Luke Philp is heading back to familiar territory.

The Canmore native has signed with the Calgary Wranglers for the 2026-27 American Hockey League season, ending his one-year stint in Sweden and bringing the veteran centre back into the Calgary Flames organization.

RMO's Shreejit Shelar was first to report.

The move marks a homecoming for Philp, who spent last season with Färjestad BK after signing with the Swedish club during his honeymoon in Italy. The opportunity gave the 30-year-old his first chance to experience European hockey after spending the bulk of his professional career in North America.

Now, after fulfilling a long-standing goal of playing overseas, Philp has elected to return closer to home as he and his wife, Jaycee, prepare for the next stage of their lives.

A return to Alberta also reunites Philp with an organization he knows well. He began his professional career in the Flames system when the club's AHL affiliate was based in Stockton, California, before later spending time with the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals organizations.

His familiarity with Calgary's management group and the opportunity to rejoin the organization made the Wranglers a natural landing spot once discussions about a return to North America began.

Philp's path back to the Wranglers has been anything but conventional.

Raised in Canmore, he developed through the local minor hockey system before continuing his progression in Cochrane, Airdrie and Drumheller. He later returned home to suit up for the Canmore Eagles before embarking on a four-year Western Hockey League career with the Kootenay Ice and Red Deer Rebels.

After three seasons at the University of Alberta, Philp turned professional and established himself as a dependable AHL forward. He also reached the NHL during the 2022-23 season, making his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks.

His lone season in Sweden offered a different style of hockey than he had grown accustomed to in North America. The larger international ice surface placed a greater emphasis on skating, puck possession and creating space, contrasting with the faster, more physical transition game typically played in the AHL and NHL.

Philp is expected to relocate to Calgary ahead of Wranglers training camp.