We are almost halfway through the summer, and as usual not much is happening in the world of hockey. However, being at this point also means that we are less than two months away from the beginning of preseason in the NHL. That means getting the first looks at recently drafted players, new acquisitions, and eager up-and-coming prospects. For most Calgary Flames fans, putting the 2022-23 season behind them and starting anew likely seems very enticing. The club failed to make the postseason and subsequently parted ways with its general manager and coaching staff. They also traded away star winger Tyler Toffoli and rumours are circling around pending unrestricted free agents Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm, and Mikael Backlund, among others.
Related: Calgary Flames’ Most Impactful Rookies for 2023-24
Thankfully, there are plenty of young players in the Flames system for fans to get excited about. The organization just selected promising forward Samuel Honzek 16th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft as well as five other young men bound for professional success. In addition, their American Hockey League (AHL) farm team, the Calgary Wranglers, houses such talent as AHL MVP and back-to-back goaltender of the year Dustin Wolf, 2020 first-round pick Connor Zary, and AHL All-Rookie defenseman Jérémie Poirier. Now we want to focus on some of the lesser-known names in the prospect pipeline that had strong showings last season and will surely push for roster spots in the near future. Here are four Flames prospects that had vast developments in the 2022-23 season.
Parker Bell, Left Wing
First on our radar is Campbell River, British Columbia’s Parker Bell. The soon-to-be 20-year-old has played his entire junior career with the Tri-City Americans of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Flames chose him a year ago in the fifth round at 155th overall. He earned his draft selection after a strong showing in 2021-22, putting up 18 goals and 49 points in 64 games with the Americans. His most attractive feature is his combined size and skill, as he stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 192 pounds while consistently contributing to his team. He is solid along the boards, smart defensively, and adeptly uses his size to attack the opposing team’s net.
In 2022-23, Bell swiftly matured into an even better player. Now an alternate captain, he led all WHL players with 21 points in the month of December alone, earning the WHL’s Player of the Month award for his efforts. At the end of the regular season, he had the most points out of any Americans forwards with 64 points in 55 games. He also upped his career-high in goal scoring to 25 goals.
In Bell’s WHL playoff debut this year, he finished tied for second amongst his teammates with an impressive six points in six games as the Americans fell to the Prince George Cougars in Round 1. The young man impressed Flames brass enough to get himself a professional audition as well. He suited up for two AHL contests with the Wranglers last season and recorded the first pro point in his career with an assist. He is eligible for one more junior season but it would surprise no one if he stuck with the Wranglers full-time in 2023-24.
Cade Littler, Centre
Next up we have a name that probably doesn’t ring many bells unless you’re a diehard Flames fan. Cade Littler was also drafted last year with the Flames’ seventh-round pick, 219th overall. The native of East Wenatchee, Washington has been plying his trade for his hometown Wenatchee Wild of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for the past two seasons. In his draft year, he totaled a respectable 20 goals and 45 points in 50 games as well as nine points in seven playoff contests. Like Bell, he is a big body up front at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds. He likely slipped in the rankings due to his commitment to the University of North Dakota beginning in 2024-25.
Last season, Littler demolished his previous career-high by scoring a whopping 29 goals and 68 points in 51 games with the Wild. In addition, he hopped over to the United States Hockey League (USHL) and got into four playoff games with the Cedar Rapids Roughriders where he registered one assist. Not bad for the seventh-last player chosen in the draft. He’ll stay with the Roughriders for the upcoming season before moving to North Dakota and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for 2023-24.
Yan Kuznetsov, Defense
Third is 21-year-old defensive defenseman Yan Kuznetsov. Hailing from Murmansk, Russia, he is the prototypical shutdown defenseman that uses his reach and large frame to punish his opponents. He too stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs in at a solid 210 pounds. The left-shooting rearguard is almost a spitting image of current Flame Nikita Zadorov, though he is even taller at 6-foot-6. Kuznetsov has had an abundance of hockey experience despite his young age, playing in the USHL, in college at the University of Connecticut, in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and parts of three seasons in the AHL. When he was drafted in 2020 he had put up an excellent showing with UConn as an 18-year-old stopping opposing forward lines and chipping in with two goals and 11 points in 34 games. The Flames rewarded him by calling his name in Round 2, 50th overall.
In 2021-22 Kuznetsov was assigned to the QMJHL after 12 games in the AHL. There he discovered more of a scoring touch with 13 points in 25 games with the Saint John Sea Dogs. Playing alongside the aforementioned Jérémie Poirier, the team won that year’s Memorial Cup. His success translated quite well to 2022-23 as he had his best year of hockey yet. He played the full season with the Wranglers, skating in 63 contests and logging five goals and 19 points. He also formed an elite shutdown pairing with Nicolas Meloche.
Kuznetsov showed he could hang with the pros, breaking up passing lanes and halting scoring chances on a nightly basis. The fact that he doesn’t take many penalties while doing so is all the more notable as his 30 penalty minutes were the second-lowest amongst Wranglers defensemen. Surely he’ll again be in the AHL this season but don’t be shocked to see him as a late cut in Flames training camp.
Arseni Sergeyev, Goaltender
Finally, we have the starting goalie for the UConn Huskies, Arseni Sergeyev. Another name that may cause a bit of head-scratching, he is no slouch and could potentially be a steal as the 205th overall pick in 2021. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound netminder from Yaroslavl, Russia has come a long way since moving to North America in 2019. Since then, he has suited up in a total of 101 games with six different teams in four different leagues. Yikes. However, like a fine wine, he is seemingly getting better the more time passes. In his draft year, he appeared in 20 games for the Shreveport Mudbugs in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) where he had a record of 14-4-2 to go along with two shutouts.
Fast forward a year and Sergeyev finished his junior career by becoming the USHL Goaltender of the Year, going 30-6-2 with six shutouts as a member of the Tri-City Storm. Last season he took it up another notch by debuting in college hockey with UConn, a much higher level of competition. He went a very modest 11-6-1 in 19 appearances for a Huskies that won 20 of its 35 games. He had the most games played and wins amongst Huskies goalies which is quite rare for a rookie. He only had two games where he allowed four or more goals and routinely faced 30-plus shots per game. He will be with the Huskies again this season and should hopefully build off of what was a tremendous 2022-23.
In conclusion, these four young men made huge strides in their development in 2022-23. Surely this brought a bit more attention to them and rightfully so given their bodies of work. Hopefully, each individual will continue their upward trajectory for the upcoming campaign and who knows, maybe they’ll be donning the “Flaming C” sooner than later.
