Calgary Flames Sign Top College Free Agent

Calgary Flames centre Tyson Gross skates with St. Cloud State

The Calgary Flames got themselves a nice addition to their pipeline on Thursday, signing top U.S. college free agent Tyson Gross—a hometown kid.

The Calgary Flames have signed the most sought-after college free agent, Tyson Gross.
The 23-year-old centre is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound Calgary native who was captain at St Cloud State. He sits top 20 in scoring in the nation and will make his NHL debut before season’s end.
The…
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) March 12, 2026

Gross, 23, is a 6'3" center who has spent the past three seasons at St. Cloud State in Minnesota. After his first two years with single-digit goals and 20-25 points, Gross has broken through this year, with 18 goals (doubling his previous output) and 41 points in 36 games. He's 20th in scoring in the entire NCAA. Eric Francis of Sportsnet also reports that Gross won more faceoffs than any other college center in the nation.

The St. Cloud season is now done, and Gross is expected to make his NHL debut with the Flames sometime within the next month.

Given Gross's lifelong Flames fandom, it's not a surprise that Calgary won out ahead of the few other teams on his shortlist.

Dreams really can come true.
Lifelong Flames fan Tyson Gross and his dad Kevin, who are both celebrating the young man’s signing with the Flames today. pic.twitter.com/c5NLK4eiQV
— Eric Francis (@EricFrancis) March 12, 2026

Jonathan Castagna, a Toronto native, who was acquired in the return for MacKenzie Weegar in the trade with the Utah Mammoth last week, is another NCAA prospect expected to sign soon with the Flames. He's a 20-year-old center who was a third-round pick by the Mammoth's predecessor, the Phoenix Coyotes, in 2023. His 32 points in 29 games puts him 26th in the nation in scoring.

“It will be nice to stay in Canada," said Castagna. “I’m not saying anything definite right now, but hopefully I can contribute to the Flames. It’s been my dream."