What they want is players who are willing to put in the effort. This is why I strongly believe The Flames should not tank on purpose. Officially. Wink, wink.
I went to the draft experts to see what they had to say.
I guess we like abuse. You can find him on Twitter @JASTA28.
Now for the picks:
I am honored to have been invited by Randy to share my perspective on the Calgary Flames’ potential selections in the upcoming NHL Draft, where the organization currently holds two first-round picks. It is widely acknowledged that the Flames face a significant organizational need at center—not only at the NHL level but throughout their developmental pipeline. Depending on how one views Connor Zary’s long-term role, the team lacks a true center prospect ready to eventually take over from Kadri or Backlund. As such, I anticipate that the Flames will target a center with their 18th overall selection. That said, picking at 18 often means reacting to how the board unfolds ahead of you while weighing positional needs against the best player available.
Although a selection at this stage of the draft may not produce an NHL-ready player within one or two seasons, it is essential for Calgary to begin addressing this void now. At 18th overall, I believe the Flames could turn to the Western Hockey League and select Cole Reschny. The Saskatchewan-born, left-handed center is a dynamic, versatile skater with strong offensive instincts and a highly productive season behind him. His creativity, pace, and competitive level make him an attractive option—one that Calgary may find too compelling to pass up. While some might view Reschny’s stature as a concern, in a center-deep draft, there’s a plausible scenario where he slides to 18th overall. Drawing comparisons to Berkly Catton, he may ultimately prove to be of tremendous value at that spot.
At 32nd overall—not 31st, thankfully—the Flames will likely turn to their internal list and select the top remaining name to close out the round. While some might expect Calgary to look locally and select Benjamin Kindel from the Calgary Hitmen—should he still be available—I lean in a different direction. I foresee them choosing between Milton Gastrin and Theo Stockselius. Gastrin offers a safer floor; he is noted for his NHL-ready shot and natural leadership traits that have already caught the attention of multiple clubs. However, I believe the Flames will opt for Stockselius.
18. Braeden Cootes, Centre
Braeden is a coach’s dream and a locker-room leader. He’s tenacious, smart, and efficient. He has a solid shot and is suited for either second- or third-line roles.
32. Milton Gastrin, Centre
Milton is reliable and positionally sound. He has good speed and a quick shot release; while he may not be flashy, he is still a solid second- or third-line center option.
Second Round
54. Charlie Trethewey, Defenseman
He is a big stay-at-home defenseman who plays with a chip on his shoulder. He doesn’t shy away from the physical play.
Has a good slap shot and will clear in front of the net for the goalies to see. Has some good character might be another Bell on our hands.
No write-ups on the rest of the picks—just their names.
Third Round
80. Viggo Nordlund, Left Wing
Fifth Round
144. Michael Svrcek, Centre
Sixth Round
176. Olivier Groulx, Left Wing
Seventh Round
208. Kaleb Hartmann, Left Wing
It’s that time of year when I get to make a fool of myself and make my picks for the Calgary Flames draft. I had a pretty good idea that Iginla would be going to Montreal, but I’m a homer, so I went with Iginla. So sue me.
First Round
9 Tij Iginla Centre/Left Wing
Tij, like his father, is a sniper/power forward, a centre/left-winger with an explosive shot. He’s got an explosive shot, isn’t afraid to mix it up in the corners, and fights hard for the puck. Let’s say this: he scores and scores often. He knows when to dish the puck because his puck control is so strong. This, combined with his quick release, makes him a deadly power forward.
28 Nikita Artamonov Right Wing
Nikita is your classic Russian forward—he’s all about offense. His strength is his playmaking ability. He is an excellent passer, a big and lean forward who works hard with the puck.
Second Round
41 Julius Miettinen
Julius is a skilled center who can make things happen. He is a solid passer who drives to the net. Julius will be a solid dman using his speed in breakouts. He will need help on the defensive end. He is rough around the edges.
The Flames could go two ways here: another forward or a defenseman.
My defense choice would be:
62 Spencer Gill
Spencer is an offensive dman with a booming shot. While his defensive game needs some improvement, it’s been on the rise, and scouts are confident it will continue to develop. He is a solid passer and an offensive weapon on the powerplay.
My forward choice would be:
62 Luke Misa Centre/Left-wing
Luke is a fast, smooth-skating offensive player. He is a great playmaker and exceptional passer with a high hockey IQ. He has a fabulous dangle with the puck and is known for his steady performance on the ice.
For the rest, I will pick the players without the details.
Third Round
74 Lukas Matecha Goalie
84 Gabriel Eliasson
Fourth Round
106 Lucas Van Vilet
107 James Reeder
Sixth Round
170 Artemi Nizameez
My friend Dearen has given his thoughts:
Here we are again, draft day. Going into the draft, the Flames seem to have an opportunity to stock the prospect cupboards with high-quality players.
Let’s get into it.
9.
The number nine in soccer refers to your striker, your goal scorer. That is exactly what the Flames need. The Calgary Flames lack goal-scoring prospects, and at number nine, they have the opportunity to draft their next sniper. However, Tij Iginla is no longer on the board, and the Flames have to go to their list, and they select Konsta Helenius. The right-handed two-way center that brings speed, skill and a compete level that the Flames surely welcome in a high-end prospect. Some scouts question if he is a true center or if he will end up as a right-winger. With scouting reports referencing Konsta’s strong face-off abilities and hockey intelligence, his developing into a second-line center is more likely than not. Scouts also reference how he is not afraid of the boards or to engage in the hard areas of the ice, so if he does turn into a feisty right winger, Helenius will be a very responsible point-producing NHLer.
Arguably the most well-rounded prospect in this draft and one of the best skaters. The Calgary Flames select Konsta Helenius at number nine and get a player who has been compared to Sebastian Aho and Nico Hischier. Feels like the potential is here where in five, you look back and wonder how Helenius was available at nine and was not selected in the top five. To add a player like Helenius a year after drafting Samuel Honzek, the Flames are filling gaps in behind Zary and Pelletier in terms of young players that can potentially fill top six roles ahead of those two. As the Flames transition into this rebuild, I mean retool, having young players like Zary, Honzek and Helenius learn from the likes of Backlund and Kadri will only help their development to eventually replace both.
28.
At 28, the Flames should take the best player available regardless of position and not trade down. In a draft like this one, the urge to trade down and collect an additional pick will be appetizing. Teams’ draft lists are said to vary drastically from team to team, and a team may come calling for #28 if they see a player available that is high up on their list. You can argue that the Flames should, in that case, make that trade and collect another asset, but instead, the Flames should keep the pick, come to a consensus, and draft the best potential NHLer here.
With this selection, the Flames turn to the City of Lethbridge and draft Lethbridge-born Terik Parascak from the Prince George Cougars. This right-wing forward can do both the goal-scoring and the setting up of goals. A player who finds open space and has a terrific shot. The reason he likely doesn’t make it into the top 20 picks of this draft is because he needs to work on his skating and his defensive awareness. But a player with this type of offensive skill and hockey IQ is surely worth a selection, if available at 28.
Parascak caught the eye of many this past season before being a bit of an unknown. A player that needs some time with proper development, and the payoff could be a top-six forward that plays on your number one powerplay unit. The Flames see a lot of the Western Hockey League and will be familiar with Parascak. There are questions, no doubt, but we often focus more on the question marks than the exclamation points. This kid is creative and can score. With all of the player development roles, specialty coaches, and resources available in a club, there is no reason why you can’t take the offensive abilities and help create an all-around game.
Parascak’s ceiling is Jordan Eberle and has been compared to Dawson Mercer, with his floor being Jason Jaffray.
Hypothetical
What is that, Randy? The Flames acquired pick #10? Oh...
With the number 10 overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames select Carter Yakemchuk from the Calgary Hitmen. Probably a little bit of a reach here, but a big mobile defenseman that the Flames have had daily access to since Conroy has been GM. With multiple defensemen projected in the top 15, Yakemchuk at 10 could very well mean you forego drafting a more complete defenseman in favor of the potential with Yakemchuk. Every time I read up on Carter or watch him play, I immediately feel like he is a defenseman, and I envision him playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter will be an NHL defenseman. The question will be whether he is a top-pairing guy or whether his defensive lapses stay with him. Do you love his physicality and sporadic offensive burst, kind of like Zadorov’s tenure as a Flame?
Yakemchuk does forego his defensive play in favor of making more offensive risky plays, and that gets him into some trouble. For being a force on the ice, he was not always reliable in his own zone to close out a game. What there is to like is everything else: size, shot, physicality, an edge, and his creative passing abilities, all while he skates quite well for a bigger frame.
The Flames organization knows Carter better than any other NHL club and has been able to see his day-to-day work. If Calgary gets an additional pick at or around #10 and does not select Carter Yakemchuk, I would be shocked, and there would be a strong reason for this.
Carter Yakemchuk gets compared to Damon Severson and Brent Burns.
Even though I never pick the draft right, I always enjoy this draft blog. The Calgary Flames are poised to make an exciting selection this year. They will try their best to get another draft selection. There are rumors of Hanifin going, with 6-8 teams interested in acquiring him. Working the premise that there is only one draft pick in the first round, here is my choice. With only one first-round pick available, the Flames appear to have their sights set on dman David Reinbacher. But chances are he will be gone by the 16th pick, forcing the Flames to consider other options.
My picks:
First Round
16 Matthew Wood - Left Wing
Matthew is an intelligent player with soft hands with a great explosive shot. His greatest strength will be his one-timers. He will be an offensive weapon on the powerplay. Matthew is a silky-smooth forward with an impressive hockey IQ who will be dangerous in the offensive zone.
Second Round
48 Jesse Kiiskinen - Left Wing
Jesse is a highly skilled winger who plays a high-tempo game. He has excellent hands and skates like the wind. He is a gifted winger wi a good hockey IQ, although he could use some work to develop in the defensive zone. Jesse possesses excellent passing abilities with great vision. I hope the Flames grab this kid.
80 Third Round
Andrew Strathmann - Defense
Andrew is a talented D-man who is speedy, plays a rough game, and is not afraid to get his nose dirty. The Flames could use his durablity and his toughness. He has a good a shot and knows how to jump in to keep the puck in.
Fourth Round
112 Felix Unger Sörum - Left Wing
Felix is a talented winger with excellent skating skills. Despite his raw talent, most people feel he will need time to develop. If the Flames are willing to be patient, he could be a future star.
For the last two picks, I will list them without a write-up.
Sixth Round
177 Noah Chadwick - Defense
Seventh Round
207 Ty Halaburda - Left Wing
Calgary doesn't have a first-round pick in this year's draft. The Flames will be exploring different ways to get into the first round. Could Monahan be shopped? Andrew Mangiapane? Then the dreaded question that I don't even want to ask — could the rights of Johnny Gaudreau be up for grabs? Flames have lots of options if they want that first-round pick. With the Flames' salary cap problems, they may very well seek different options to make room for Matthew Poitras, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk's contract under the salary cap. I am hearing they would love for Johnny to sign but aren't sitting back and will be aggressive in the free-agent market.
Going into this draft, the Flames need a second-line forward with some scoring skills. They really need some help with the secondary scoring. Quite often, if the top line did not score, the Flames laid an egg. They need a sparkplug, someone who can put some energy into the lineup. They should add another dman who is good in the defensive game. The Flames still are hanging their goalies out to dry. They need to be more defensive and responsive this season. A stay-home dman would be nice. Those are the two biggest concerns to be addressed this season.
If things stay the same, the Flames will have a second-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and the seventh-rounders.
My suggestions are:
59 Matthew Poitras
Centre
Poitras is a reliable two-way centre whose defensive play improves his offensive paralysis on the ice. Matthew will win his share of battles with the puck. His strength is taking advantage of other players' mistakes. He will get into players' psyches. Scouts love his hard work and stable influence in the dressing room.
155 David Moravec
Defense
David is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of player. David is a stay-home defenseman who will be a great penalty killer. He bails out other players' mistakes and does not panic with the puck. He has no fear. He plays like a big man and will have to bulk up, as he is kind of small. His intensity makes up for the lack of size, a typical stay-at-home dman.
219 Ben Hemmerling
Right-Wing
Offensive upside. Hemmerling has the potential to be a solid third-line forward. A solid skater who works without the puck. A good wrist shot with some zing to it. Ben could develop into an NHL'er, but it will take some patience.
See my full mock draft here.
I often wondered what Scouts look for in a prospect, especially this time of year. I decided to go the horse's mouth and ask expert Russ Cohen. As we get ready for the draft, the Scouts are earning their paycheques. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Russ Cohen.
All scouts look for different things. They all have a numeric system to apply to attributes like speed, as an example. They file the reports electronically after games. Some teams look for toughness, some are hard to play against. some speed, some playing the right way. Sometimes a scout can look at a player a few times and know his team has to get that player and then the rest of the visits is about confirmation before he recommends that player. Scouts' jobs depend on getting at least two players in every draft. Hopefully, they play 100-200 NHL games. You can't build a team through free agency in the cap world. Scouts are careful to use phrases like "generational talent". When the talent pool compresses as players move up that's when things either click or many times go sideways. Amateur scouting is vital to a team's future success.
I'm Russ Cohen. My website is www.sportsology.com. My Twitter handle is @Sportsology. It's there I push the other outlets I work for. The first draft that I covered was in 2001 and I've been covering everyone ever since then.
I want to thank Russ for his time; he is a great Twitter follower and a wealth of knowledge. I highly recommend following him. He will make it worth your while.
See my full mock draft here.
First Round
Fabian Lysell - Right Wing
Fabien is a highly-skilled forward who can skate through a phone booth. His puck-handling skills are amazing. He is a game-changer. He is a playmaker who can score goals at will. The Flames badly need a top-six right winger for years; he is the answer to Flames fans' prayers.
Second Round
45 Samuel Helenius - Centre
Samuel is a big centre who loves getting his nose dirty. He loves the rough game and is willing to fight for the puck around the boards to get his garbage share. Samuel also has an excellent wrist shot. Flames could use his size at centre, as we lack size in the pivotal centre spot.
For the next picks, I am just going to list the names of the players.
Third Round
77 Kirill Kirsanov - Defence
Fourth Round
84 Aleksi Heimosalmi - Defence
Fifth Round
141 Marc Lajoie - Defence
Sixth Round
173 Zack Stringer - Left Wing
Seventh Round
205 Paul Davy - Centre
