The Farm Report - 09.12.24 

With the recent call-ups of Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier to the Flames, the Wranglers have been forced to adapt.

While the departures of such key players can create a challenge, they also present opportunities for others to step up — and that’s exactly what is happening in the AHL ranks.

One such beneficiary has been William Stromgren, who has quickly found chemistry on the line once occupied by Pelletier.

The 21-year-old Swede has risen to the occasion, contributing offensively with three points on Dec. 7, and another point the night before.

Stromgren’s ability to seize the moment hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He’s one of those guys who is taking advantage of the situation,” Wranglers head coach Trent Cull said “With a couple of call-ups, all of a sudden, Stromgren slots in on a line that Pelletier was playing on, and he’s keeping his pace up, keeping his feet moving.”

“He’s a talented guy.”

And one making the most of the situation in front of him.

“It’s good for those guys to go up,” Stromgren explained. “It creates a lot of opportunities for other guys and luckily I am one of those.

“Huntsy and Ror (Dryden Hunt and Rory Kerins) are two skilled players and they do stuff to bring your tempo up and we’ve got good chemistry even though it’s just our first couple games but we get our chemistry up and keep it going.”

Wranglers Bounce Back Against Roadrunners

The tension between the Wranglers and Tucson Roadrunners continues to build.

After a tough two-game setback in Tucson earlier this season, the Wranglers were determined to get back on track in front of their home crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome this past weekend.

"We owe them one, for sure," said forward Rory Kerins ahead of the Friday/Saturday double-header. "We’ve got to use what we learned from those games and really use it."

And apply it they did.

The Wranglers showed up to both games, battling hard to secure back-to-back wins and tying the season series with Tucson at 2-2.

“They took it to us at the end of our road trip a couple of weeks ago, so it was nice to battle back,” Cull noted after the second victory.

With the two wins, the Wranglers now sit atop the Pacific Division with a 17-5-1 record, and are second overall in the league.

They’ll have a chance to further build on their momentum when they face the Roadrunners again at home on Jan. 14 and 15.

Chemistry BREW-ing

The chemistry between Hunter Brzustewicz and Martin Frk continues to grow this season.

Brzustewicz assisted on three of Frk’s four goals so far, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.

"Roommates on the road, you know the chemistry builds there," Brzustewicz joked.

Frk, the veteran forward, has been a mentor to the young defenceman.

"He’s a right-handed D (defenceman), he’s pretty skilled, and we know he can make a play," Frk explained. "He just needs to feel comfortable playing…We’ll see big things from him."

As Frk humbly pointed out, though, "I’m trying to tell him what I know, but he also plays hockey, too, so he knows what he needs to do."

Upcoming Games

• Dec. 10 vs Moose @ 7pm - Get Tickets
• Dec. 11 vs Moose @ 7pm - Get Tickets
• Dec. 14 at Firebirds @ 7pm - How To Watch
• Dec. 15 at Firebirds @ 4pm - How To Watch

One-Timers

• Martin Frk is on a six-game point streak, gaining eight points in the last half-dozen outings, and nine points in the last eight tilts.
• William Stromgren has seven points in his last five games.
• Sam Morton tallied three points on Dec. 7.

Quotables

Sam Morton on the shift of momentum among younger guys:

“We’re over 20 games in now, so it just takes some time to get their feet wet to start to feel more comfortable out there and you can tell the depth throughout the lineup is becoming more reliable and feeling confident out there.”

Head Coach Trent Cull on Ilya Solovyov’s mentorship opportunity with linemate Joni Jurmo:

“He’s seeing the ice well, but also he doesn’t forget what he is, and he’s a good defender, he plays hard, and he’s a first pass kind of guy and sometimes just doing those simple things makes him the kind of guy who partners up well with a young guy.”