5 Interesting Things: Flames' Clark Bishop

The Calgary Flames called up another top player from their AHL affiliate, the Calgary Wranglers, promoting captain Clark Bishop to the NHL.

Although the 28-year-old is no longer a prospect, with over 400 games in the AHL, he last played in the NHL on Feb. 15, 2022.

Historically, Bishop will become the fourth Flames player to wear No. 61, joining John Negrin, Brett Kulak, and the recently departed Walker Deuhr.

What else is there to learn about Bishop? Here are five interesting things to know about his hockey career.

Scored His First NHL Goal on John Gibson

Bishop made his NHL debut with the Hurricanes on Oct. 20, 2018, against the Anaheim Ducks. In a 4-1 win, he had Carolina's first goal at 1:53 of the second period, tying the contest at 1-1.

His unassisted goal came against Ducks' netminder John Gibson. Interestingly, at the time, Bishop's first goal was the ninth first goal Gibson had given up.

Twenty players have beaten him for their first goals, including Bishop. Others are Clayton Keller, Miro Heiskanen, Owen Tippett, and Matthew Poitras.

Calder Cup Champion

Initially drafted by the Hurricanes in the fifth round (127th overall) in 2014, Bishop didn't debut in the NHL until 2018-19, instead spending some time with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.

Related: NHL Power Rankings: Pacific Division (Jan. 21)

He split time between the Checkers and Hurricanes that season, scoring three goals and six points in 38 AHL regular season games before chipping in two and three points in 16 playoff games.

Besides making his NHL debut that year, he helped the Checkers win their first and only Calder Cup championship.

Leader at Every Level

Some people are natural-born leaders, and Bishop is no exception. At the time of his recall to the Flames, he was the Wranglers' captain, his second leadership role in the AHL.

Previously, with the Checkers, he was an alternate captain in 2019-20, a step up from his days in the QMJHL with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.

During his second season with the Screaming Eagles, Bishop was an alternate captain before being promoted to team captain for his final two years, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

One of 31 NHL Players From Newfoundland and Labrador

There's no denying that Canada has produced the most NHL players of all time, including some of the greats.

Considering most of those players have come from Quebec and Ontario, it wouldn't surprise anyone to know that only 31 players have come from Newfoundland and Labrador, a maritime province with a population of 510,550.

Related: Flames Call Up Wranglers Captain

Moreover, Bishop is just one of 12 players from the capital city of St. Johns to skate in the NHL and is now the second active player from the town, with the other being Alex Newhook.

As of 2025, Bishop is the third player in Flames history from Newfoundland and Labrador, behind Adam Pardy and Jason Morgan.

Longtime Teammate of Jake Bean

Calgary native Jake Bean first met Bishop in 2017-18 when they both skated with the Checkers. Although Bean is a former first-round pick (13th overall), Bishop made his NHL debut first.

However, they appeared in the same NHL game for the first time on Nov. 30, 2018, against the Ducks. Although their time with the Hurricanes was short, they teamed up to lead Charlotte to the Calder Cup by the end of the season.

The pair skated together again with the Checkers in 2019-20 before Bishop departed to the Ottawa Senators and Belleville Senators.

With Bishop's call-up to the Flames, where Bean has played 33 games, the pair will reunite again.