Flames getting impressive AHL production from recent college signing

It’s early, but Sam Morton appears to be quite the signing by the Calgary Flames based on his short time with the Calgary Wranglers.

Morton was signed to a one-year, $950,000 deal by the Flames 10 days ago. The deal will begin at the start of the 2024-25 season, though Morton is with the Wranglers to close out the 2023-24 campaign on an amateur tryout deal (ATO).

The 24-year-old proved he has plenty of offensive talent this season, as he had a team-leading 24 goals and 37 points in 37 games with Minnesota State University. Based on his six games thus far with the Wranglers, it appears that translating his offensive game to the professional level won’t be difficult.

Morton got on the scoresheet in his first game as a Wrangler, recording an assist in what was a 2-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors. The very next night, he scored his first AHL goal against the Condors, though he and his teammates fell 3-2 in a shootout.

Through six games, Morton finds himself with two goals and four points. He was able to get the game-winning goal last night in a 2-0 Wranglers win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

What makes Morton’s production all the more impressive is that it hasn’t come in games that the Wranglers are running up the score. His offence has come at crucial moments for the Wranglers, making him a very valuable piece in the lineup, and one that head coach Trent Cull already seems to be a big fan of.

“He’s got some swagger with the puck, and that’s what we need through our middle ice,” Cull said after last night’s win.

The 2023-24 season has been a bit of a rollercoaster for the Wranglers, who have had to go without many of their players for chunks of the year due to the Flames calling them up. That said, they still sit sixth in the Pacific Division with a 33-23-8 record, meaning playoffs are likely if they can finish strong over their remaining eight games of the regular season.

With how he has produced so far, Morton is a prospect worth monitoring moving forward. If he can finish the season strong and continue to produce in the playoffs, we could be looking at a player who could see some NHL action as soon as next season.

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