Giddy up!
It’s time to drop the puck on the Wranglers sophomore season, as they travel to Winnipeg, MB to tackle the Moose tonight at 6:00pm (MST). CLICK HERE to watch for FREE.
The Wranglers lineup will resemble the roster that put together the ninth best campaign in AHL history last season.
In net, the 2023 MVP and Goalie-of-the-Year, Dustin Wolf, is back between the pipes, while Oscar Dansk signed a one-year extension during the offseason, to solidify the back-up spot. Connor Murphy – who also signed an AHL deal with Calgary over the summer – is on the roster to start the season, as well.
Up front, Connor Zary, Cole Schwindt and Adam Klapka had lengthy training camps with the Flames and have emerged as prospects poised to take another step this season.
The same goes for the blueline, with the likes of Jeremie Poirier, Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov, who all made noticeable strides during the preseason.
Upcoming Schedule:
| DATE | TIME (MST) | OPPONENT | VENUE |
| October 13, 2023 | 6:00pm | at Manitoba | Canada Life Centre |
| October 15, 2023 | 1:00pm | at Manitoba | Canada Life Centre |
Head-2-Head:
Calgary is coming off an impressive inaugural season where they led the league in wins (51-17-3-1) and points (106), earning them the MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the top team in the AHL.
Manitoba finished third in the Central division with a (37-25-6-4) record last season.
The two teams split the season series in 2022-23, picking up two wins apiece, both earning a ‘W’ on the road.
Wranglers Player to Watch: Brett Sutter
Captain Brett Sutter is back for another season in Calgary after signing a one-year extension with the Wranglers in the offseason.
Sutter posted 14 goals, 29 points in 70 games last season, adding four game-winners, and he surpassed the 1,000 AHL game mark in 2022-23, now currently sitting at 1,044 games.
“Really excited… (It’s) another chance to play with those guys in that locker room.”
Brett Sutter chatted with Bryan Wilson about signing his new contract, his summer training and the upcoming season with the Wranglers. pic.twitter.com/MLZnNVKF0M
— Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) July 25, 2023
One Timers:
- Dustin Wolf won the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player for the 2022-23 season, posting a league-best 2.09 GAA and .932 Sv% with seven shutouts.
- Connor Zary finished second in team scoring last season with 58 points (21g, 37a), adding eight powerplay goals, and was the only Wranglers player to appear in all 72 regular season games.
- Clark Bishop (98 pts.) is currently two points away from 100 in his AHL career.
- After spending most of last season with the Rapid City Rush (ECHL) both Rory Kerins and Ilya Nikolaev are expected to be in the lineup on opening night.
Quotable:
Lucas Ciona on getting the season started:
“I’m super excited to get the season rolling… the goal is to win, it makes (playing) the most fun.”
