Flames recall Derek Grant, Emile Poirier, Hunter Shinkaruk, and Brett Kulak

The Flames have announced this morning that they have recalled four players from the Stockton Heat: Derek Grant, Emile Poirier, Hunter Shinkaruk, and Brett Kulak. The team used a regular recall on Grant (now only having one remaining), and used emergency recalls on the other three, but did not disclose which players were injured for these emergency recalls.

This news comes after the Flames were officially eliminated on Saturday before puck drop against the Blackhawks. With just seven games left on the schedule, the Flames are probably trying to take inventory on what they have and give the fans a glimpse of what’s to come. We may hear more news today on injuries, particularly with regards to which players might be shut down for the remainder of the season.

You may remember the brief time where Grant and Kulak played with the Flames. Kulak stood in for six games when TJ Brodie started the season with an injury, and Grant has been up and down a few this season for various other injured players, playing nine games. While neither registered any points in their stay with the Flames, they generally played well and were unlucky to not find the scoresheet.

Shinkaruk and Poirier are intriguing prospects that we have yet to see play for the Flames this season. Shinkaruk came over just before trade deadline from the Canucks in exchange for Markus Granlund. The hometown boy has scored 10 points in 14 games for Stockton since joining, and leads the team in total scoring. Poirier hasn’t had as much success this year as he did in years previous. He has 14 less points in about the same number of AHL games played as last year. However, he is still high on the Flames’ depth chart, and will likely see some ice time so that management has an idea of what he could still be.

These moves also deplete the Stockton Heat of their top players right before playoff time. The team sits just outside of the cutoff point, but still have a hill to climb for a postseason chance. With these moves today, that hill has become a mountain.

As for tonight's game against Arizona, no lineup changes have been made yet, but we'll have more news as it comes to us.

EDIT: Garnet Hathaway has been sent back to Stockton, per Pat Steinberg. He was a regular recall, so they are free to recall him without using up their last one (I believe).

EDIT #2: Freddie Hamilton has also been sent down too. He was an emergency recall.

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