It started out just like any other Wednesday.
But by suppertime, Jonathan Castagna was thinking about how to get decked out in a new shade of red.
The Cornell forward was acquired by the Flames in the deal that saw MacKenzie Weegar head to Utah Wednesday evening, and by the time news of the deal sunk in, Castagna’s excitement only grew.
“I guess you could say that it was definitely an interesting day,” Castagna said during a phone conversation Wednesday evening. “It all happened pretty quickly, to say that I'm excited would be an understatement, because for them to take a chance on me like that, it means a lot.
“I know Calgary is a very good organization to be a part of and they value their prospects a lot. I'm just really grateful to have this opportunity and it really is an honour.”
The deal came in a soft part of the schedule for Castagna’s Big Red. Cornell - ranked No. 9 in this week’s USCHO national poll - finished third in the ECAC with a 20-8-1 overall record after wrapping up the regular season last weekend, and they now await their first-round playoff opponent, who they’ll open up against on home ice March 13.
Castagna’s had a breakout campaign, too. The 20-year-old led the Big Red in scoring with 14 goals and 32 points, all while winning 64.6% of the nearly 600 face-offs he took over those 29 games.
“I guess you would call it a breakout, if you're looking at the stats specifically,” Castagna said of his 2025-26 campaign. “Just for myself being an older player in the NCAA now - a junior on the team - I feel like just this year was the one where it all really connected. It's been such a huge learning curve ever since I stepped into the NCAA, and I guess you would say that it was the maturity year, where everything kind of, Um, settled in nicely.
“I’m feeling good about my game right now and I've been getting rewarded for it. The team’s going into playoffs now, so just super-excited about that, and I feel like we're in a good spot altogether.”
Cornell goes into the post-season as back-to-back ECAC tournament champs, and last spring, the Big Red were a win away from reaching their Frozen Four since 2003.
Castagna has a potential new teammate standing in his way, though. Quinnipiac - and the nation’s scoring leader Ethan Wyttenbach - are the top seed heading into the ECAC playoffs. And Castagna says his fellow Flames prospect is someone his group will have to keep an eye on, in the event they meet down the post-season trail.
“He's a good player, and he's obviously a guy that needs to have a lot of attention towards him when you're playing against him because he is a natural goal scorer, a natural point-getter,” Castagna said of Wyttenbach. “I guess lucky for for us, we play a rather defensive game, and we're usually pretty defensively sound.”
“I like to play physical, and I also really value the defensive aspects of the game as much as I do the offence.”
Cornell and Quinnipiac split their two regular-season meetings. Wyttenbach had a goal in a 4-1 Bobcats win in January, but Castagna’s goal and three assists helped pace the Big Red to a 6-1 triumph in their last meeting Feb. 20.
As for his new professional hockey home, Castagna - who hails from Etobicoke, Ont., admits he’s never been to Calgary. But he’s got two teammates on this year’s Cornell squad who both hail from the Stampede City and have been singing its praises.
“I've heard it's really beautiful down there,” Castagna said. “I have (teammates) from there right now, they have nothing but good things to say about it.
“I'm excited nonetheless to get there.”
Those teammates might even be guests at the Castagna house over the course of the hockey season. Castagna lives with several teammates and says one of his favourite things to do in his off-time is host - and cook - meals.
“No specific dish,” he said when asked about his signature dinner. “Sometimes I'll make pasta dishes for the guys and just have a nice big family meal in our house.”
With some hard work, those meals might have a more celebratory nature in a few weeks’ time.
And as a junior - and a guy that wears a letter on this year’s Big Red squad - Castagna is ready to help lead the way as Cornell’s playoff journey begins.
“The success we've been having is kind of a testament to how well our coaches have done, and all the older guys on the team of staying patient, knowing the process and sticking with it,” he said. “We’ve been getting rewarded for it.
“It’s a huge testament to the new guys as well. They've all bought in tremendously, it’s really cool to see.”
