Francis heading to Heat camp

Calgary Flames

Ryan Francis is no longer at Calgary Flames training camp - but he's not coming back to Saint John just yet.

The Flames announced Sunday that the Saint John Sea Dogs forward has been assigned to the American Hockey League's Stockton Heat where he'll take part in the team's training camp. The Heat will play pre-season games on Oct. 8 and Oct. 10 against the Bakersfield Condors.

A fifth-round pick of the Flames in the 2020 NHL Draft, Francis has not been signed to an entry-level deal by Calgary. He appeared in Calgary's 4-1 pre-season victory over the Seattle Kraken Saturday in Kent, Washington, home of the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds.

My understanding is Ryan Francis is not signed to NHL or AHL deal, but is attending Stockton camp on a try out.

— Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike) October 3, 2021

Francis, an overager, is eligible to play professional hockey this season but it still seems more likely he'll make his way back to Saint John at some point in the near future. Francis will play a major role on this year's Sea Dogs team.

In 17 games with the Sea Dogs last season, Francis registered 10 goals and 19 assists. He added four goals and six assists in six playoff games.

Yan Kuznetsov, a 19-year-old defenseman and Saint John's first-round pick in this year's CHL Import Draft, will also take part in Heat training camp.