The Farm Report - 19.12.23

The goal?

Head into the break on a winning note.

It will be a busy week for the Wranglers as they close out the 2023 portion of their schedule with three games on the road, beginning in Bakersfield on Wednesday.

There will be added motivation for the group heading into the Christmas break after dropping their last three games - the first time the Wranglers have lost three in a row since last February when they lost a trio of tilts against the Henderson Silver Knights.

Calgary currently sits third in the AHL standings with a 16-6-2-0 record for 34 points.

Last Three Games:

• Dec.10, CGY @ MB (L/OT, 4-3)
• Dec.15, CGY @ SJ (L, 3-0)
• Dec.16, CGY @ SJ (L, 5-2)

Reinforcements On The Backend

The Wranglers will receive a boost on the blueline and in between the pipes with the return of (D) Ilya Solovyov and (G) Dustin Wolf, who were assigned to the team on Dec.17. 

Solovyov last played on Dec.11 against the Colorado Avalanche and, in total, has appeared in six games with the Flames this season, registering two assists in that span.

Wolf is 1-2-1 in five appearances with the Flames this season and is expected to slide back into his regular slot as the Wranglers’ No. 1 netminder.

The reigning MVP and back-to-back AHL Goaltender of the Year has made 13 starts for the Wranglers this season, sporting a 10-3-0-2 record with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage, with two shutouts.

Coronato Coming Along

Matt Coronato continues to grow and develop in his first pro season, having split time with the Flames and Wranglers in 2023-24.

The 21-year-old currently leads the Wranglers in scoring with 20 points (8G,12A) in 16 games and has yet to go more than a game without registering at least a point.

One-Timers:

Yan Kuznetsov picked up his second career fight, dropping the mitts with Scott Sabourin on Friday against the Barracuda. ... Connor Murphy made his first career AHL start on Sunday against San Jose. ... Jarrod Gourley played his first regular-season game for the Wranglers.

Quotables:

Ben Jones on turning the page heading into Bakersfield:
“Every team is going to bring their best when they play against us, we know that. Those two losses sting, so we’re looking to build on that going forward on this road trip.”

Head Caoch Trent Cull on the recent powerplay results:
“We’ve got our top guys out there… they need to find a way to score goals. We’ve got a system in place, and we just didn’t get the job done.”