Flames assign Martin Pospisil to AHL on long-term injury conditioning loan

The Calgary Flames have assigned forward Martin Pospisil to the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers on a conditioning loan as he continues to recover from an injury he sustained during the preseason.

Pospisil, 26, left Calgary’s exhibition game against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 1 after being clipped in the face area during a post-whistle scrum. The 6’2″ Slovak, who has an extensive injury history that includes multiple concussions, has spent the entire 2025-26 season to date on the Flames’ injured reserve list.

The Flames announced Tuesday that they have placed Pospisil on the long-term injury (LTI) list, and, in a corresponding move, have sent him to the Wranglers for conditioning purposes. The move should allow Pospisil to ease his way back into game action at the AHL level in anticipation of a return to the Flames this season.

The purpose of an LTI conditioning loan is to determine whether a player returning from a long-term injury is fit to play. Such loans are governed by Article 13.9 of the CBA, which dictates that a player can remain in the AHL for six days or three games, with the possibility of being extended by two more games if required.

A fourth-round pick (No. 105 overall) of the Flames in the 2018 NHL Draft, Pospisil has spent his entire North American professional career with the Flames organization. He made his NHL debut with the club in the 2023-24 season, ultimately carving out a full-time role over 63 games. The following year, Pospisil collected 25 points (four goals, 21 assists) and 84 penalty minutes in 81 games with the Flames.

During the 2025 offseason, the Flames signed Pospisil to a three-year contract extension carrying a $2.5 million cap hit. Known primarily as an agitator, Pospisil has consistently put up high penalty minute totals throughout his tenures with the Flames and Wranglers.

Through 144 career NHL games over two seasons with the Flames, Pospisil has collected 12 goals, 49 points, and 193 penalty minutes. Health permitting, he is slated to represent Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.