2025-2026 Record: 6-12, 11th place, missed the playoffs
New Faces: Jerrett Smith, Joey Spallina, Chad Palumbo, Ben Kromer, Nicholas Volkov
Key Losses: None
The Calgary Roughnecks made a big splash during this year’s entry draft.
With Joey Spallina, who many thought would go first overall, starting to drop down the board, the Roughnecks jumped at the opportunity. They made a trade with San Diego to acquire the fifth overall pick and grab Spallina.
Then, with the seventh overall pick, the Roughnecks turned more heads by selecting another stud in Chad Palumbo.
The other good news for the Roughnecks is that they lost very little during the off-season. When you’re trying to build a program back up, having a consistent lineup is key.
Could this be the difference for Calgary? Last season, they were a team that always seemed to be on the cusp of something great. With another season together under their belts and some new pieces added to the lineup, they should be vying for a playoff spot.
Calgary Roughnecks Offence
On the left side of the offence, you already have Tanner Cook, who led the league in goals last year, along with Brayden Mayea and Riley Loewen.
Now, potentially add Chad Palumbo to that mix, and you have a very dangerous left side. Loewen could also potentially be the odd man out if the Roughnecks decide to go younger. Calgary also has Mathieu Gautier, who they’ll want to see take on a bigger role.
Over on the right side, you have Tyler Pace, who is coming off a 103-point season, and Haiden Dickson, who really broke out during the 2025-2026 campaign.
While he started last season with a hot hand, 2025 ninth overall pick Noah Manning cooled off as the year went on. I think the coaching staff will be looking for him to take the next step this season.
And, oh yeah, they also drafted Joey Spallina to add to the right side, if it wasn’t already deep enough.
Overall, the Roughnecks ranked ninth in the league with 187 goals and ninth with 486 points. However, they’ve added considerably more depth through the draft, especially with Palumbo and Spallina.
Calgary Roughnecks Defence/Transition
It’s a good news-bad news situation for the Roughnecks.
They added Nicholas Volkov and Ben Kromer through the dispersal draft to help shore up some of their defensive woes.
However, this was a team that ranked third-last in loose balls last season and dead last in caused turnovers. On the upside, the Roughnecks were seventh in the league in blocked shots.
There’s still plenty of speed for Calgary to catch opponents flat-footed in transition, with Eli Salama, Harrison Matsuoka and Kyle Pepper all capable of playing bigger roles.
There should be no concerns at the faceoff dot with Justin Inacio. He won 67 per cent of his draws last season, trailing only Trevor Baptiste and Jake Withers.
Calgary Roughnecks Goaltending
If there’s a question mark for the Roughnecks, it could be in goaltending.
Aiden Walsh is back, with Colby Bowman once again serving as his backup.
Bowman looked good in the limited time he played last year, which makes you wonder how long of a leash the coaching staff will give Walsh.
Consistency will be a big factor for the Roughnecks in net. When Walsh is on his game, he’s a bona fide starter in the league. But when he isn’t, things can go south quickly.
Among the league’s starting goaltenders and those who saw significant playing time last season, Walsh ranked 17th in save percentage at 77.7 per cent and 21st in goals-against average at 11.65. He also ranked third in the league in total goals against with 181.
To Bowman’s credit, he allowed just eight goals in 116:31 of playing time last season, posting a 92.3 per cent save percentage and a 4.12 goals-against average.
While his limited playing time puts him in the same conversation as other backup goaltenders around the league, his numbers were solid. It makes you wonder whether he could push Walsh out of the starting job if the Roughnecks struggle.
