When the Calgary Flames acquired Morgan Frost, he became the first skater since Nikita Zadorov to wear the No. 16 following his November 2023 trade with the Vancouver Canucks.
According to sweater history at Hockey Reference, Frost is the 25th player in franchise history to wear No. 16, so this presented an opportunity to look back at the best Atlanta/Calgary players to skate in No. 16.
5. Nikita Zadorov (2022-2024)
Zadorov is the fifth-best Flames player to wear No. 16. He skated in the sweater for three seasons and played 177 games. He scored 19 goals and 49 points and had 180 penalty minutes.
Moreover, Zadorov was a physical defenseman who never shied away from a hit, collecting 409 during his time with Calgary. During his first season with the Flames, 2021-22, he set a career-high with 22 points before tallying a personal best 14 goals the following season.
4. Shean Donovan (2003-2006)
Shean Donovan is one of the few Flames players to wear No. 16 for over 100 games and collect more than 100 penalty minutes. Meanwhile, he came the closest to scoring 100 points, finishing his three-year tenure with 65 points.
Despite playing for six other NHL clubs, Donovan’s best single-season came with the Flames in 2003-04. In that season, he scored 18 goals, 24 assists, and 42 points, the only time he surpassed 25 points in his 15-year career.
3. Bobby Leiter (1972-1976)
Bobby Leiter played five seasons with the Atlanta Flames and was the first player in franchise history to wear No. 16. Like several players on this list, the ten-year NHL veteran had his best campaign with the Flames organization, including a 60-point season in 1972-73.
Moreover, Leiter was a two-time 26-goal scorer, reaching the mark in consecutive seasons from 1973 to 1974. Almost 50 years since he last skated with the Flames, he remains the third-highest scorer to wear No. 16.
2. Cory Stillman (1995-2001)
Cory Stillman wore No. 16 for all but ten games with Calgary. The eventual two-time Stanley Cup champion was the sixth overall pick in the 1992 Draft and began his 16-year career in red.
At 24, Stillman scored a career-high 27 goals in 1997-98 and followed it up with a repeat performance the following season. Even though he’d go on to score over 70 and 80 points with other teams, he never reached 27 goals again. At this time, Stillman remains the second-highest-scoring player to wear No. 16
1. Guy Chouinard (1975-1982)
Guy Chouinard was one of the first best players the Flames ever had. He played nine seasons with the organization before relocating to Calgary in 1980. He scored 193 goals and 336 assists for 529 points. In 2025, he remains the ninth-highest-scoring player in team history.
Although the details are fuzzy, Chouinard played with No. 16 for five games in 1974-75 during his first NHL call-up. He then wore No. 10 (four games in 1975-76) but regained No. 16 when Leiter left in 1976. He’d wear the number in Atlanta and Calgary before switching to No. 7 during his final season with the Flames in 1982-83.
Do you have a favorite player who wore No. 16 with the Flames? Let us know in the comments.
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