The forward starred with a pair of goals as Calgary dropped a 4-2 pre-season decision to Seattle on Sunday night.

There are limited opportunities for young Calgary Flames to state their case for a spot on the NHL roster this pre-season.

Aydar Suniev seems intent on making it hard for the coaches to send him down to the AHL anyways.
In the first of the Flames’ four tune-up games before the regular season gets underway, Suniev was his team’s best player. He scored twice and hit the post on another chance in the 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken.

That, dear reader, is called making the most of your opportunity.

“It was awesome, I worked on my shot all summer and just the little things. I’m glad it’s paying off,” Suniev said post-game.

While the Flames’ opening night roster seems pretty set, head coach Ryan Huska has maintained that competition for spots is still open. A year ago, Matvei Gridin forced his way into the NHL mix with a strong training camp, while Sam Honzek managed the same in 2024.

Could Suniev be next?

The 21-year-old earned himself a six-game call-up at the end of last season and Sunday’s performance, combined with the lamp-lighter he recorded in the Next Gen Showcase earlier in the week, he’s now scored all three goals the Flames have managed this pre-season.

“Every year that Suni’s come back, there’s been a lot of growth in his game,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska. “That’s what we’re excited about, he just seems like he keeps starting to understand the game a little bit better and he’s more of a man, if that makes sense. He’s maturing, both mentally and physically.”

Here’s three takeaways from Sunday’s game:

1. SUNIEV’S SHOT

For a team that struggled to score last season, it would seem like Suniev would be an obvious fit. The challenge will be finding a place for him.

The Flames have a lot of players under contract right now, and because Suniev is waiver exempt he’s a lot easier to send down to the AHL. Playing with the Wranglers certainly wouldn’t hurt him, but he’s making a compelling case for himself early in pre-season.

“He can shoot a puck, we know that,” Huska said. “When he gets opportunities it’s nice to see him have success. Three goals so far and he’s got all three, good on him.”

2. HONZEK ALL THE WAY BACK

Along with Suniev, Huska listed Sam Honzek as the Flames’ best forward against the Kraken, and it’s not hard to see why.

The 23-year-old was all over the ice and did a nice job setting up Suniev’s opener.

After missing most of last season with a shoulder injury, it’s hugely encouraging to see the Slovak winger back and at his best.

“It actually felt pretty unreal,” Honzek said. “It started with warmup, seeing the fans and getting the excitement going. I enjoyed every second of it and I’m glad that I felt well and my shoulder was good and overall my body felt 100%.”

Honzek has been skating on a line with Mikael Backlund and Joel Farabee in the early days of training camp and that’s where fans should expect to see him starting the regular season.

“He was back like he hadn’t missed a year,” Huska said. “It’s nice to see him out there. He brings an element to our team that we don’t have a lot of. A little bit of size but he’s got some real speed. When he’s on the ice he’s noticeable, not just for his ability to forecheck or put pressure on his opponents, but tonight he made some really nice plays on the puck, as well.”

3. OTHMANN SENT OFF

Brennan Othmann’s night didn’t last long.

The 23-year-old winger, who signed a one-year deal with the Flames on Saturday, was tossed from Sunday evening’s proceedings a little over five minutes into the game.

He was in the middle of his second shift when he took a run at the Kraken’s Ville Ottavainen. The hit was high, and Othmann was immediately assessed a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct.

Before leaving, though, he dropped the gloves and duked it out with John Hayden.

It was an eventful start to the pre-season for the young winger, who also managed to draw an interference penalty on his first shift.

“For the short time that Othmann was in the game, he had impact,” Huska said. It’s too bad he ended up getting tossed out like that, because he was very noticeable. “