Calgary Flames Prospect Update: Maine has found a Main-e Man – The Win Column

The momentum seems to be all over the Flames organization right now. The Flames outlook is no different as some head to WJC training camps, and others look to end the 2025 calendar year on a strong note.

Like every week, the Flames prospects have been busy.

Welcome to the TWC Calgary Flames prospect update. Each week we dive into how the Flames prospects have fared in their respective leagues, along with an article on a standout prospect in Calgary’s system. We’ve defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games and is under 25 years old.

All data comes from How muchHockey And EliteProspects.

Jaden Lipinski, F, University of Maine, NCAA

The 2004-born Lipinski has adjusted well to the University of Maine for his freshman season with the NCAA program. The Scottsdale, Arizona product was a longtime member of the Vancouver Giants organization in the WHL, where he was initially drafted by the Flames in 2023 after a strong 51-point draft year.

The 2023 draftee plays a mobile power forward game with a good combination of quality soft skills and obvious physicality. His game is highlighted by top-notch skating, clean and smart puck skills, and physical absorption and perseverance.

His skating is one of his biggest assets, making him a mobile asset on any play with good posture, mechanics, edge work and light deception; opponents rarely know where he’s going or what he’s going to do.

This skating meshes seamlessly with his puck skills, which reflect shades of advanced play anticipation, solid handling, pass placement and lane creation that doesn’t shy away from the harder parts of the ice, and utilizes his entire 6’04 frame.

Physicality also shows good body positioning, perseverance, willingness for physical involvement and screening ability. These skating, puck skills, and physicality combine to make him a force on the ice, and further improvements to his senses would elevate his entire game quite drastically.

Lipinski’s 2025-2026 season so far:

So far at the University of Maine, his unique playing style has earned him 13:27 TOI, along with 1:55 power play time per game. This power play opportunity explains his 1.35 scoring opportunities per game and 0.21 expected goals. These stats bode well for his offensive upside and NCAA development.

His physicality is also evident in his zone positioning as a front screen, as well as in the face-off, where the forward has used imposing body strength, physical pressure and quick stickwork this season. Against much older opponents, Lipinski has a face-off win rate of 66%.

The American forward has had moderate success on the scoresheet, with eight points across seventeen games for a PPG percentage of 0.47.

Calgary Flames prospect updates

AHL

• The Wranglers went 2-1-1 this past week. They earned a 3-0 win against Coachella on the 9th, dropped the rematch to the Firebirds 7-4 on the 11th, and then split a pair of OT thrillers against Abbotsford on the 13th (3-2OTL) and 14th (4-3OTW).
• The Wranglers are now tied with the Ontario Reign for third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division, with 31 points and a 13–10–5 record.
• Matvei Gridin still leads all Flames affiliates over the Wranglers with 24 points across 26 games.
• William Stromgren had a particularly strong playing performance this week, collecting assists in three of their four games, including a three-assist night on the 14 against Abbotsford.
• Veteran forward Dryden Hunt was initially sent down on the 10th, but was then immediately called up to the Flames on the 11th. Rapid City Rush goalkeeper Arsenii Sergeev was called up to the Wranglers on the 12th but is yet to play a game for the club.
• Defenseman Turner Ottenbreit signed a confirmed AHL-only extension with the club on the 12th.

ECHL

• The Rush had another tough week in the ECHL, going 1-2-0 in their trio of games against the Allen Americans this past week. They secured a 7–3 victory on the 11th, but were defeated 4–0 and 5–1 on the following two days.
• The Rush now sit in fourth place in the ECHL’s Mountain division, with the Wichita Thunder at 24 points. Rapid City has a record of 11–11–2 for the 2025–2026 campaign.
• Rapid City has also lost 2/3 goaltenders over the past two weeks, leaving only ECHL rookie Nathan Torchia to man the net.
• There are also no other Flames-affiliated prospects on the roster, after Sergeev was called up earlier this week.

Europe

• Jacob Leander is having a busy week as his team, HV71 U20, competes in the Svenskan Cupan U20. So far, he has a +1 rating and two penalty minutes in two tournament matches. He remains a steady defensive presence for the club.

NCAA

• Cullen Potter and his ASU teammates are now on vacation. In their final games of 2025, the Flames’ first-rounder played a pair of games against the University of Minnesota-Duluth on the 12th and 13th. In these games, Potter continues to demonstrate mobility, strong playing skills and finishing ability. He scored a goal and an assist in the match on the 13th.
• 2024 6th rounder Eric Jamieson and 6th-ranked University of Denver split a pair of games against St. Cloud State last weekend. It was a high-scoring affair on the 12th (5–1W) and 13th (4–3L). In the second game of the week, Jamieson scored 15 minutes of penalties, giving St. Cloud State a big 5-minute power play and ultimately the game winner.
• Flames 2024 4th rounder, Trevor Hoskins, played Yale on the 12th and Long Island University on the 13th. In the final game he had his second three-assist evening of the campaign. Hoskins remains a consistent two-way player who is unlocking a new level to his offensive game as of late.
• 2023 4th-rounder and current University of Maine forward Jaden Lipinski had an unusual game on Wednesday night against UMass-Lowell, producing a thrilling 5-4 OTW. Lipinski next played Lindenwood University on the 14th in a 7-2 winning effort, where he even found the back of the net.

OHL

• 2024 second-round pick Jacob Battaglia had an impressive four-point performance in the 10th with one goal and three assists in a 7-3 win against the Oshawa Generals. Since last week, the Frontenacs have recorded three wins in the past week.

WHL

• Hurtig found the scoresheet in back-to-back games this past week. Hurtig, the traditionally shutdown-oriented defenseman, picked up an assist against Red Deer in a 4-1 win on the 12th and scored a goal the next night in a 9-0 blowout against the Rebels.
• 2024 6th-rounder and current Saskatoon Blades star Hunter Laing had a busy and high-scoring week. The Canadian winger started in four games, collecting five points. Expect the Flames draftee to lead the Blades’ attack while teammate and Team Germany member David Lewandowski is away for World Juniors.

Russia

• Zarubin had another great week, playing in two more games. In his first match against Krasnaya Armiya Moskva on the 14th, the 2005-born goaltender posted a 39-save shutout to win the match 2–0. Then, in his second appearance on the 16th against Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, he stopped 33 of 34 shots on target, securing a second win of the week.

Forward

Defense

Goalkeepers

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