Two years ago, Jakob Pelletier and Walker Duehr got called up by the Calgary Flames and were bright spots in an otherwise dismal season.
On Monday, they were recalled by the Flames again after spending the first two months of the 2024-25 season with the Calgary Wranglers in the AHL.
They’re a little older, a little wiser (hopefully) but still have everything to prove.
Pelletier, a first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, scored three goals and added four assists in 24 games in the 2022-23 season but had his sophomore year in the NHL interrupted when he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery during training camp last September.
He had to deal with another shoulder injury when he returned and his confidence waned. That led to the decision to send him back to the Wranglers for more seasoning.
With the Wranglers, he’s scored three times and added 16 assists in 20 games while serving as an assistant captain so far this year.
Duehr, meanwhile, was an undrafted free-agent who signed with the Flames in 2021 after completing his college career with the Minnesota State Mavericks.
He made a big impact in his first year with the Flames, putting up seven goals and four assists in 27 games. His numbers did drop off in Year 2, though, when he put up only two goals and five assists in 40 games.
He’s been an offensive driver so far this season with the Wranglers, though, scoring 11 times and adding eight assists in 19 games.
The two were called up as the Flames announced Justin Kirkland would be placed on injured reserve, while Adam Klapka has been re-assigned to the Wranglers.