Flames sign Aydar Suniev to entry-level contract

Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy has announced that the club has signed Aydar Suniev to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Suniev spent the 2024-25 campaign with the UMass Minutemen, where he racked up 20 goals and 18 assists for 38 points in 35 games. Suniev ranked second in goals and points among Minutemen skaters, trailing Nashville Predators prospect Cole O’Hara.

Suniev was originally drafted No. 80 overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by Calgary.

During the 2023-24 season, Suniev made his NCAA debut and appeared in 36 games for UMass, registering 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points. Throughout his two years of college hockey, Suniev notched 32 goals and 31 assists for 63 points in 71 games.

Suniev ranked ninth in goals and 11th in points in 2023-24 — behind such names as Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Gavin Brindley, Oliver Moore, Matthew Wood, and, of course, Bradly Nadeau.

Before his NCAA tenure, Suniev played for the prestigious Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and during the 2022-23 season, Suniev led the BCHL with 45 goals, was named to the BCHL All-Rookie Team and BCHL First All-Star Team after helping the Vees capture a second back-to-back championship.

Suniev was listed on Steven Ellis’s Top 10 Flames prospects prior to him heading to the NCAA. “A University of Massachusetts commit, Suniev deserves a lot of love for his play in Penticton,” Ellis said. “He had 45 goals and 90 points in 50 games while playing alongside Bradly Nadeau, helping to round out the most dominant line in Canadian Jr. A hockey. Suniev then finished with 23 points in the playoffs, good for fifth in postseason scoring.”

The Russian native will see action with the Flames’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Calgary Wranglers where he will continue his development as a prospect.