Young Stars Classic Preview – Flames vs. Oilers

Young Stars Classic Preview – Flames vs. Oilers

Flames set to face Oilers in Saturday night showdown

The Flames continue their 2024 Young Stars Classic journey in Penticton, B.C. Saturday evening, facing the Edmonton Oilers at the South Okanagan Events Centre. For fans in the area, tickets are available HERE.

Puck drop in the Battle of Alberta is set for 8:30 p.m. MT, with the action streamed on CalgaryFlames.com and on the Flames App.

Flames Young Stars Roster

#
Player
Position
40
Waltteri Ignatjew
G
50
Matt Radomsky
G
81
Connor Murphy
G
3
Artem Grushnikov
D
48
Hunter Brzustewicz
D
55
Eric Jamieson
D
56
Henry Mews
D
57
Joni Jurmo
D
59
Etienne Morin
D
67
Axel Hurtig
D
89
Zayne Parekh
D
42
Samuel Honzek
LW
45
Sam Morton
C
49
Andrew Basha
LW
51
Matvei Gridin
LW
53
Hunter Laing
RW
60
Jacob Battaglia
LW
63
Trevor Janicke
RW
65
William Stromgren
RW
73
Jaden Lipinski
C
74
Lucas Ciona
LW
78
Luke Misa 
LW
83
David Silye
C
87
Parker Bell
LW
95
Luke McNamara 
LW

It’s right back to work for the Flames after Friday’s overtime setback to the Jets – facing an Oilers squad that, like Calgary, is looking for its first win at the 2024 Young Stars Classic.

The Flames showed well against Winnipeg after a shaky start – holding Winnipeg’s prospects to 19 shots on goal overall, all while battling back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits.

“We’re a young team, this is a real new experience for the bulk of the guys here,” Calgary Wranglers head coach Trent Cull said following Friday’s game. “A little bit of nerves, I would say for sure.

“I thought we settled in, had a good second period, and kind of got better as the game went on.”

Sam Morton, Hunter Laing and Jaden Lipinski had the Calgary markers Friday evening, while defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz – who played for Vancouver at this tournament a season ago – chipped in with a second-period helper.

In Cull’s estimation, the weekend serves as a bit of an eye-opener for the younger players among the group – remember, eight of the 25 players wearing Flames colours here have been part of the organization for less than three months – so this series of games serves as another step in their own development.

“Sometimes it’s great for these guys to play against the best of the peers that they’re playing against,” he noted. “So all of a sudden, maybe there’s some things that you thought you could get away with in the past, then you come here and you’ve got a bunch of good players.”

And for that reason, he’ll be leaning tonight on the players that he’s worked with this past season at the AHL level – forwards Sam Morton, William Stromgren and Lucas Ciona, to name a few – to provide guidance and leadership to a talented crop of young stars.

Hoping too, that they’ll stand out.

“The guys who had played for us with the Wranglers, that little bit of experience, it really showed, I thought,” Cull said of Friday’s game.

“Those guys kinda stuck out to me. It’s good to have them around the group, that’s for sure.”

The Other Side

The Oilers opened their Young Stars Classic campaign Friday night with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks.

Nikita Tolopilo, who won 20 games with AHL Abbotsford a season ago, earned the clean sheet for the Canucks by making 21 saves.

It’s a new-look group of prospects in Edmonton this year, headlined by St. Albert product Matt Savoie. The forward was the ninth-overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, but found himself on the move – back to Wild Rose Country – this past summer after he helped the Moose Jaw Warriors win the WHL title in the spring.

The Oilers have four players here in Penticton who were part of the club’s 2024 NHL Draft class, including first-rounder Sam O’Reilly; the centreman had 56 points last year with the London Knights squad that captured the OHL championship in May.

Player To Watch

Since signing with the Flames at the conclusion of his collegiate career last spring, Sam Morton has made an impression.

It’s no surprise, either, that the 25-year-old is wearing an ‘A’ this weekend at the Young Stars Classic.

Morton had a goal and an assist in Friday’s setback versus the Jets, but rather than lament the loss, he chose to touch on the little things he’s been learning since turning pro six months ago.

“I think you learn a lot, just from being a part of the culture of pro hockey,” Morton said following Friday’s contest. “I know I learned a lot just from following guys like (former Wranglers captain Brett Sutter), just taking away the things like how they prepare for games, how they cool down after games.

“It’s a schedule that’s different from college hockey. It’s competitive; it’s faster, bigger, stronger.”

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