Hark! The Calgary Flames, in a savvy play, have plucked forward Cole Schwindt from the mitts of the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. This strapping lad was part of the spoils they snagged in the great Matthew Tkachuk trade-bonanza with the Florida Panthers, a deal that also brought in the likes of Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, and a 2025 first-rounder with more protections than a VIP at a nightclub.
Now, let’s gab about our buddy Schwindt. The dude hasn’t yet hit the ice in a Flames sweater, but he’s not a total NHL newbie. He had a three-game cameo with the Panthers once upon a 2021-22 season, though the highlight reel was pretty much empty and the chap was chilling at a minus-four. But hey, everyone has off days, am I right?
Over in the AHL, where the lights are dimmer, the 22-year-old Schwindt has been doing his thing, pocketing forty-two goals and setting up fifty-two more in a solid one hundred and eighty-nine games. Respectable, yeah?
But here’s the tea: the dude’s offense has been stuck in neutral lately—think of it like that one hit song an artist can’t seem to follow up. Back in his Charlotte Checkers days, the man was on fire with nineteen goals and twenty-one assists in seventy-two games. Flash forward to now, and, whoops, the magic seems a tad diluted.
This season, he’s been potting eight goals and spoon-feeding twelve assists over thirty-seven games with the Wranglers. Okay, not quite his golden year, but the guy’s defensive mojo has been leveling up. Perhaps, that’s why the Flames are giving him a shot to strut his stuff in the NHL again after a two-year minor league grind?
Let’s not beat around the bush—if Schwindt can swing it at the big show, he could stick around longer than someone’s in-laws during the holidays. Especially since the Flames might be cooking up some big deals as we speak. So, Cole Schwindt, show us what you’ve got and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be more than just a footnote in the flaming hot saga of the Calgary Flames.