnight and is now 22. He joined the Wranglers late last season after captaining the Denver Pioneers to an NCAA championship, and he was a steady, dependable presence for Denver across four seasons that included two national titles.
Ryder Boulton, a 20-year-old left-shot forward and the son of former NHLer Eric Boulton, also arrives on an AHL contract. Born in Atlanta during the Thrashers era, he attended Flames development camp over the summer before signing with the club. His scoring numbers in three OHL seasons topped out at eight points, but he brings energy and physicality and could fill the kind of role Alex Gallant held for the Wranglers.
Semyon Konopsky adds another goalie to the mix. The 20-year-old from Vologda, Russia backed up top international prospect Dmitri Borichev last season with Loko-76 Yaroslavl in Russian junior hockey.
In limited action, he went 8-5-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He’s on an AHL deal and is expected to move between the Wranglers and Rapid City this season.
Owen Say is also back on an AHL contract after his season was interrupted by injury and surgery. The London, Ontario netminder played college hockey at Mercyhurst and Notre Dame, signed an entry-level deal with the Flames after his junior year, and spent last season with the Wranglers before the injury cut things short.
Kyle Walker brings one of the camp’s more interesting paths. The Calgary defender played four seasons in the Western League, then spent five seasons at Mount Royal University in USports.
He turned pro at the end of his college season last spring, logged a brief stop with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, and then earned a call-up to the Wranglers. The left-shot defenceman is on an AHL deal this season.
Carter Wilkie, another Calgary product, rounds out the AHL group. The right-shot forward played college hockey at RIT and North Dakota before joining the Wranglers at the end of 2024-25. He spent last season splitting time between Calgary’s AHL club and Rapid City, and he returns on another AHL deal.
With camp underway, these nine players will get a chance to leave their mark alongside the Flames’ prospect group.
In Other News...
Jake Middleton Could Shape More Than Calgarys Blue Line
Jake Middleton is settling into life with the Flames after arriving from Minnesota, and the fit looks to be about more than just a new spot on the blue line. He has handled the move well, embraced the change in surroundings and already appears comfortable with the opportunity to bring a steadier presence to a team that wants its veterans to help guide a younger core.
Being back in Western Canada has also made the transition feel a little more natural for Middleton, who is closer to home than he was in his previous stop. What makes his addition especially interesting for Calgary is the role he can play behind the scenes, working with younger players and adding to the leadership mix as the Flames continue shaping the roster around them. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Conroys Latest Trades Put Calgarys Rebuild Under The Microscope
Calgarys rebuild keeps coming back to the same question: whether Craig Conroy is lining up enough future value without stripping the roster of what still makes it competitive. A recent review of three of his trades lays out the balancing act in plain terms, starting with the Nazem Kadri deal to Colorado and moving through the kind of moves that are supposed to shape the next phase of the franchise. The grades on those transactions reflect both what the Flames got right away and what those assets might become later, which is exactly the tension that hangs over any team trying to retool on the fly.
The latest discussion also puts the spotlight on how much of this process still rests on development rather than certainty. Calgary has added pieces in separate deals that were designed to help now and later, but the real verdict will come only if those returns grow into difference-makers. For a front office trying to thread that needle, the uncertainty is the story as much as the trades themselves, and it is why every move keeps getting measured against the larger rebuild. [Read more 🡒]
Scotia Place Is Starting To Feel Real For Flames Fans
Scotia Place is starting to look less like a future plan and more like a building Flames fans can picture on the skyline. Construction has moved into a more finished stage, with corners of the structure taking shape, glass going in and most of the building envelope panels now in place. It is the kind of progress that turns a long-running project from renderings and promises into something tangible.
The next major milestone is close, too, with the final piece of structural roof steel expected to be installed soon. From there, the work shifts further into the finishing phase, as the project edges toward being weather tight before attention turns to exterior details and landscaping. For a fan base that has followed every step of this arena development, the latest update is another sign that Scotia Place is moving from construction site to something much more real. [Read more 🡒]