Calgary Flames sign Parker Bell to entry-level contract

The Calgary Flames announced that they’ve signed winger Parker Bell to a three-year, entry-level contract with a $857,500 cap hit.

Bell, 19, will see the contract kick in once he finishes his junior career, which could very well be this season depending on where he falls on the Flames depth chart. His contract will be a two-way deal, and when it expires, he will be a restricted free agent with no arbitration rights.

Bell spent most of his 2022-23 season in the Western Hockey League with the Tri-City Americans, where he had 25 goals, 39 assists, and 64 points in 55 regular season games. He followed that up with two goals, four assists, and six points in six playoff games as the Americans were eliminated in the first round by the Prince George Cougars. He also played two AHL games with the Calgary Wranglers, getting one assist during his brief stint there.

Bell was a fifth-round pick of the Flames in the 2022 NHL Draft, going 155th overall. He was coming off a solid year with the Americans in the WHL that season, with 18 goals, 31 assists, and 49 points in 64 games.

Bell becomes the first player selected in the 2022 draft for the Flames to get an NHL contract. While that accomplishment is impressive regardless for a fifth-round pick, he was only the second of three players selected by the Flames in that draft. They had also selected Topi Ronni in the second round and Cade Littler in the seventh round.

The Flames had a relatively uneventful offseason, with their only change of significance seeing them trade Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick. They currently have no more restricted free agents to sign and six more available contracts for their roster while being $213,333 over the salary cap.