Arsenii Sergeev makes history with wins in ECHL, AHL and NHL debuts

Arsenii Sergeev turned a quirky development note into something Calgary can actually use. By stopping 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on April 16 at Scotiabank Saddledome, the 23-year-old became the first Flames goaltender to win his ECHL, AHL and NHL debuts in the same season.

That latest step came under emergency conditions, with Calgary recalling Sergeev from the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers for the season finale on Fan Appreciation Night. The Kings pressed early and owned a 7-1 shot edge at the first TV timeout, but Sergeev settled in and made several highlight-reel saves as the Flames closed the regular season with a win.

The NHL game was not an isolated spike. Sergeev had already announced himself in the American League on Dec. 21, 2025, when he stopped 52 of 53 shots in a 2-1 victory over the San Diego Gulls. The Wranglers said that performance set a new franchise record for saves in a single game, and Sergeev later called the night “absolutely amazing,” adding that getting the start and having a good debut is “always a good feeling.”

His first professional start came even earlier, on Oct. 18, 2025, when he made 36 saves in Rapid City’s win at Kansas City. ECHL notes identified that game as his first pro start and credited him with the victory. Rapid City later listed him at 6-6-0 in 12 appearances with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage, while Calgary’s NHL player page shows his 2025-26 totals as 12 ECHL games, 28 AHL games and one NHL game.

That path matters because it is not normal for a seventh-round pick to move through three leagues and win his first start at each stop in the same winter. Calgary selected Sergeev 205th overall in the 2021 NHL Draft after his college career at Penn State, and the 2002-born Yaroslavl native also earned a 2026 ECHL All-Star nod along the way. The numbers suggest the Flames may have found more than a one-night story: Sergeev handled heavy shot volume in San Diego, survived the grind in Rapid City and then held his own against Los Angeles when the NHL crease finally opened.

The ECHL said Sergeev became the 782nd former league player to reach the NHL and the 14th to make his NHL debut in 2025-26. For Calgary, though, the bigger takeaway is simpler: the goalie depth chart changed fast, and Sergeev forced his way into the conversation with every stop he made.