Even from the start, the 2024-25 hockey season has been nothing short of exciting. Most eyes are, rightly, on professional hockey’s best league, the NHL, but fantastic hockey is being played everywhere right now. Calgary Flames fans are off to a slightly better start than previous years, as the team currently sits at 6-4-1 and sits in sixth place in the NHL Western Conference. However, the second best place to look for them in North America is the American Hockey League (AHL), a league below the NHL.

The Flames’ AHL farm team, the Calgary Wranglers, has enjoyed a considerably greater level of success than their parent club. After losing their first game of the season, the team is currently riding (pun intended) a nine-game winning streak. Their 9-1-0 record and 18 points are both the best in the entire AHL. The Wranglers look unbeatable at the moment and have shown minimal gameplay flaws. There are several reasons for their immense success; certain prolific players and notable team trends merit further analysis.

Notable names leading the charge

An important aspect of the Wranglers’ early season success has been the performance of their personnel. The 2024-25 roster features many players who have NHL experience and/or could realistically be in the NHL if the Flames didn’t already have an abundance of players. Attackers Jacob PelletierDryden Hunt, Clark Bishop and Walker Dühr have a total of 382 NHL appearances and all of them are probably itching to get back out there to make some big money. Pelletier, who many thought was a Flame or who claimed waivers when he was forced out after the preseason, used the new start to showcase his abilities as an elite playmaker. The 23-year-old had 10 assists in 10 games, tied for first in the league in assists.

Hunt also has 10 points in 10 games (two goals, eight assists), Bishop has nine (six goals, three assists) and is currently on a four-game goal streak and Duehr is tied for second in the AHL with 11 points (six goals, five assists). The player tied with him is the Wranglers Rory Kerinswho rose through the ranks of the ECHL last season. His nine goals lead the entire league and he was named AHL Player of the Month for his efforts. Defensively, the team has been led by emerging prospects Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov, who have both played in the big league and are excellent defensive-minded guards. Kuznetsov’s plus/minus plus-9 is tied for the league lead, and Solovyov has scored impressively with two goals and four points in six games, leading all Wranglers defensemen in scoring.

Goaltending was something that had many fans worried with prized prospect and two-time AHL Goaltender of the Year Dustin Wolf graduating to the NHL this season, but worry no more . Signed as a free agent This offseason, 27-year-old journeyman goaltender Devin Cooley took the reins and provided plenty of comfort with solid, responsible goaltending. He is 6-1-0, has one shutout, a 1.82 goals-against average (GAA) and a .946 save percentage (SV%). No other goaltender in the AHL has more wins, and his other stats place him sixth and eighth in the league, respectively. Backup Walterri Ignatjew was a relative unknown overseas, but he also performed quite admirably with a 3-0-0 record, 2.34 GAA, and .927 SV.

Positive trends for Wranglers

As previously mentioned, the Wranglers are the best team in the AHL at this point in the season. They scored a league-high 36 goals, attacking from seemingly every angle. Head coach Trent Cull also has a very well-disciplined team; they haven’t taken many penalties so far with only 94 team penalty minutes (23rd). When they do, their penalty kick is extremely well structured and effective. So far, they have an 88% shorthanded success rate, which ranks them eighth in the AHL. Their power play certainly has some room to grow as they are clicking at a rate of just 19% (12th). However, when the team outscores the opposition at even strength and at such a high rate, there is less pressure for the power play to succeed.

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While there is bound to be some regression, we hope the Wranglers can continue this success and make it a deep playoff run in 2024-25. It was recently announced that the team lost Matt Coronato to the Flames, but gained another promising young prospect in Samuel Honzekas well as the return of Wranglers veteran Adam Klapka from the big club. These trades should make the team even better, and they will look to make it ten straight wins when they face the Bakersfield Condors on November 5th.