Suniev Of Massachusetts Hockey Inks ELC With Calgary Flames

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts hockey sophomore forward Aydar Suniev as inked a three-year entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, the organization announced on Wednesday. Suniev, who forgoes his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility, becomes the 19th player in head coach Greg Carvel's UMass tenure to sign an NHL contract. He was originally selected by Calgary in the third round (80^th overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

"Aydar Suniev had two exceptional seasons here at UMass and has earned his contract from the Calgary Flames," said UMass head coach Greg Carvel. "Aydar arrived on campus as a highly touted offensive player and during his time with our program he has become a high-level competitor with a well-balanced game on the ice. Aydar's commitment to improving his game in every respect and becoming a selfless teammate were significant. Aydar scored a lot of big goals for us, and we will miss the explosiveness he brought to our team and the values he brought to our culture. We are all excited to see him become an NHL player."

Suniev posted 63 points over 71 career games as a Minuteman on 32 goals and 31 assists and was +12 with seven power-play goals and six game winners. Despite missing five games due to injury this season, Suniev finished second on the team in points with 38 and had 20 goals and 18 assists with five tallies coming on the power play and four game winners, all career bests for the Kazan, Russia native. His 20 goals tied for 13^th all-time in a single season at UMass and ranked top-15 in the nation in 2024-25.

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Players Mentioned

Aydar Suniev

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University of Massachusets Athletics