There is officially a new professional hockey team in Calgary.
The Calgary Flames officially unveiled the name of their new AHL affiliate to the public on Tuesday afternoon, announcing that the team will be called the Calgary Wranglers as the club moves from California to Calgary for the coming season.
The news comes after the Flames officially severed ties with their prior AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, following the 2021-22 season in order to move their farm club closer to home. The Heat certainly didn’t go out with a whimper in their final season of AHL action, however, winning the Pacific Division and making it all the way to the Western Conference Final until they were ousted in six games by the eventual Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves.
Dubbing their new club the Wranglers is a move by the Flames that should make local fans happy, paying tribute to the junior hockey club of the same name that operated in the Western Hockey League during the 1970s and 80s from 1977 to 1987. Notable Wranglers alumni include Mike Vernon, Kelly Kisio, and Dana Murzyn, all of whom went on to put together NHL careers.
While the Wranglers wore red, white, and blue uniforms during their WHL days, the team will not incorporate blue in their new uniforms, according to FlamesNation, and will likely be styled closer to the look of their parent club.
The Wranglers will begin operation next season and are slated to use the Flames’ Scotiabank Saddledome as its home arena.
