The Calgary Flames continue to fight for their playoff lives as the 2024-25 regular season comes to a close, but they recently dipped into the NCAA market, joining the rest of their peers who have been active on that front. The Flames recently announced the signing of forward Aydar Suniev from UMass in the NCAA, and here is everything you need to know about their newest signing. Suniev was not a free agent, as the Flames selected him in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
AYDAR INKED!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) April 2, 2025
We have signed forward Aydar Suniev to a three-year entry-level contract with an AAV of $923,333!#Flames | @original16beer pic.twitter.com/W1zVZ015ie
Suniev, who is 20 years old, is from Kazan, Russia. He made a name for himself in the 2021-22 season, spending time with St. Andrew’s College in the CAHS, where he scored 13 goals and added 10 assists for 23 points through 11 games. In the same season, he played in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) with the Thorold Blackhawks, where he scored five goals and added three assists for eight points through three games.
Suniev’s Jump & NHL Exposure
Suniev spent the majority of the 2021-22 season with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), where he scored nine goals and added 11 assists for 20 points through 17 games. He returned to the Vees for the 2022-23 season, where he began to earn serious exposure as a potential NHL draft pick, and the Flames were all over him, selecting him 80th overall after a strong campaign.
He finished the 2022-23 campaign scoring 45 goals and adding 45 assists for 90 points through 50 games, which comes out to an impressive 1.80 points-per-game average. After the Flames selected him, he decided to go to the NCAA to play with the University of Massachusetts, which has seen stars like Cale Makar and Brandon Montour come through their program, and he continued to impress offensively. In his first season, he scored 12 goals and added 13 assists for 25 points through 36 games, which comes out to a 0.69 points-per-game average.
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He returned for a second season at UMass, and scored 20 goals and added 18 assists for 38 points through 35 games, which comes out to a 1.09 points-per-game average. His impressive skills earned the attention of the Flames, who were able to convince him to sign his entry-level deal, which begins this season. It seems as though he could play a few games before the end of the regular season to help the Flames make a late playoff push, which will burn the first year of his three-year contract.
Suniev’s Style of Play & Future With Flames
The Flames have been criticized this season by fans for their lack of scoring depth, and Suniev might be able to solve that issue if he can transition well to the NHL. He has been praised as a pure goalscorer, and his numbers jump off the page. His domination and confidence with the puck on his stick will be something Flames fans will love to see when he eventually gets his shot at the NHL level, but as the team mentioned, they won’t be rushing him and will remain patient with his development.
Suniev has a genuine chance of making the Flames out of camp next season and could immediately make an impact if his confidence carries over. They may not want to rush him, but he seems like the kind of player who could be able to make the transition to the NHL fairly easily, and I truly think he could become one of their key offensive producers down the line. He will be a fun player to watch as he grows and tries to turn into a key contributor at the professional level, and if he can fine-tune his skating and defensive consistency, he has the potential to be a star.
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