Latest news with #Weegar
Edmonton Journal
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar scores invite to Olympic orientation camp
Article content Calgary Flames rearguard MacKenzie Weegar is officially on the radar to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Article content Weegar was among the invitees announced Friday for Hockey Canada's national teams orientation camp, which is slated for Aug. 26-28 in Calgary and will include the top candidates for the men's, women's and para rosters. Article content The three-day get-together is an off-ice event. The itinerary will include team-building sessions, meetings, presentations and media interviews, but there will not be a star-studded scrimmage. Article content 'While the next several months will bring intense evaluation and difficult roster decisions, we look forward to kicking off the season in Calgary and giving our athletes and staff a chance to come together and start to become one team as we set our sights on February,' said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, in Friday's announcement. Article content Article content 9⃣2⃣ players from 🇨🇦's men's, women's and para hockey programs have earned invites to National Teams Orientation Camp in Calgary. 9⃣2⃣ athlètes de hockey masculin, de hockey féminin et de parahockey du 🇨🇦 iront au camp d'orientation des équipes nationales à Calgary. — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 1, 2025 Article content Weegar, who was raised in the Ottawa area and is now considered the frontrunner to be the Flames' next captain, was also in the mix to wear the Maple Leaf this past winter at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although he ultimately didn't crack Canada's roster. Article content Article content He is among the 13 defencemen invited to the late August camp. Also on that list are the Colorado Avalanche dynamic duo of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, plus Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, Noah Dobson of the Montreal Canadiens, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars, Brandon Montour of the Seattle Kraken, Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues, Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers and Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights. (The Calgary-raised Makar is one of a half-dozen dudes already named to the roster. The other five are forwards.) Article content Article content Article content As Hockey Canada's brass ponder their blue-line options for Milano Cortina 2026, they will value Weegar's versatility. The 31-year-old is a right-shot who is also comfortable on the left side of pairing, and he is capable of playing major minutes but can also provide the sort of bite that coaches often covet from those in a bottom-pairing role. Article content Weegar notched eight goals and 47 points in 81 games during the 2024-25 campaign. He led the Flames in assists (39), plus-minus (+18) and average icetime (24:10) and was fifth in the NHL in blocked shots (192).
Calgary Herald
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Flames defenceman MacKenzie Weegar scores invite to Olympic orientation camp
Article content Calgary Flames rearguard MacKenzie Weegar is officially on the radar to represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Article content Weegar was among the invitees announced Friday for Hockey Canada's national teams orientation camp, which is slated for Aug. 26-28 in Calgary and will include the top candidates for the men's, women's and para rosters. Article content The three-day get-together is an off-ice event. The itinerary will include team-building sessions, meetings, presentations and media interviews, but there will not be a star-studded scrimmage. Article content 'While the next several months will bring intense evaluation and difficult roster decisions, we look forward to kicking off the season in Calgary and giving our athletes and staff a chance to come together and start to become one team as we set our sights on February,' said Scott Salmond, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations, in Friday's announcement. Article content 9⃣2⃣ players from 🇨🇦's men's, women's and para hockey programs have earned invites to National Teams Orientation Camp in Calgary. 9⃣2⃣ athlètes de hockey masculin, de hockey féminin et de parahockey du 🇨🇦 iront au camp d'orientation des équipes nationales à Calgary. — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) August 1, 2025 Article content Weegar, who was raised in the Ottawa area and is now considered the frontrunner to be the Flames' next captain, was also in the mix to wear the Maple Leaf this past winter at the 4 Nations Face-Off, although he ultimately didn't crack Canada's roster. Article content Article content He is among the 13 defencemen invited to the late August camp. Also on that list are the Colorado Avalanche dynamic duo of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, plus Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers, Noah Dobson of the Montreal Canadiens, Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings, Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars, Brandon Montour of the Seattle Kraken, Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Colton Parayko of the St. Louis Blues, Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers and Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights. (The Calgary-raised Makar is one of a half-dozen dudes already named to the roster. The other five are forwards.) Article content Article content Article content As Hockey Canada's brass ponder their blue-line options for Milano Cortina 2026, they will value Weegar's versatility. The 31-year-old is a right-shot who is also comfortable on the left side of pairing, and he is capable of playing major minutes but can also provide the sort of bite that coaches often covet from those in a bottom-pairing role. Article content Weegar notched eight goals and 47 points in 81 games during the 2024-25 campaign. He led the Flames in assists (39), plus-minus (+18) and average icetime (24:10) and was fifth in the NHL in blocked shots (192). Article content He has had a heck of a summer, too. He was married last weekend in Montreal. Among those in attendance to see MacKenzie and Maggie tie the knot were Flames teammates Blake Coleman, Matt Coronato, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri, Ryan Lomberg and Dustin Wolf.
Edmonton Journal
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Five reasons for Flames fans to watch the IIHF World Championship
Article content Here are five things to watch at the world championships: CAN WEEGAR MAKE AN OLYMPIC CASE? We know MacKenzie Weegar was oh-so-close to earning an invite to the Canadian squad for the 4 Nations Face-Off. We know he only got better down the stretch for the Flames and was one of the most important and reliable pieces of their squad as they pushed for a playoff spot. So now, the question is how much a strong world championship showing would bolster his place for a spot on Canada's Olympic team in 2026? Weegar's got versatility on his side and was widely hailed as the best blueliner at the 2023 tournament when he helped lead Canada to the title. He seems to like the big international ice and will have a big role to play in a d-corps that includes the likes of Travis Sanheim, Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, Brandon Montour and Jared Spurgeon. Canada has its sights set squarely on gold, but a strong worlds should give Weegar's prospects of skating with the national team in 2026 a boost.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flames Penalty Kill Shines after Quality Month of March
With nine regular-season games remaining in the books, the Calgary Flames close off March with a 7-4-4 record for the month, and sit five points shy for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While a lot of the headlines were dominated by Nazem Kadri compiling a 30-goal season for the third time in his 16-year career, alongside the outstanding plays of Jonathan Huberdeau, the Flames offense is no such thing to boast. In the month of March, Calgary is 8-for-41 (19.5%) on the power play and ranked 23rd in the league. (source: On the contrary, their penalty kill has been a different story. The Flames were third in penalty kill percentage for March, and during the PK, they had the third-most missed shots against them (after the Islanders and Ducks). That goes to show Actual Goals Against were lower than Expected Goals Against, and furthermore highlight the plays made by the Calgary blue liners and goalies to keep the puck away from the net. Speaking of goalies, the Flames' save percentage during the PK was the highest in the league at 90.74. Dan Vladar was a perfect 16 saves against 16 shots in six games. And what more can be said about Dustin Wolf that hasn't already been said, who is currently in the running for the Calder Trophy. (source: naturalstattrick) While Calgary may not have had been the best at shot-blocking in the PK (eight teams have more blocked shots in the PK in March), MacKenzie Weegar has been the top shot-blocker in the league with 45 blocked shots at all strengths. Calgary needs all the help it can get to sneak into the playoff conversation and Weegar is giving them just that. He is also not just your 'stay-at-home' defenseman, as he has the registered the top assists on the team for the season with 35. Point to be noted, its amazing how the Flames organization can get seventh-round picks like Wolf and Weegar, and churn them into solid contributors. The next nine games will speak volumes about the Flames' talents and how to go about with them in the off-season. Tonight, the Flames face-off against the Utah Hockey Club from the Delta Center.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flames Defenseman Officially Not Selected To Canada At 4 Nations Face-off
After weeks of speculation, Team Canada has officially named veteran Drew Doughty to its lineup, meaning Calgary Flames defenseman Mackenzie Weegar will not be headed to the 4 Nations Face-off. DREWWWWWW 🇨🇦Drew Doughty has officially been named to @HockeyCanada for the #4Nations Face-Off 🎉#GoKingsGo | @NHL — LA Kings (@LAKings) February 9, 2025 On Jan. 26, the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman decided to withdraw from the upcoming tournament, which led many hockey insiders and fans to debate the merits of his potential replacement. At the top of the list was Weegar, who is having a solid season with the Flames. Through the first 47 games, the 31-year-old from Ottawa, ON, had five goals and 24 points with a plus-12 rating. In seven games since Pietroangelo's decision, Weegar has a goal, six points, and 18 shots while averaging 24:46 in ice time, skating almost a full minute more per game. As mentioned, Team Canada opted to go with Doughty, who has only played six games, forgoing the opportunity to bring in someone like Weegar, Evan Bouchard, Brandon Montour, Kris Letang, Dougie Hamilton, Aaron Ekblad, or Jakob Chychrun. Team Canada begins its quest for the championship on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when it plays Sweden at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
