Hunter Brzustewicz, Sam Morton, Zayne Parekh and Aydar Suniev will skate a crowded welcome lap prior to the Flames’ season finale
Hunter Brzustewicz, Sam Morton, Zayne Parekh and Aydar Suniev will skate a crowded welcome lap prior to the Flames’ season finale
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Calgary Flames (40-27-14) at Los Angeles Kings (48-24-9)
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When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m. MT, Crypto.com Arena
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TV: Sportsnet West. Radio: Sportsnet 960 The Fan
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Odds: Flames +126, Kings -152
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The buzz
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It’s a meaningless game in the standings, but it will nonetheless be an unforgettable night for these up-and-comers.
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Four of the Flames’ most promising prospects — blue-liners Hunter Brzustewicz and Zayne Parekh, centre Sam Morton and winger Aydar Suniev — are expected to log their NHL debuts in Los Angeles. It will be a crowded solo lap.
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This is the final outing for the Flames in the 2024-25 campaign. They were eliminated from wild-card contention Tuesday, then rallied anyway for a 5-4 shootout victory over the Golden Knights.
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Noon News Roundup
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On the opposite side, the Kings are preparing for another first-round showdown with the Edmonton Oilers.
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With the focus on the NHL newbies, we’ve made a slight update to our Game Day file. Instead of the usual Three Things to Know, you’ll find four today, a complete rundown on the first-timers …
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The quote
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“We have lots to be proud of. We played some incredible hockey this year. And we still have one left, so we have to show up.”
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— Nazem Kadri after the Flames were eliminated Tuesday from the Western Conference wild-card race
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Four need-to-knows
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• Brzustewicz has notched five goals and 26 assists in his first campaign with the Calgary Wranglers, the fourth-best total among rookie defencemen in the AHL. Asked earlier in the season about the challenges of the jump from major-junior to the professional ranks, he mentioned that it feels like there is always somebody in the shooting lane. The 20-year-old righty has put a major focus on being able to sneak more pucks through traffic from the point and he scored the game-winner last Saturday for the farm team.
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• Some don’t consider Morton to be a ‘prospect’ since he is already 25, but this late-blooming centre has shown steady progress and will now be rewarded with his NHL debut. Signed just over a year ago as a college free agent, Morton has collected 20 goals and 25 assists in 69 appearances this winter with the Wranglers. He is a candidate to be the Flames’ fourth-line pivot in 2025-26 and one of the keys to this audition will be success in the faceoff circle.
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• Parekh, the ninth-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, put up eye-popping numbers this season with the Saginaw Spirit. This rising-star righty piled up 107 points, the highest total by an OHL blue-liner since the 1990s. He also joined the legendary Bobby Orr as only the second rearguard in OHA/OHL history to pot 30-plus goals in back-to-back campaigns. Whoa. Parekh, who turned 19 in February, has been determined to silence the criticisms of his work in his own zone, so that will certainly be a priority against the Kings.
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• Suniev was the Flames’ third-round selection in 2023 and has been practising with the team for the past couple of weeks after inking an entry-level contract. This 20-year-old lefty has a wicked shot to go with a power-forward frame. He was a prolific scorer during his stint with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees and was fifth among all NCAA sophomores this season with 20 snipes on behalf of the UMass Minutemen.
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Flames’ projected lineup
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Check back for an update after morning skate.
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