What the Flames are getting in newly acquired prospect Cole Schwindt

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t forget about Cole Schwindt.

There’s been a lot of buzz around the blockbuster trade that brought Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames – and saw Matthew Tkachuk optioned to the Florida Panthers – in the NHL’s first ever true sign-and-trade swap.

But it turns out Schwindt, the undercard of that transaction alongside a first-round pick, played a key role in getting the move done.

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“Our scouts really like this guy,” Flames General Manager Brad Treliving said. “He’s a guy we talked about for a while. Big, long, rangy centerman. We think he can play in the middle-six. We think he could be real good in the three-hole. His ability to kill penalties, win face-offs. High-character kid. This goes back to his days in the OHL. He was a part of it.

“You go through these pieces, and as I told Cole, there might be some sexier names that the public knows in this deal more than yours, but you’re a part of this. Getting you was part of the deal and something we needed to happen. We’re excited to get Cole Schwindt.”

Indeed he is.

Schwindt, who had 55 goals and 138 points in 191 games over three seasons with the Mississauga Steelheads from 2017-2020, immediately bolsters both Calgary’s prospect pool and American Hockey League franchise.

The 21-year-old had 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 72 games with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL last season in his first spin on the pro circuit.

He took three twirls with the Panthers in the NHL, too.

“I think he’s a great young player,” Weegar described. “He played a few games with us this year. Very humble kid. He’s big. He has a high ceiling. I think he’s going to be a good player, eventually. He’s probably as excited as the rest of us. He was probably as shocked as Hubie and I. You’ve got yourself another good young forward. He’s a top prospect. I think he’s going to be a value to the Calgary Flames here in the near future.”

Schwindt, a product of Breslau, Ontario, was originally plucked in the third round (No. 81) by Florida in the 2019 NHL Draft.

The 6’2″, 182-pound right-shot pivot was described in his draft year as a “two-way forward with tremendous size and a pro-level intensity in his game.”

“He’s a righty, a big guy,” Huberdeau detailed. “He’s got a lot of skills. He’s a great skater. From what I saw he was really good. I thought he was pretty close to playing in this league. Like MacKenzie said, in the near future he’s going to have a spot in the NHL. That’s another good player that the Calgary Flames added.

“It’s just going to be up to him to crack the line-up.”