CALGARY - The Calgary Flames announced Sunday they have claimed defenceman Brayden Pachal off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights.
Pachal, a product of Estevan, has spent the last five seasons with the Golden Knights and their American Hockey League affiliates, the Chicago Wolves and later the Henderson Silver Knights.
The 24-year-old has skated in 17 games with Vegas this season, collecting one goal, and has played in 29 career NHL games. He was a part of the Golden Knights' team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023, and last July, he brought the trophy home to Estevan to the delight of the community.
“Brayden is a big, strong right-shot defensive defenceman who increases our team’s physicality and will be an asset to our penalty-kill,” said Flames' general manager Craig Conroy. “At 24 years old, he has been the captain of his AHL team and is a character player joining us from a winning program.”
Last summer, he signed a two-year contract with the Golden Knights.
Pachal played most of his minor hockey in the Energy City. He played several games for the junior Estevan Bruins as a call-up from U18 AAA in the 2014-15 season. In 2019, he was the captain of the Prince Albert Raiders team that won the Western Hockey League title.
He signed with the Knights in the fall of 2019 and made his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season, playing two games that season. Pachal played 10 games for Vegas in the 2022-23 regular season and recorded his first NHL point in December 2022.
Last October, he scored his first goal in the NHL during the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks.
He's not the only member of the Flames with Estevan roots. Prospect forward Parker Bell, who was born in the Energy City and spent several seasons playing minor hockey in Estevan, was selected by the Flames in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Bell signed a contract with the Flames last fall and is currently a member of the Western Hockey League's Tri-Cities Americans.
