Calgary Wranglers officially unveiled as new Flames AHL affiliate

The Calgary Flames have announced the name of their new American Hockey League affiliate as the Calgary Wranglers, set to begin play at the Scotiabank Saddledome for the 2022–23 AHL regular season.

The Wranglers are the ninth incarnation of Calgary’s AHL franchise, which has existed since 1977 when it was founded as the Maine Mariners. The Flames purchased the franchise in 1993 and relocated it to Saint John, New Brunswick to become the Saint John Flames.

The franchise most recently existed as the Stockton Heat from 2015 to 2022, advancing to the AHL Western Conference Final earlier this year before falling to the eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves in six games.

On the eve of that series against Chicago, the Flames announced the imminent relocation of the Heat to Calgary, AB for the 2022–23 season.

The “Wranglers” name has a storied tradition in Calgary. As a Western Hockey League club from 1977 to 1987, the Wranglers made the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons and reached the championship final in 1981. Mike Vernon, Kelly Kisio, and Dana Murzyn are among the notable NHL alumni who played junior hockey with the Wranglers.

The Calgary Hitmen, a current WHL franchise, revived the old Wranglers identity in 2018 as part of a series of games played at the historic Stampede Corral. Both the original and throwback Wrangler uniforms used a red, blue, and white colour scheme.

The new AHL Wranglers will use swap blue for gold to match the Flames’ colours. They’ll play their first AHL game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds on October 16, 2022.