Flames Recall Prospect Aydar Suniev From Wranglers

Ten of Aydar Suniev's 23 points this AHL season came in 19 games after the all-star break. On Friday, the Calgary Flames rewarded that surge with a recall from the Calgary Wranglers, burning the fourth of their five available post-deadline recalls and pushing the active NHL roster to 27 players.

Suniev, a 21-year-old Russian left winger, had been the obvious candidate. Selected 80th overall by Calgary in the 2023 NHL draft, he spent his full rookie professional season in the AHL after arriving with substantial offensive credentials: he left UMass-Amherst following a sophomore year in which he ranked second on the Minutemen in scoring with 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games. He signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Flames in April 2025 and made his NHL debut on April 17 of that same year, posting a plus-2 rating in 14:48 of ice time against the Los Angeles Kings. Calgary sent him to the Wranglers for 2025-26 to develop at the professional level full time.

The assignment produced visible results. Suniev averaged 14:23 of ice time per game with the Wranglers, logging nearly two minutes on the power play, and finished his regular-season run with 15 goals. He took an early-season learning curve, struggling with defensive awareness and consistency, before finding his footing and becoming one of Calgary's better forwards in the back half. His 11th goal of the season against the San Jose Barracuda in February represented the kind of finishing touch the Flames expected when they drafted him.

With one post-deadline recall still available, Calgary now has Suniev's offensive instincts in the mix as the AHL regular season heads toward its April 19 close.