SportsHockeyFlames

Calgary Flames sign coveted NCAA free agent and he's a local boy

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Mar 12 2026, 4:41 pm
Calgary Flames sign coveted NCAA free agent and he's a local boy
Reid Glenn/USA TODAY NETWORK

The Calgary Flames have inked one of the most coveted NCAA free agents.

With the team certain to finish near the bottom of the NHL standings once again, GM Craig Conroy is continuing to bring in fresh, young talent to the organization. This time, it’s a local boy, with 23-year-old centreman Tyson Gross inking a contract with the Flames.

The Flames announced they had signed Gross to a two-year deal on Thursday morning.

Gross was born and raised in Calgary and spent time his youth in the Springbank minor hockey system. He played with the Drumhellar Dragons of the AJHL before deciding to jump to the United States for a two-year stint in the USHL and later to the NCAA.

The six-foot-three, 195-pound centreman has spent the last three seasons with St. Cloud State, where he served as captain this past season. Gross put up 18 goals and 41 points in 36 games in the NCAA this year and was one of the most sought-after college free agents.

This is the second notable NCAA player to join the Flames organization in the span of a week, after the team acquired Jonathan Castagna from the Utah Mammoth in the MacKenzie Weegar trade.

Gross became eligible to sign an NHL entry-level contract after St. Cloud was eliminated by Minnesota Duluth in the quarter-final of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

Flames fans will not have to wait long to see their newest young player make his debut in Calgary. Sportsnet’s Eric Francis is reporting that Gross is expected to make his NHL debut this season, giving him his first taste of professional hockey with his hometown team.

There has been no confirmation on when that debut will come, as the Flames are currently in the midst of an eastern road trip and aren’t slated to be back in Calgary until next Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT