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Calgary Flames reveal lines on opening day of training camp

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Sep 17 2026, 4:03 pm
Calgary Flames reveal lines on opening day of training camp
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames are back in action.

Thursday marked the opening day of training camp for the Flames, with two separate groups hitting the ice. The first group was filled with the vast majority of players expected to be on the opening night roster.

Training camps across the league look far different this season, as the NHL chose to shorten them in order to make room for an 84-game schedule.

That leaves far less time for all head coaches, including Ryan Huska, to tinker with line combinations, meaning what we saw on the opening day of camp could be very similar to what we see when the 2026-27 season gets underway.

With that said, here’s a look at the line combinations at Thursday morning’s skate:

Gridin – Frost – Coronato
Honzek/Harrington – Backlund – Farabee
Zary – Strome – Sharangovich
Tsyplakov/Nylander – Pospisil – Klapka

There were no major surprises in the top six, though it does go to show that there is a big opportunity for Sam Honzek with Jonathan Huberdeau remaining sidelined.

The bottom six was more interesting, as Martin Pospisil was playing down the middle. It’s an indication that the Flames coaching staff may be viewing him as a centreman once again heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

As for the blue line:

Bahl – Nemec
Middleton – Parekh
Kuznetsov – Whitecloud
Hanley – Pachal

Again, no major surprises on the back end. Kevin Bahl and Simon Nemec are likely to operate as the top pairing for the Flames to kick off the 2026-27 season, while the likes of Brayden Pachal and Joel Hanley are fighting for an opening night roster spot.

One interesting note on the back end is that Hunter Brzustewicz, who logged 34 games with the Flames last season, isn’t a part of the first group at camp. That suggests he will start the season in the AHL.

As for goaltenders, it was just Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley skating with the main group, which comes as no surprise. The tandem was one of the few bright spots for the Flames last season.

The Flames have just four preseason games this year, the first of which will come on Sunday, Sept. 20, against the Seattle Kraken.

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