William Stromgren doesn’t need much convincing about what’s ahead in Calgary. He can see the turnover, he can feel the opening, and after a brief NHL look last season, he knows exactly what he’s chasing.
The 23-year-old winger signed a one-year deal with the Flames earlier this week, and that alone gives him a clear runway into the summer. More importantly, it puts him in position to fight for something bigger after three full seasons with the AHL’s Wranglers.
“Just having a taste of it is definitely lighting a fire in me,” Stromgren said over the phone this week. “You get a sense of the NHL life, the hockey and the level that it is.
“It kinda just puts a little flame up your butt - as they say - to want to make the team and have that as a day-to-day life.”
Stromgren appeared in his first three career NHL games last January, and he’s coming off a strong year in the minors, where he posted a career-high 36 assists with the Wranglers. He now has more than 200 North American pro games behind him since the Flames selected him in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
That experience matters, especially with the roster in flux. Calgary’s lineup is expected to look different when the 2025-26 season opens in the fall, and general manager Craig Conroy made it clear that the competition for jobs is exactly the point.
“Time to fight. Take the spot, you know?”
Conroy told media of the opportunity ahead for those young Flames like Stromgren. “There's gonna be a camp.
There's gonna be a competition. Those are a lot of minutes, a lot of different situations.
“And I think for everybody that's still here, it's an opportunity, and they should grab a hold of it.”
Stromgren sounds ready for that kind of battle. He said the changes around the team have created a sense that Calgary is moving in a new direction, one built around younger players and open competition.
“A lot of change has been happening, I do feel like it is a new direction for the team with a younger set of players,” Stromgren added. “There’s always going to be competition, there’s always going to be someone that’s fighting for the same spot.
“I’m just going to come ready and fight for a spot.”
The offseason has also given him a chance to keep working with familiar faces back home. Stromgren said he trains in Sweden with Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman and former Flame Victor Olofsson, and he sometimes joins early skates or skill sessions with his hometown pro team, MoDo.
This spring, he also played host. Flames defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz came overseas for a post-season trip, along with ex-Wrangler Parker Bell, and Stromgren enjoyed showing them around.
“It was great, I think he had a good time,” Stromgren said of Brzustewicz’s Swedish excursion. “He’s always wanted to come to Sweden. It was awesome to see those guys (Brzustewicz and ex-Wrangler Parker Bell) to come over and get some Swedish time, get some meatballs and see some famous things in Sweden.
“I had fun with those guys.”
For Stromgren, getting his contract done quickly was another box checked. The qualifying offer was announced less than a week before the deal was signed, and he said he preferred not to let it drag on.
“I didn’t want to stretch it out, you just want to get it as soon as possible when you get that qualifying offer,” he explained. “I’m just happy that we got it done so soon, now I can look forward to the rest of the summer.
“Just prepare myself to come back to Calgary strong, and ready to go.”
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