Calgary Wranglers
The Calgary Wranglers are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team plays at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the home of their NHL affiliate team, the Calgary Flames.
Calgary Wranglers | |
---|---|
City | Calgary, Alberta |
League | American Hockey League |
Conference | Western |
Division | Pacific |
Founded | 1977 |
Home arena | Scotiabank Saddledome |
Colours | Red, yellow, white |
Owner(s) | Calgary Sports and Entertainment |
General manager | Brad Pascall |
Head coach | Trent Cull |
Captain | Brett Sutter |
Affiliates | Calgary Flames (NHL) Rapid City Rush (ECHL) |
Franchise history | |
1977–1987 | Maine Mariners |
1987–1993 | Utica Devils |
1993–2003 | Saint John Flames |
2005–2007 | Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights |
2007–2009 | Quad City Flames |
2009–2014 | Abbotsford Heat |
2014–2015 | Adirondack Flames |
2015–2022 | Stockton Heat |
2022–present | Calgary Wranglers |
Championships | |
Regular season titles | 1 (2022–23) |
Division titles | 1 (2022–23) |
Current season |
History
On May 23, 2022, the Calgary Flames announced the relocation of the Stockton Heat to Calgary.[1] This followed a recent trend of Canadian NHL teams moving their AHL affiliates closer to home, principally to allow for player's to be called up on a shorter notice. On August 2, 2022, the team announced its name, bringing back the "Wranglers" moniker used by the WHL team of the same name from 1977 to 1987.[2] The Wranglers played their first game on October 16, 2022, a 6–5 loss against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.[3][4]
Despite a slow start to the season,[5] the Wranglers enjoyed significant success in their inaugural year, capturing the regular season championship with 51 wins, and being awarded the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.[6] Their overall 51–17–4 record was the ninth-best record in AHL history.[6]
The Wranglers failed to live up to their regular season success during the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs, losing to the Firebirds 3 games to 2 in the third round.[7]
Season-by-season results
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Won | Lost | OTL | SOL | Points | PCT | GF | GA | Standing | Year | 1st Round | Div Semi-finals | Div finals | Conf. finals | Finals |
2022–23 | 72 | 51 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 106 | .736 | 256 | 174 | 1st, Pacific | 2023 | BYE | W, 3–1, ABB | L, 2–3, CV | — | — |
Current roster
Updated October 18, 2023.[8]
References
- "Flames' AHL affiliate will move from Stockton to Calgary". The Athletic. May 23, 2022.
- "Flames officially reveal Calgary Wranglers as new AHL affiliate". Sportsnet. August 2, 2022.
- "2022–23 AHL schedule unveiled". theahl.com. July 21, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
- Saelhof, Todd (October 16, 2022). "Warm Calgary welcome for AHL Wranglers despite debut loss at Dome". Calgary Sun. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
- Saelhof, Todd (November 3, 2022). "Wranglers hope time cures 'rocky start' to AHL campaign". Calgary Herald.
- Gilbertson, Wes (April 16, 2023). "Calgary Wranglers finish regular season with best record in the AHL". Calgary Herald.
- Gilbertson, Wes. "Calgary Wranglers eliminated from playoffs in overtime heartbreaker". Calgary Sun.
- "Calgary Wranglers 2023–24 roster". eliteprospects.com. October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.