Flames open training camp aiming for buzz in final season at Saddledome

CALGARY — The Calgary Flames hit the ice Thursday for a season of building to be a playoff contender in a new arena.

A team that finished fourth-last in the NHL last season, and was the lowest-scoring team in the league, is leaning into a youth movement to create buzz for its Scotia Place debut in the fall of 2027.

The Flames open their final season at the 43-year-old Saddledome at home Oct. 1 against the Seattle Kraken.

Of Calgary’s 52 campers, 33 were aged 26 or under.

“I came from a team, we were all kind of north of 30 and now I’m one of the older guys,” said Jake Middleton, a 30-year-old defenceman acquired in July from the Minnesota Wild for Blake Coleman and Olli Maatta.

“It seems a little young, but . . . we’ll be able to skate teams into the ground and outwork them and have that young competitive fire.”

Forward Chase Harrington, an 18-year-old and Calgary’s 36th overall pick in this year’s draft, was among the rookies invited to stay on for main camp.

Left-winger Jonathan Huberdeau, who is Calgary’s highest-paid player with a cap hit of US$10.5 million annually, didn’t join his teammates on the ice Thursday as he continued his comeback from hip resurfacing in March. The 33-year-old hasn’t played since January.

“He’s on track. It’s just taking a little longer on his timeline,” head coach Ryan Huska said.

“He’s skating a lot right now. We’re getting him working with an individual skills coach from time to time and they’re being very careful with how much we’re putting him on the ice and balancing his off-ice workouts to put him in the position where he’s totally feeling 100 per cent.”

Several Flames are young in age, but will be counted on to parlay previous NHL experience into more prominent roles for Calgary in 2026-27.

Forward Samuel Honzek was 20 and forward Matvei Gridin and defenceman Zayne Parekh both 19 on Calgary’s opening day roster a year ago.

They navigated the ups and downs of their rookie seasons to arrive at training camp more self-assured.

“They are a big part of what we’re doing moving forward,” Huska concurred.

Parekh’s ambition in his sophomore season is to quarterback the power play, which ranked second-last in the NHL last season. Only Philadelphia’s was worse.

Calgary’s acquisition of 22-year-old defenceman Simon Nemec from New Jersey, and subsequent five-year, $36.25-million investment in him, created competition for that job.

“I want to be an elite power play one guy on this team,” said Parekh, who set a world junior men’s tournament record in January for points by a defenceman with 13 in seven games.

“I want our power play clicking and I want be the guy that’s driving that and I think it’s a good challenge for me. Me and Nemo are going to compete there and it’s going to be good for both of us.”

Six-foot-four winger Honzek was a regular on Calgary’s shutdown line with captain Mikael Backlund and Coleman last season, and a strong Olympic candidate for Slovakia, until he collided with Backlund in Winnipeg and suffered a season-ending upper-body injury Nov 15.

Calgary’s first draft pick in 2023 underwent surgery, but got a head start on this season with ice time at the end of 2025-26.

“Physically I feel 100 per cent, mentally I feel a 100 per cent,” the 21-year-old said. “I wouldn’t call it anxious. I would say I’m excited to get back and kind of pick up where I left off and being even better.

“It’s our last year in the ‘Dome, so it’s special.”

Gridin, a first-round draft pick in 2024, split his rookie season between the Flames and AHL’s Wranglers. He played some top-six forward minutes and finished with 10 goals and 20 assists in 37 games for the parent club.

“Me and Gridy took big steps after the trade deadline,” Parekh said. “Sam was injured at that time. If you look at our last 10 games or that stretch of hockey, we played some really good hockey and we were winning games.

“You move on from a couple older guys, some veterans, and it creates more opportunity for the three of us. Hopefully, we take it and run with it.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2026.