YOUNG STARS PREVIEW - FLAMES VS. OILERS

It's time for another edition of the Battle of Alberta.
The Flames are back in action at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, BC, facing off against the Oilers at 8:30 p.m. MT.
The game will be streamed on CalgaryFlames.com and the Flames' app, with

Dustin Wolf was strong in net in his first game action in a few months, making 34 saves in the loss.
"Wolfie was Wolfie," forward Walker Duehr said. "You know he's always going to be a big safety net for us back there. We can't rely on him that much so we've got to start putting some goals in for him."
Love has not yet named a goaltender for this evening's match-up but the team does have Daniil Chechelev and Brad Artvanitis on the roster to provide support in net.

Morning Skate Notes

The Flames made a couple of line changes during their morning skate:
Jakob Pelletier - Cole Schwindt - Adam Klapka
Mathias Emilio Pettersen - Connor Zary - Walker Duehr
Jack Beck - Rory Kerins - Lucas Ciona
Cole Huckins / Lucas Feuk - Ilya Nikolaev - Evan Boucher / Cooper Walker
On defence, the following pairings were used through the morning skate:
Ilya Solovyov - Jeremie Poirier
Yan Kuznetsov - Rhett Rhinehart
Jake Lee - Cole Jordan
Simon Lavigne - Chris Sedoff
A goaltender for tonight's match-up has not been named.

The Opponent

Edmonton will have their 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 first-round picks in the lineup in defenceman Philip Broberg and forwards Dylan Holloway, Xavier Bourgault, and Reid Schaefer.
Broberg has NHL experience, with 23 games with the Oilers in 2021-22. He also dressed for 31 games with Bakersfield in the AHL last year. Holloway's 2021-22 saw him suit up for 33 games with Bakersfield, scoring eight goals and 22 points. Bourgault played for Shawinigan in the QMJHL last season, posting 75 points in 43 games and chipping in with 22 points in 16 postseason skates. Schaefer, drafted out of Seattle in WHL, scored 32 goals and 58 points in 66 games with the Thunderbirds. In 25 playoff games, he accrued 22 points.
The Oilers are coming off of a 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the Young Stars Classic, with Darien Kielb, Michael Kesselring, and James Hamblin scoring and goaltender Ryan Fanti making 21 saves.

Player To Watch

When the Flames made waves across the hockey world with the acquisition of Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, the package with Florida also included up-and-coming forward Cole Schwindt.
"We liked the young player in Cole Schwindt, we liked him a lot," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said of the 21-year-old. "Centreman, size, high-end character player.
"We've known the player since his time with Mississauga in the OHL. He's filled out - he was always a lanky, tall kid. High-end character. We look at him as projected as an NHL centreman, sort of a middle-six forward. He's responsible. I thought he had a real good first year, he was a first-year pro in the American Hockey League. Our guys really like the player.
"When you go through these types of deals and you've got additional pieces that you're talking about, we had a handful of players that we were focused in on for a prospect base and Cole was right up there at the top of the list. We think he's our style of player - highly competitive, intelligent, a big rangy centreman. He took a step in his development last year and we think there's lots more to come."
The Kitchener, ON product spent 2021-22 with the Charlotte Checkers, scoring 19 goals and 40 points through 72 regular season games. He also earned a cup of coffee in the NHL, skating in three games with the Panthers.
Given his style of play and the intensity he brings to the game, Schwindt will likely play a key role in the Battle of Alberta this evening. In the opening game of the tournament, the forward skated with Jakob Pelletier and Duehr and could see himself back centering them this evening.

Up Next

The Flames will have a practice day on Sunday and then wrap up their tournament on Monday when they take on the Winnipeg Jets at 12:00 p.m. MT.