Continuing our "Fresh Faces" series, we have the Calgary Wranglers.

In this series, we'll be looking at the new prospects coming in on each team and even possibly vie for AHL Rookie of the Year or All-Rookie Team honours.

You can check out our previous teams in the series here:  Abbotsford Canucks, Bakersfield Condors, Belleville Senators.

2025-26 season: St. Cloud State (NCHC)

Draft Status: Undrafted 

Contract: Two-Year Two-Way Entry-Level Contract (started in 2025-26 season)

The Flames organization signed an absolute jewel in Calgary's own resident Tyson Gross. Last NCAA season, he was sixth in points as captain of St. Cloud State in the highly competitive NCHC conference with 41 (18G, 23A) in 36 games. His 1.14 points-per-game was ranked fourth for players that had played at least 36 games. What's more is he also had the most face-off wins with 489 while being tied for third in face-off win percentage with 58.9. He was so good that five days after his final college game, he signed his two-year two-way contract on March 12 and on March 22 was playing his first NHL game for his hometown Flames against division rivals Canucks. In his next game on April 9 against the Colorado Avalanche, he scored his first NHL goal. Now the two-way part of his contract kicks in where he will be starting with the Wranglers come fall. Make no mistake: he is certainly going to make a lot of noise in the American League.

2025-26 season: Cornell University (ECAC)

Draft Status: CGY 2023 RD 3, PK 70

Contract: Three-Year Entry-Level Contract (starting 2026-27 season)

Castagna was a third-rounder and had lots to prove when he took his talents to Cornell in the ECAC conference. He passed that hurdle successfully as his third and final season resulted in his best numbers in goals (15), assists (19), points (34) and rating (plus-23) in 34 games as alternate captain. The Etobicoke, ON native was designated ECAC Best Defensive Forward and was named to the ECAC First All-Star Team. Along with Gross, he's another contender for AHL Rookie honours.

2025-26 season: Brantford Bulldogs (OHL)

Draft Status: Undrafted 

Contract: Two-Year AHL-only Contract (starting 2026-27 season)

Boulton is the son of former NHL enforcer Eric Boulton. And as the saying goes: like father like son, because while the 20-year-old is not a high scoring skater, he is a very physical and hard-hitting energy forward. That is very evident by his 79 penalty minutes in 48 games last OHL season during his tenure with the Brantford Bulldogs. His 1.65 penalty minutes per game was ranked ninth for players that had played at least 48 games. He'll bring the heat while playing in the bottom six.

2025-26 season: North Dakota (NCHC)

Draft Status: CGY 2023 RD 7, PK 209

Contract: Two-Year Entry-Level Contract (started in 2025-26 season)

Now this is an interesting one. Wiebe is a seventh-round pick out of the BCHL and went to North Dakota for three years. He improved every season concluding in his final one where he was named alternate captain and put up career-highs in goals (5), assists (24) and points (29). His 24 assists were the second-highest amongst blueliners in the NCHC. The Mission, BC native's penalty minutes had also gone down drastically from 27 and 24 in the first two seasons to just six in the last one. He was so good that just the day after his final college game, he signed a two-year entry-level contract on April 10 and then the next day on the 11th, made his NHL debut for the Flames against the Seattle Kraken. Keep this in mind: Of all the seventh-rounders that have been drafted over the years, only 25.4% have played at least one game in the NHL. And now Wiebe is part of that company by playing four Flames games last season. He will start off this year with the Wranglers.

2025-26 season: Denver (NCHC)

Draft Status: Undrafted 

Contract: One-Year AHL-only Contract (starting 2026-27 season)

Anderson is not a scoring defenceman as evident by his single-digit stats but not only can the 22-year-old boast he was captain of the Denver team that won the 2026 National Championship, he is still an ideal stay-at-home defenceman: his 40 blocked shots ranked 21st and his rating of plus-13 was tied for 24th in the NCHC conference. The Wranglers were ranked second-last in the Pacific Division last season in goals so if they want Anderson's efforts on the defensive zone to count, they better start to learn how to pocket some goals.  

The Charlotte Checkers' Fresh Faces article will be posted next on Tuesday, 12 pm EDT/ 9 am PDT