Flames sign Axel Hurtig to three-year, entry-level contract
The Calgary Flames have agreed to terms with defense prospect Axel Hurtig on a three-year, entry-level contract, the club announced Wednesday morning.
Hurtig, 20, collected six goals, 19 points, and 46 points to go along with a plus-21 rating in 64 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen during the 2025-26 regular season. The 6’4″ left-shot defender has a goal and two assists in three playoff games with the Hitmen this spring.
The Flames originally selected Hurtig in the seventh round (No. 208 overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Hogas, Sweden product has spent the past two seasons with the Hitmen, serving as team captain in 2025-26; he will now be eligible to turn pro with the AHL’s Calgary Hitmen next year.
BIG AX 🪓 The #Flames have signed defenceman Axel Hurtig to a three-year entry-level deal! More info: cflam.es/4bXmdJ4
The Flames drafted Hurtig out of the Rögle BK system in Sweden. He spent most of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with Rögle’s U20 junior team, although he also appeared in seven SHL games with their top-level club before leaving for the Hitmen.
Hurtig is the fourth member of the Flames’ 2023 NHL Draft class to sign an entry-level deal with the club, following Sam Honzek, Etienne Morin, and Aydar Suniev. Fourth-round pick Jaden Lipinski and sixth-rounder Yegor Yegorov have yet to sign an NHL contract.
Via FlamesNation managing editor Ryan Pike, Hurtig’s contract with the Flames will not take effect until the 2026-27 season, although he could still join the Wranglers to finish the 2025-26 campaign if the Hitmen are eliminated early from the 2026 WHL playoffs.
Both the Flames and Wranglers are slated to miss the playoffs this year. With eight games remaining in their 2025-26 schedule, the Flames currently sit in 30th place in the NHL with a 31-35-8 record and 70 points; the Wranglers are in last place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 20-32-10-4 record and 54 points in 66 games.