Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Matvey Gerdin He introduced himself to the AHL in October by scoring seven points in his first four games with the Calgary Wranglers.
He's barely relaxed since then.
The 19-year-old forward has 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 20 games, ranking third in the league in scoring among rookies, and is an early success story for the third-place Wranglers in the Pacific Division.
The native of Kurgan, Russia, comes to North America for the 2023-24 season and leads the American Junior Hockey League with 83 points (38 goals, 45 assists) with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. Calgary selected him in the first round (28th overall) of that summer's NHL draft.
Gridin moved to the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League with the Shawinigan Cataractes last season and ranked first among rookies with 36 goals and 79 points, winning the QMJHL Rookie of the Year honor.
This year, Gridding continued with the Flames after training camp and scored a goal in his NHL debut in Edmonton on October 8. He's also averaging nearly 15 minutes per game – a sign he's earned his head coach's trust early on Ryan Haska. But with Jonathan Huberdeau After coming off injured reserve, the team needed roster space and sent Gridin to the Wranglers to continue his development.
The Flames have utilized their AHL system well over the past few years, with current players including Rasmus Anderson, Devin Cooley, Matt Coronato, Sam Honzek, Adam Klapka, Yan Kuznetsov, Ryan Lomborg, Dustin Wolf and Connor Zari Spend a lot of time on the team's development process.
The Calgary front office has enough confidence in Gridding and the environment around him to allow him to perform at a professional level this season. The Wranglers' first quarter of the season has provided plenty of learning opportunities for Gridding, who has been drawing opponents' top defensemen. He also got a real taste of the demands of professional travel. The Wranglers will visit Ontario tonight and Sunday to wrap up a seven-city, 10-game road trip.
It's all an example of what the professional game demands every night. Gridin is very close to the NHL. Very close. Shortly after officially making the Flames roster, Gridding met with reporters to talk about his preseason performance. His words from two months ago still apply to the work he does for Wrangler.
“I'm proud that I was able to show my game, how I play,” Gridding said at the time. “Goal goals, be my best on the ice.”
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
