Flames Nation - News, Roster, Scores, Schedule

FlamesNation Mailbag: Reflecting on a busy draft

Ryan Pike — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:00:03 GMT

It’s a busy time of year, pals!

The 2026 NHL Draft has come and gone! Qualifying offers for pending restricted free agents are due on Monday by 3 p.m. MT. Then free agency begins on Wednesday at 10 a.m. MT. As we continue through a busy stretch, let’s check in with our pals with the mailbag!

Why aren’t they flames picking up Kotkaniemi for cheap? They have the cap room.

— Westrons (@W3stron) June 28, 2026

The Flames have lots of cap space, definitely. They also have a lot of bodies slated for their NHL roster… and lots of players pushing on the AHL level for NHL chances. And lots of players at the collegiate level, for example, who are hoping to make that jump – perhaps even directly to the NHL.

I wouldn’t rule out the Flames buying low on a player, but if that addition might crowd out some kids, I think that factors into the risk/reward calculations of those sorts of decisions.

If Carson Carels has a strong camp and preseason and looks NHL ready should or would the Flames make a roster spot for him to play right away given we’re in rebuilding mode?

— Isaac Amalia (@AmaliaIsaac) June 28, 2026

Carson Carels has committed to attend the University of North Dakota for the fall. Once you’re a bonafide college student, you cannot attend NHL training camps without losing eligibility. (You can attend development camps in the summer, but with very specific rules about stipends, gifts and compensation.)

That said, I suspect the Flames and Carels will have a chat about the best place for him to play this coming fall. I suspect it’ll be North Dakota, but I’m quite good at being wrong, so we’ll see what pans out.

What prospects do you see getting a chance playing NHL minutes this season that haven't wet their feet yet?

— Mike Kennelly (@MikeKennelly7) June 28, 2026

If we’re sticking to plays with zero NHL experience: I’m going with Jonathan Castagna. He’ll probably start the year with the Wranglers, but I’m bullish on his potential to push for NHL minutes.

More broadly speaking: I suspect that one or more of Cole Reschny, Ethan Wyttenbach and Cullen Potter sign NHL deals at the end of the college season. At least one of them probably goes right to the NHL to burn the first year of their deals, right?

It could be a fun season in terms of players getting NHL opportunities that either haven’t had them before, or maybe only had cups of coffee with the big club.

The Nemec trade and this draft have me excited for the Flames future but I also lament that we have to pay Huberdeau for another five seasons. What do you think is the best thing to do with him that doesn’t include playing him for the next five seasons?

— Herbert T Roch (@herbert_roch) June 28, 2026

I know that Jonathan Huberdeau’s contract isn’t great, but I think folks are forgetting how effective he was from around January 2024 through much of the entire 2024-25 season. He’s probably not a 100-plus point NHLer anymore, but he’s smart, he’s adaptable, and he really seems like he wants to help his young teammates (and the team) progress.

In the history of the game, there’s been plenty of older guys who are just there to collect a paycheque. I wouldn’t put Huberdeau in that category. Given him a chance to get his game back now that he’s gotten his hip repaired.

Is Jack Hextall’s ceiling a 3rd line centre?

— kino (@jjkino123) June 28, 2026

I need to dive into his game a bit more to build a more nuanced opinion, but I’m hearing second or third-line centre, depending on how he develops.

What’s the ask in a trade for Coleman?

— Derek (@KohutD) June 28, 2026

If I’m the Flames, I want to see if I can get a first-round pick or a second-round pick and a decent prospect. Especially if they’re retaining salary. I don’t know what the exact ask is, but that’s probably what I would be asking for.

Where would you rank Trejbal among all goalies that are not in the NHL yet (league wide)?

— LaForgesVisor (@LaForgesVisor) June 28, 2026

I am not a goalie expert, but since Tobias Trejbal was the USHL’s goaltender of the year, let’s compare his statistical performance in 2025-26 to the top goalies from the Canadian Hockey League’s three member leagues.

In the OHL, Ottawa’s Ryder Fetterolf (18) went 29-9-3 with a 2.07 goals against average, .923 save percentage and six shutouts.
In the WHL, Prince George’s Joshua Ravensbergen (19) went 32-13-0 with a 2.51 goals against average, .919 save percentage and four shutouts.
In the QMJHL, Moncton’s Rudy Guimond (21) went 40-7-3 with a 2.27 goals against average, .922 save percentage and three shutouts.
In the USHL, Trejbal (18) went 30-9-3 with a 2.12 goals against average, .916 save percentage and three shutouts.

There are differences between the leagues so it’s tough to say “Player X is the best,” but Trejbal’s statistical performance compares well. I’m fascinated to see how he does in college next season.

It isn’t really a question. But when you map out the Flames line up in 2028-29. You begin to see that the Flames have too many prospects. You could make a full 12 man forward group and 6 just from the 1st, 2nd round picks and signed ELC from the past 4 years.

Wanna map it out?

— Forever Red (@AntiTankAIDrone) June 28, 2026

Not everybody is going to make it.

The Flames have a bunch of promising, exciting players in their system, across virtually every position. But not everybody is going to make it. They seem set in goal with Dustin Wolf. They seem set on the blueline between Simon Nemec, Carson Carels, Kevin Bahl and Zayne Parekh. Their forward group seems promising between Matt Coronato, Matvei Gridin, Sam Honzek, Cole Reschny, Jack Hextall, Cullen Potter and Ethan Wyttenbach. But hockey never goes precisely how you want it to go – that’s the fun of it, too – and there could be curveballs and surprises along the way.

What was your impression of the draft? And what might free agency be like for the Flames?

— Ed Helinski 🇺🇸🇵🇱 🌴 (@MrEd315) June 28, 2026

I really liked the Flames’ draft. I thought Carson Carels is exactly what they need. I really enjoy the jam and versatility that Jack Hextall and Chase Harrington bring. I really like Tobias Trejbal as a young goalie. I really like Egor Barabanov as a mid-round pick-up. I really like getting Simon Katolicky where they got him.

They made a lot of interesting picks and I’m fascinated to see how things go.

How many years and AVV are you hearing for Nemec?

— cory roberts (@corycar77) June 28, 2026

Disclaimer: I have heard nothing.

However, I would think about doing a two or three year bridge at around Kevin Bahl’s cap hit ($5.35 million) and then give Simon Nemec a bit of runway to get a longer-term, bigger deal. My big question is “What is he within the Flames system?” If the answer is “Quite good,” then you chuck a long-term deal at him.

Rank these players by most likely to least likely on the team by training camp
Whitecloud
Zary
Coleman
Frost

— idk name (@Mystery_name23) June 28, 2026

Most likely to least likely to be with the Flames by September: Zach Whitecloud (most), Morgan Frost, Blake Coleman, Connor Zary (least).

Got a question for a future mailbag? Contact Ryan on Twitter/BlueSky at @RyanNPike or e-mail him at Ryan.Pike [at] BetterCollective.com! (Make sure you put Mailbag in the subject line!)

The FlamesNation Monday Mailbag is presented to you by Village Honda

Looking to sell your vehicle? Village Honda wants to buy it. We offer complimentary, no obligation appraisals, payment in 24 hours, top value trade in values and best of all, no stress. Skip selling your vehicle privately and stop in Village Honda today. No appointment necessary.

Village Honda is proud to be your dealership for life in Calgary since 1987. We are located in the Northwest Auto Mall under the giant Canadian flag or online at www.villagehonda.com.

With Parekh, Nemec and now Carels, the Flames’ defensive pipeline is the envy of the NHL

Mike Gould — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 16:00:30 GMT

It sure seems like June is Craig Conroy’s month.

Two years ago, his Calgary Flames knocked it out of the park with a fantastic 2024 draft class. The following summer, they picked up right where they left off with a centre-heavy crop of intriguing prospects.

And now, here we are, with all seven rounds of the 2026 NHL Draft in the books, and Conroy has ushered another wave of highly talented young prospects — including another potential franchise cornerstone — into the Flames’ overflowing talent pool.

A frequent Frank J. Selke Trophy candidate at the peak of his playing career, Conroy has continually emphasized his desire to build a strong defensive pipeline since taking over as the Flames’ general manager in 2023. He proceeded to assemble a formidable group of right-handed defenders essentially from scratch over a span of six months during the 2023–24 season, acquiring Hunter Brzustewicz in one of his first major trades and capping off the year by drafting Zayne Parekh and Henry Mews.

Conroy added yet another right-shot defender with sky-high potential in a blockbuster deal with the New Jersey Devils this past week, sending out a package headlined by two future first-round picks in exchange for Simon Nemec, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft. Like Parekh, Nemec isn’t the most imposing or defensively stout, but he has skill to burn and, at just 22 years of age, already has 155 games with the Devils under his belt. With so many righties now in place, Parekh may start next season playing on Zach Whitecloud’s left side, where he enjoyed his greatest NHL success to date during the 2025-26 stretch drive.

Parekh and Nemec could both become legitimate top-pairing defenders in Calgary. But even with those two in the fold, Conroy wasn’t done strengthening the position that wins championships. After all, with due respect to Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov, the Flames still seemed to be one blue-chip lefty away from putting together a truly balanced defensive group, and it just so happened that there was one tailor-made for them at the No. 6 spot in this year’s draft.

Carson Carels is a farm boy from rural Manitoba. He’s a great skater and a highly physical player who scores a ton of goals with his cannonading shot. In a lot of ways, he projects to be an ideal partner for Parekh or Nemec. He’s arguably the most well-rounded defender in the 2026 draft class, and now, he’s a Calgary Flame.

Carels scored 20 goals with the Prince George Cougars in the 2025–26 season as one of the WHL’s youngest draft-eligible defenders. He tied winger Brock Souch for second on the Cougars with 73 points in 58 games, and he locked down a spot on Team Canada at the 2026 World Juniors, an impressive feat for any 17-year-old rearguard. It’s been a long time since the Flames have had a defence prospect of this calibre; over their first 45 years in Calgary, they never drafted a defender higher than No. 9 overall.

In the end, it was Calgary’s most iconic No. 9 who made the Carels pick official at No. 6.

HOW ABOUT THIS CALGARY BLUE LINE?! 🔥

Carson Carels is selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2026 #NHLDraft 👏 pic.twitter.com/N243kstGR0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 27, 2026

After the Flames drafted Carels on Friday, they didn’t take another defenceman until their very last pick the following afternoon, because they didn’t need to. Carels is a potential No. 1 D joining a Flames team with a defensive pipeline that now rivals any other.

The San Jose Sharks’ prospect pool may be the class of the league, but even they don’t have the horses on their blue line to match what Calgary has assembled. The Montreal Canadiens have Lane Hutson, whom the Flames absolutely should’ve picked in 2022, but their depth doesn’t remotely compare. Chicago? Utah? Anaheim? Not even close. Calgary’s defensive pipeline is the envy of the NHL, and its strength will define the early years of Flames hockey at Scotia Place.

For all the potential gripes about the Flames building a slightly one-dimensional defensive group under Conroy, Carels is now the lead of a surprisingly strong cast of rugged, hard-nosed types. But while players like Bahl, Kuznetsov, Mace’o Phillips, and Axel Hurtig more closely resemble the archetypal shutdown defence prospect of yesteryear, Carels himself is plenty capable of making an impact at both ends of the ice — and off of it. Just ask Conroy, who described Carels on draft night as “a character that could become a captain one day of the Calgary Flames.”

Conroy embraced the theme of making the Flames harder to play against throughout this year’s draft, selecting a pair of highly projectable and hard-working forwards in Jack Hextall and Chase Harrington in the 30s before trading up to take Tobias Trejbal, the top goaltender in the class, at No. 42. And with mid-range picks Alan Shaikhlislamov, Egor Barabanov, and Simon Katolicky, the Flames added three more good-sized forwards consistently ranked close to (or higher than) where they were picked. Late-rounder Bode Laylin seems like a worthwhile project on the blue line, and of course, there’s just so much to love about Joe Iginla.

It’s more than fair to say the Flames are set on defence for years to come. Carels, Parekh, and Nemec could each become a No. 1 or 2 in the right environment; Bahl, Brzustewicz, and Mews, among others, project to be ideal complementary top-four pieces. And with Trejbal joining Dustin Wolf, Devin Cooley, Kirill Zarubin, and Arsenii Sergeev, the Flames have one of the strongest groups of goaltenders in the NHL.

Conroy’s next task, and certainly the most difficult one, will be to find that elusive No. 1 centre prospect, something the Flames haven’t had in a very long time. But even still, they already have Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, Theo Stockselius, and Hextall as top prospects down the middle, as well as Matvei Gridin, Matt Coronato, Ethan Wyttenbach, Andrew Basha, and Sam Honzek on the wings. The Flames have built a strong foundation, and all they have to do is find the same types of star-level prospects that they have on defence.

Many of the necessary pieces are already in place. With a little lottery luck — also something they’ve seldom had — the Flames won’t have to wait long to be able to put on a good show for their fans at the new rink.

This Article is a presentation of LeaseBusters

LeaseBusters is Canada’s premier lease takeover marketplace, helping drivers get out of their current vehicle leases without costly penalties or negative equity. Instead of paying thousands to break a lease, sellers connect with qualified buyers ready to take it over—saving money and avoiding financial stress. Buyers benefit from shorter-term commitments and often better monthly payments, while dealerships retain a replacement customer and leasing companies keep contracts active. It’s a smarter, more efficient solution for everyone involved. Four parties, four wins—only with LeaseBusters. For more information, check out www.LeaseBusters.com

Flames 2026 NHL Draft grades: Carels to Iginla evaluated

Dave Hall — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:00:28 GMT

The Calgary Flames entered the 2026 NHL Draft with nine selections, including five inside the top 55, giving them plenty of opportunities to add impact talent. Rather than chasing boom-or-bust prospects, Calgary focused on players with strong NHL projection while still finding value throughout the draft.

The Flames addressed nearly every position. They landed a potential top-pairing defenceman, added three centres with legitimate NHL upside, took a swing on one of the draft’s more athletic goaltenders, and sprinkled in skilled forwards throughout the middle rounds.

What stands out most is how few questionable picks there were. While Jack Hextall could be seen as a small reach, Calgary consistently drafted players who fit their organizational identity without sacrificing value. Sure, this class may not produce multiple superstars, but you better believe it has the potential to produce several NHL players.

6th Overall — Carson Carels (D)

Grade: A+

After the first five selections came off the board, Calgary found itself in an ideal position to bolster what is an already budding blueline. And boy, did they take that route.

Carels has long been viewed as one of the safest defencemen in the draft thanks to his elite skating, mobility and ability to impact the game in all three zones. He defends aggressively without getting caught out of position, moves the puck efficiently and projects as a player capable of playing in every situation. It had often been said that had he shot the puck from the right side, he would likely be the top defencemen in the class. For the Flames, the side of the shot mattered not, they have two high-flying right-shot defenders in the system in place.

Finding a potential top-pairing defenceman at sixth overall, who can insulate players like Zayne Perekh and Simon Nemec, is just excellent value for Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames. He’s often felt like the target for the team at this spot, and sure enough, they stayed right on track.

30th Overall — Jack Hextall (C)

Grade: B

Jack Hextall was one of Calgary’s more polarizing selections. Most, not all, public rankings had him coming off the board sometime in the second round, but the Flames clearly valued his hockey sense, leadership qualities, and competitiveness enough to ensure they got their player.

He’s the type of centre coaches quickly grow to trust because he plays a mature, detail-oriented game and rarely cheats defensively. The offensive upside remains the biggest question, and that’s what keeps this from receiving a higher grade. If Calgary believes there’s more offence to unlock, however, this selection could age much better than initial reactions suggest.

36th Overall — Chase Harrington (C)

Grade: A

We give this a high grade and could easily end up being one of Calgary’s best selection of the draft.

Chase Harrington entered the weekend as one of the more complete and underrated two-way centres available. He plays with pace, competes every shift and consistently makes intelligent decisions with and without the puck. You probably won’t find him hitting the highlight package on a nightly basis, but when you check the statline at the end of the night, he should impress. It’s not that the offence isn’t there, either. Although highly considered a checking forward, he possesses enough skill to potentially develop into a legitimate middle-six NHL centre capable of chipping in.

Finding that combination of floor and upside at No. 36, we think, represents outstanding value.

42nd Overall — Tobias Trejbal (G)

Grade: B+

It’s always interesting to see when the goalie run will start with each draft. This year, Calgary decided to be the first to pull the trigger. Goalies are always difficult to evaluate, but Tobias Trejbal offers plenty of reasons for optimism, and widely considered this year’s crown jewel for the position. His size, athleticism and natural reflexes give him one of the higher ceilings among netminders in this class.

Like every young goalie, there are technical details to clean up, but Calgary has shown patience with goalie development over the years. If he reaches his potential, we could see the Flames getting solid value here in the middle of the second round.

55th Overall — Alan Shaikhlislamov (RW)

Grade: B+

Shaikhlislamov was one of the best value picks Calgary made and for that, they get a decent grade for a late second round pick.

He’s a highly skilled winger who loves having the puck on his stick and consistently creates offence through his hands and vision. There are still questions about the consistency of his game away from the puck, but by the late second round, this is exactly the type of upside worth betting on.

If his overall game rounds out, Calgary could have landed another top-six forward late into the second round.

65th Overall — Joe Iginla (C)

Grade: D

The famous last name will inevitably draw attention, but we, and most of the draft floor, felt that this was a bit of a reach. He was ranked as the 200th North American skater by the NHL’s Central Scouting, and many pundits did not have him on their rankings at all.

He plays a responsible game, competes hard and has improved his game as time passes, but this felt like a pick to be made further down the line.

100th Overall — Egor Barabanov (C)

Grade: B+

Barabanov offers more offensive upside than many fourth-round selections. His puck skills and creativity stand out, though he’ll need to continue adding strength and improving his consistency. Calgary clearly saw enough raw talent to believe he can eventually outperform his draft position.

These are worthwhile bets in the middle rounds that teams should be making. They did good.

132nd Overall — Simon Katolicky (LW)

Grade: B

Katolicky is another player with some intriguing offensive tools. As are most in this range, he’s a clear long-term project. But he flashes enough skill and playmaking ability to warrant a fifth-round selection. At this point in the draft, adding players with NHL-calibre offensive instincts is just good process.

164th Overall — Bode Laylin (D)

Grade: B

Laylin rounds out Calgary’s class as a developmental swing on the blue line.

He’s a physically mature defender with projectable size and enough skating ability to build around. There’s still considerable development ahead, but finding NHL traits this late in the draft is all teams can really ask for.

Final Thoughts

Calgary may not have landed the flashiest draft class, but it was one of the most well-rounded.

Carson Carels gives the organization a potential cornerstone on the back end, Chase Harrington may become one of the better picks of the second round, and Alan Shaikhlislamov brings legitimate offensive upside. Reaching for Iginla early drops their overall score ever-so-slightly, but fans should consider this weekend a solid addition of worthy talent.

The Flames addressed every major position, avoided unnecessary reaches and walked away with a prospect pool that is noticeably deeper than it was entering the weekend.

Best Pick: Chase Harrington (36th Overall)

Biggest Steal: Alan Shaikhlislamov (55th Overall)

Highest Upside: Carson Carels (6th Overall)

Final Grade: A-

This article is brought to you by Crystal Waters

Crystal Waters is your Crystal Clear Choice for Home Comfort Solutions, including all plumbing, heating, and cooling equipment repairs, maintenance, and installation. Founded in 2001, and completing over 30,000 projects, our qualified professionals are the guardians of your home’s mechanical heart.

Call Crystal Waters Plumbing and Heating today at 403-219-4100 for a complete mechanical system audit, and learn how we can partner with you to ensure your home is optimized for safety, health, and comfort. Or check them out at www.crystalclearcalgary.com

Projecting the Calgary Wranglers’ 2026-27 roster after the 2026 NHL Draft

Paige Siewert — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:45 GMT

The Calgary Wranglers, like the Flames are looking to make a huge improvement on the 2025-26 season and move forward with a clean slate going into the last season in the Saddledome. This organization is trying to make moves to put them back in a contender conversation and develop their new and existing assets to fit into that plan. For the Wranglers’ side of things, they finished the season far from a playoff spot, and with five unrestricted free agents and 10 restricted free agents. Many are still pending contracts, but this is what the AHL roster is starting to form into.

Confirmed player options

The Wranglers have quite a few players from last year’s roster still without contracts, UFAs and RFAs alike. The ones that have been locked down are listed below. Some of these players like Sam Honzek, Hunter Brzustewicz and Aydar Suniev, may be optioned to the Flames depending on how their camps go, but they have the flexibility to play in the AHL if the situation calls for it due to their waiver-exempt ELCs.

Left Wingers – Andrew Basha, Alex Gallant, Dryden Hunt, Sam Honzek

Centres – Jonathan Castagna, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton, Tyson Gross

Right Wingers – Aydar Suniev

Left-Shot Defencemen – Axel Hurtig, Kyle Walker, Abram Wiebe

Right-Shot Defencemen – Kent Anderson, Hunter Brzustewicz

Goaltenders – Arsenii Sergeev, Kirill Zarubin

Projected roster

After the dust of the draft settles, the evaluation of the picks who are available for AHL assignment and free agent signings will begin with the Flames. The Wranglers have already lost some assets such as Etienne Morin, Martin Frk, Daniil Miromanov and Simon Mack. They’ll need to beef up their scoring with their top goalscorer, Frk, signing in the KHL.

The AHL squad will want to hang on to a few veterans and already have some of their leaders from last season locked down like Sam Morton, Rory Kerins and Dryden Hunt. There will likely be some unpredictable additions depending on how things shake out in the remainder of the summer and into the fall. An educated guess of the roster at this point in the off-season might look something like this:

Left Wingers – Dryden Hunt, Andrew Basha, Brennan Othmann, Alex Gallant, Lucas Ciona, Sam Honzek

Centres – Tyson Gross, Jonathan Castagna, Rory Kerins, Sam Morton, Carter King

Right Wingers – Aydar Suniev, William Stromgren, Parker Bell

Left-Shot Defencemen – Axel Hurtig, Abram Wiebe, Kyle Walker, Artem Grushnikov

Right-Shot Defencemen – Kent Anderson, Hunter Brzustewicz, Gavin White

Goaltenders – Arsenii Sergeev, Owen Say, Kirill Zarubin

Changes on the horizon

The chatter in the Calgary market is that multiple Wranglers from last year, including Nick Cicek, Ivan Prosvetov, Justin Kirkland and Clark Bishop, are expected to test the market in free agency and may not be back next season. If that is the case, the Wranglers will lose their second captain in team history and the next player to be in that role could go to a few different players. Cicek was also wearing an A for the squad, so if both are gone in addition to Martin Frk, some other members of the AHL team are going to get their chance to showcase their leadership abilities.

Justin Kirkland and Nick Cicek are likely looking for teams where they have better chances at NHL time and as more prospects are added to the pool for the Flames, so is the competition at their positions. The team is trending in the younger direction and with many prospects opting to play their upcoming seasons in the NCAA or on their Junior teams, it may be now or never for some of the cusp players looking to emerge with the Flames.

Sponsored by bet365:

What the Pacific Division teams did on Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft and other notes

Ryley Delaney — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 19:00:11 GMT

The 2026 draft has finished, and in just three days, the 2026 Free Agent Frenzy will begin

Unlike Friday, all eight teams in the Pacific Division made a selection on Saturday, which featured rounds two through seven. The Calgary Flames made seven selected, tied for the most with the Vancouver Canucks, Seattle Kraken, and Anaheim Ducks among Pacific Division teams.

Let’s take a look at what Pacific Division teams drafted which players, as well as some other notables from Saturday.

Calgary Flames

With the 36th overall selection, the Flames drafted Chase Harrington. I like this pick, he’s the type of player contenders have. The Flames selected one goalie, Tobias Trejbal (42nd overall). The Czech netminder was the first goalie off the board.

The Flames love to draft their Russians, and while they didn’t select any Russian netminders, they did select two Russian forwards. Alan Shaikhlislamov was selected with the 55th overall pick, Egor Barabanov was selected 100th overall.

Sandwiched between the two Russians was son of the best player in Flames’ history, Joe Iginla. It’s a potential-over-results type of pick, but it was probably still a bit too early in the draft for this pick.

The second Czech player the Flames selected was forward Šimon Katolický, who the Flames drafted 132nd overall. He played in Finland last season. Their final pick on the day saw them select their first defenceman since Carson Carels with the sixth overall pick, Bode Laylin (164th overall).

San Jose Sharks

The rebuilding Sharks won day one of the 2026 draft, and it wasn’t even particularly close. They drafted an immediate top six forward in Ivan Stenberg, then picked up one of the best defencemen in the class, Keaton Verhoeff. Then with the 21st overall select, they selected Ryan Lin, another solid defenceman

Surprisingly, they only had three picks, all in the fourth round of beyond. They selected netminder Brady Knowling 127th overall, forward Jake Gustafson 174th overall, and defenceman Alexander Karmanov 201st overall. More on Karmanov in the notables section.

Vancouver Canucks

For the first time in franchise history, the Canucks had four picks in the top two rounds. That doesn’t sound true, but it is.

With the 33rd overall pick, they selected 6’7″ centre Brooks Rogowski. Then less than 10 picks later, they selected Norwegian forward Niklas Aaram-Olsen. In the fourth round, the Canucks selected Russian netminder Dmitri Ivchenk 78th overall.

Belarussian forward Yaroslav Bryzaglov (no relation to famous NHL netminder Ilya) was their fourth round pick, with the Medicine Hat Tigers forward going 97th overall. The Canucks picked two Canadians, every other pick featured a different nation. With the 129th overall pick, they selected Connor Davis.

Then in round six, the Canucks selected Slovak forward Lucian Bernat 176th overall, and Swedish defenceman Samuel Eriksson 184th overall. They had nine selections, with eight unique nations. Not sure that’s ever happened before.

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken selected seven players on day two. First was American forward Casey Mutryn, who was drafted 38th overall. In round four, the Kraken selected Russian forward Viktor Fyodorov.

They had two fifth-round selections, drafting defenceman Finn Kearns with 131st overall pick, then another defenceman, Luken Huff, with the 148th overall pick. With the 166th overall pick, the Kraken selected Swedish defenceman Ola Palme, followed by Canadian defenceman Rylan Singh with the 198th overall pick.

Coming into this draft, the Kraken had never drafted a defenceman with a first round pick. They bucked that trend by calling Chase Reid’s name with the seventh overall pick. Finally, the Kraken picked a forward, William Tomko, with the 204th overall pick.

What a weird franchise.

Edmonton Oilers

From a weird franchise to a dysfunctional franchise, the Edmonton Oilers were the lone Pacific Division team without a first rounder. Their first pick in the draft was set to be the 52nd overall pick, but they moved down six spots to select Latvian centre Rūdolfs Bērzkalns. More on the Latvians in the notables section.

With the 84th overall pick, the Oilers selected Swedish forward Malcom Gästrin. Then they picked back-to-back Windsor Spitfires, Andrew Robinson was selected 133 overall, and Caden Harvey was selected 180th overall.

They capped off their draft by selecting American netminder Ryan Cameron with the 212th overall selection. However, they failed to trade Darnell Nurse, one of their biggest pressing issues this off-season.

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks had seven picks, including two in the first round. With the 45 overall pick, they selected American defenceman Jayden Kurtz, followed by Canadian forward Mathis Preston just five picks later.

In the third round, the Ducks selected forward Rian Chudzinski with the 82nd overall pick, then Eric Frossard with the 146th overall pick. The Ducks had two selections in the sixth round, using the 178th overall pick to select Russian netminder Gleb Peshkov. Their 192nd overall pick was used to select Noah Kosick.

With their seventh-rounder, the Ducks selected American defenceman Jimmy Rieber 210th overall.

Vegas Golden Knights

Lastly, the Vegas Golden Knights had six picks in the second round and beyond. With the 92 overall pick, they selected American forward Ben Wilmott, then drafted American defenceman Sean Burick just three picks last.

In round four, the Golden Knights selected Jonah Siverston 113th overall, followed by Will McLaughlin with the 159th overall pick. Netminder Matthew Minchak was their sixth-round pick, going 191st overall, with Noel Pakarinen being their final pick. The Finn was selected 207th overall.

Notables from day two of the draft

Starting with the notable trades, the Ducks traded John Carlson’s rights to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 2026 sixth and defence prospect Kyle Masters.

Another right-shot defenceman, Brandon Carlo, was traded to the St. Louis Blues, with the Toronto Maple Leafs getting two thirds in return.

That was it in terms of noteworthy trades, but there were some interesting players selected during the two day draft.

Alexander Karmanov, drafted early in the seventh round by the Sharks, sets two first. The Moldovan-born defenceman is unsurprisingly the first Moldovan drafted. However, he’s the tallest player ever drafted, standing at 7’1”, 280 lbs. It’ll be interesting to see how his career pans out.

It’s been three decades since Lithuanian Dainius Zubrus was selected. Well, the Florida Panthers picked Lithuanian forward Simas Ignatavicius with the 40th ever selection, the third Lithuanian-born player ever drafted.

Additionally, the Buffalo Sabres selected Domán Kristóf Szongoth with the 156th overall pick, becoming the fifth Hungarian ever drafted, and the first since 2002.

There were four Latvians drafted. Defenceman Alberts Šmits went fifth overall, by far the highest a Latvian has ever gone. He surpassed Zemgus Girgensons, who was drafted 12th overall in 2012. Moreover, the four Latvians drafted in 2026 are the most in a single draft.

Slovakia produced eight draft picks, which tied how many Slovaks went Slovaks went in the 2023 draft, Flames’ Samuel Honzek included. It looks like the country is entering a golden era, as the eight players drafted are the most since 2004, when 10 Slovaks were drafted.

Kazakhstan produced two first-round picks, the most in the country’s history. Gleb Pugachyov (yes there were two players named Gleb drafted in 2026) is the first Kazak to go in the first round since Nikolai Antropov. With three Kazakhstanis selected, it matches the all-time most they’ve had, which came back in 1999.

Germany produced four players in last year’s draft, but saw two players go in 2026., as did Denmark and Norway. Switzerland saw two players drafted, but that’s generous as Ryder Cali’s mother was playing hockey in Switzerland at the time of his birth. There were no Austrians selected in this draft.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Sponsored by bet365:

Flames receive an ‘A’ in Daily Faceoff’s post-draft report card

Dylan Nazareth — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 17:30:37 GMT

After two days and seven rounds of selections, the Calgary Flames have emerged from the 2026 NHL Entry Draft with nine new prospects.

So how did Calgary’s draft compared to other franchises across the league? On Saturday, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis published his annual draft report card, grading each team’s selections at this year’s event. Ellis was fond of the work of Flames GM Craig Conroy and his team, giving Calgary an ‘A’ on their draft.

Listing Calgary’s notable picks as Carson Carels, Jack Hextall, and Chase Harrington, Ellis wrote:

The Flames snagged the best left-handed defender in Carson Carels, the best goaltender in Tobias Trejbal and one of the best overagers in Egor Barabanov. I also like Chase Harrington, and feel like Jack Hextall could have a decent career if he can work on his 5-on-5 offense. I like his hockey sense, but the production beyond the power play leaves a bit to be desired. Simon Katolicky is a nice bet at the No. 132 pick – he was once viewed as a potential top 10 prospect, but had a terrible year. If he can find his game again in the OHL, it might be a steal of a pick. Joe Iginla at No. 65 was fun, but like 125 picks earlier than it needed to be.

Carels is no doubt the headline pick for Calgary. The 18-year-old blueliner was expected by some NHL experts to be the Flames’ sixth-overall selection, while others believed he wouldn’t fall that far. He’s a solid, long-term add for the Flames, shoring up their defensive unit for years to come.

Beyond their first pick, Calgary managed to come away with depth at just about every position. As Ellis notes, Tobias Trejbal will be one to watch, as the top goaltender selected in this year’s draft. Trejbal posted a 30-9-3 record and a .916 SV% with the Youngstown Phantoms this year in the USHL. He is now committed to University of Massachusetts for the 2026-27 season.

Offensively, centreman Jack Hextall and winger Chase Harrington give Flames fans a lot to look forward to as well. Hextall also played with the Phantoms this past season, logging 58 points in 59 games. Harrington, meanwhile, tallied 57 points in 61 games with the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL.

Give us your thoughts, what did you make of Calgary’s selections in the 2026 draft?

PRESENTED BY THE DAILY FACEOFF FREE AGENCY SPECIAL

Daily Faceoff is your Free Agency Headquarters! Big moves. Breaking news. Instant analysis. Daily Faceoff is bringing the team together July 1st for a live Free Agency Special featuring Jeff Marek, Tyler Yaremchuk, Carter Hutton, and Dave Pagnotta. Tune in at noon ET on the Daily Faceoff YouTube Channel and socials for full coverage as the NHL landscape changes – with the PuckPedia-powered signing tracker keeping you up to date on every deal as it happens.

FN AHL Report Cards: David Silye served similar role in his second full season with the Wranglers

Paige Siewert — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:00:04 GMT

David Silye played his second full season of pro hockey with the Calgary Wranglers last year and in a harder year for the team, he at least had the perspective to know how this group found success in the past. He was one of the regulars that navigated the highs and unfortunately the more common lows but filled a depth role down the middle on their physical fourth line.

What were the expectations for David Silye in 2025-26?

David Silye was expected to be a full time AHLer this season. He showed in his first full season that he was skilled enough to keep up at the Wranglers level and was never optioned to the Rapid City Rush. He was extended in early September of 2025 for another year on an AHL contract.

In his first full season of pro in 2024-25, Silye played in 55 games and put up 14 points in that stretch consisting of six goals and eight assists. He also dabbled in the physical game in the second half of his season after some fighting coaching with Alex Gallant. He and Parker Bell noticeably added this aspect to their game down the stretch. This brought Silye’s PIMs up to 38 on the season. His second season was met with the same expectations, if not a bit of a jump in his production.

How did David Silye perform in 2025-26?

Sliye ended up straying away from his physical game a bit this season. He’d still get involved in scrums and was on the right line for that sort of situation, but didn’t have as many fights that broke out from the group. He had a pretty similar season to his year before, with a slight drop in points and three more games played with 58.

Silye was a staple fourth line centre with the wingers rotating around like Alex Gallant, Lucas Ciona and Parker Bell. Sometimes Carter King would be centring that bottom line and that would push Silye out of the lineup. Silye finished the year with three goals and seven assists on the year. He felt his performance improved near the end of the season and reflected on this during Wranglers exit interviews. Silye said:

“I’m really happy with the way I ended. Personally, I thought the beginning of the year it’s always a bunch of guys figuring it out but I thought after All-Star break, I was able to take a step in my game. That leaves me pretty excited for the off-season.”

He’s kept a close relationship with Sam Morton, who he played collegiate hockey with at Minnesota State Mankato, and they worked together in practice and prior to games to keep each other fresh in their position. Silye even alluded to their friendly competition for face-off percentages and believed he had the upper hand on Morton. Morton didn’t deny it either. With this not being a published stat, we’ll just have to take their word for it.

What’s the future outlook for David Silye?

David Silye is not at a point where he’s pushing for an NHL spot so his next deal is likely to be an AHL deal. Whether that is with Calgary or elsewhere, remains to be seen. He’s been a regular on the Wranglers for two seasons now and fits in that mid to late 20’s AHL veteran role that could be helpful down the depth chart.

Silye is going to focus his summer on improving his game and tying the knot with his fiancé, so there will be plenty of time after that to figure out the hockey contract side of things in a few months.

Sponsored by bet365:

Flames head scout Tod Button breaks down the 2026 NHL Draft class

Ryan Pike — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:00:07 GMT

The 2026 NHL Draft has concluded, and the Calgary Flames have been busy.

The Flames made nine selections over the two days of the draft, adding a goaltender, two defencemen and six forwards.

As we do every year, the assembled media met with Flames director of amateur scouting Tod Button after the final round and asked him to give us the rundown of the newest members of the organization.

D Carson Carels (1st round, 6th overall)

Top player, so excited to have him. Play every situation, culture guy, leader. He’s going to be one of those guys that is going to be here for a long time, plays every situation. I talked to Jimmy Playfair, I don’t know, three, four times during the year, and he kept on giving me updates. And he said when he first saw him as a 16-year-old, he said, ‘I told our guys he’s going to play 8 to 10 years. And then after I had him for a year, I said 10 to 12. And he says, I don’t know, I might play 15 now.’ So all the background, everything. It was, we talked about it a lot… It was an unbelievable group of defencemen at the top, like the top 7, 8 defencemen. And I’m going deeper than what everybody said as far as 5 or 6. It was a top group and it was hard to sort out because there were so many different types. But, you know, he was a guy that we just loved. We watched him last year. He’s a winner. So I don’t have much more to say. I know Connie loves the kid. Like, it was, we’re ecstatic. Really ecstatic.

Read more about Carson Carels here!

Button disclosed that Flames general manager Craig Conroy floated the idea to the scouting team of trying to move up to some unspecified pick in the first round – e.g., move the 30th pick and other assets to move up – but Button recalled that when they weighed the quality of player they would get with the pick they would move into against the three players they wouldn’t be able to get due to moving up, they opted to stay put.

C Jack Hextall (1st round, 30th overall)

So the next three guys fit into that because it was Jack Hextall was one of the guys. And he’s a guy, Jimmy Cummins – and [amateur scouts] Jimmy Cummins and Mike Craig covered the U.S. for us – and he said he’s a hockey player. That’s what he is. He’s a hockey player. Some guys, they have more skill. They’re more fancy. And their individual parts might look better, but they can’t put it all together. the sum of all the parts is what Jack Hextall is. He can play centre, he plays every situation, he’s good on face-offs and when we first started interviewing him and talking to him, he had such a great command of what he was going to be. He knew what he was, he knew his path and maybe it’s just his dad played in the Centennial Cup, I think it was, so being from a hockey family, he knew what his path was and he knew he wasn’t going to go to Michigan State next year and be on the power play… It’s a really good team and he had a, ‘I’m going to do this the first year and it’s penalty killing time and going there because they have a track record with your sports science department and you need to add strength and speed and everything.’ So it was really cool to have a kid who was really mature and had his own path already set out before he even talked to us. So two way player, multiple situation player. So really, really happy to have him.

Read more about Jack Hextall here!

LW Chase Harrington (2nd round, 36th overall)

He’s a gritty, tenacious guy. He creates room for his line mates. He’s got possession skill. He scores in the hard areas. He’s a rebound trench area guy. When we talk about goals and go back on the analytics, we talk about goals in hard areas, the guy draped on his back or tying up a stick, he’s fearless in that way. He’s really good in and around the net areas. And he can play with good players. And we saw that this year with the players he played with. We’ve seen it last year with the players he played with. And he has a B game. He has a B game, which is physicality and tenacity and grit and jam. So he was a very attractive guy for us.

G Tobias Trejbal (2nd round, 42nd overall)

And then right after [the Harrington pick at 36th], it was Connie. He just started taking over the phones. He had the 51 and 68, and he started with the next team and said, ‘Want to do it? Want to do it?” As long as Trejbal was on the board still, he was phoning those teams. And then Carolina, I think it was Carolina, right? They said, ‘Okay,’ so Jordy [Jordan Sigalet, director of goaltending] was as happy as you see Jordy, like he got a little bit of a smile. As gregarious as Connie is, Jordy’s more stoic, so it was really happy to get… Jordy, he thinks he’s the number one goalie. He’s going to UMass too, right? So good pick there.

RW Alan Skaikhlislamov (2nd round, 55th overall)

He was a guy that, I say this a lot because [amateur scout] Denis Grebeshkov does such a good job for us. And since we haven’t been able to travel into Russia, having eyes on players, we did it without a Russian scout for a while, and having eyes on a guy, and having a guy that played in the NHL for so long, and a guy that can talk to these guys in their native language and interview them, he just liked the guy. He just thought he was diligent, hardworking. He’s one of those guys that has said he can play more flashy and try more risk, but he doesn’t. He just plays the right way all the time.

And then, I was telling Pat Steinberg, like, years ago, there was a guy that played the same way in London, and he didn’t play with flash. Maybe a point a game in his draft year, but he played every situation. And I’m not comparing this guy to him, but it’s the same style, and it was Robert Thomas. And then Robert Thomas, we’ve seen what he’s done. So, this guy’s the same way. He plays the right way. So, we’re hoping that he can play with better players, and as he gets to higher levels, he’s going to get more offence to him. but we were really attracted by the diligence and the hard work and the two-way game that he shows. He’s a thick, strong kid and he plays an honest game.

RW Joe Iginla (3rd round, 65th overall)

Then Joe Iginla. So I first saw Joe, it’s a neat story. It was with Connie. We were watching Bradley Nadeau and Suniev in Penticton and Jarome was coaching Joe and Keaton Verhoeff over in a provincial game and they were playing against the Rucks and Mathis Preston. So that was when they were about 14 years old, the WHL draft year. So that’s the first time I saw Joe. And I know Joe played with an injury this year. And coming into the year, we saw him in the 17s last year. And he’s just, he’s got the DNA. He’s got hockey sense. He’s got hands. He just needs to develop physically. He needs physical maturation. And we know that takes time. But we also know the Iginla DNA and the work ethic. So we think at that point, for us, it was no-brainer. He was the next guy on our list. And we were happy that he was there. and to be honest I thought we had a chance at him there because we knew where he was rated but you never know. So that’s why you work your list and you do it your way, you don’t worry about what anybody else says. But I know Central Scouting had him very low but I think because because of the injury and he didn’t have a great start in Edmonton but he picked it up in Vancouver. I think we got a really good player there in the third round.

Read more about Joe Iginla here!

C Egor Barabanov (4th round, 100th overall)

Egor Barabanov played the last two years in USHL, so he came on the radar mostly with [amateur scout] Terry Doran because we were watching [Nikita] Klepov so much. So he played a lot with Klepov in Saginaw… and a guy we’re going to talk about next year – Dimian Zhilkin is going to be a top pick next year, top 15, top 20 pick – and they were a dynamite line offensively. So that’s how we started watching him. He’s a lighter kid, he’s skilled, he’s got vision, he can see the ice, he makes plays. He’s a little bit feisty, like sneaky feisty, like he’ll pop you when you’re not expecting it. It’s not his game. And then that was a value pick totally for us, taking a shot at a centre ice man first of all, but high skill.

LW Simon Katolicky (5th round, 132nd overall)

And then the next guy, Katolicky. Czech guy, played in Finland the last two years. When our guys came back from the Under-17s a couple of years ago, they talked about this guy. He’s going to be a good player for this draft. And he went through a bad year as far as sick, had appendicitis, he had injuries. He also played with [injured] ribs. And our Finnish scout, Lauri Tukonen, he thought he never really got his traction. Like, he could never get consistent games, and he was always fighting it. But at that point, it was like, you know, in the fifth round, and this guy we’re talking about late first, early second at the beginning of the year, it was, again, value. He’s got size. He works. He’s competitive. He’s a good skater. Going to Sarnia, so we’re all happy about that. Like, he’s going to play a lot more than he would if he was back in Finland.

D Bode Laylin (6th round, 164th overall)

And then Bode Laylin, going to Everett next year. He’s a very cerebral heavy puck moving defenceman. Jimmy and Mike Craig, again, USHL, they really liked him. And the thing when I talk about the team and how we worked, they were really supported by the analytic group and what they said and all their analysis of Bode Laylin. So when it came to that pick, there was a couple of guys we talked about and then it was… You guys know Jimmy Cummins. So Jimmy Cummins and the analytic group over here, there’s five of them. Mike Craig was a pretty feisty player, so Connie and I were like, ‘Okay, we’ll do what they want.’ So that’s it. That was all, like, that’s the teamwork part of it, right? How the analytics provided them with the confidence that there was a good swing on a… He’s undersized for sure, but puck mover, skater, we got time, he’s going to go to school. So, you know, three or four years down the road, we’ll see.

This article is a presentation of Prairie Toyota Dealers

It’s time for a truck that can play in every zone. Which means, it’s time to Toyota! Its standard i-FORCE engine delivers more power than ever and a towing capacity of up to 6,400 lbs. It helps you take on challenging landscapes with confidence with its available Panoramic Multi-Terrain View Monitor that provides a live, underfloor view of the terrain your tackling. It even makes loading and unloading gear effortless with its available Power Liftgate. Whether it’s for early morning practice or weekend away games, the Tacoma is a teammate you can rely on. Visit your local Prairie Toyota dealer today.

A recap of the 9 prospects the Flames selected at the 2026 NHL Draft

Ryan Pike — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 02:38:23 GMT

The 2026 NHL Draft is in the books, and it was a busy one for general manager Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames.

The Flames made nine draft choices over the course of Friday and Saturday’s festivities in Buffalo. We’ll be digging into the prospects in more detail in the coming days – and seeing many of them up-close at development camp next week – but for now, here’s a quick and dirty rundown of the nine newest Flames.

Complete list of the Flames’ 2026 draft class

Carson Carels, D, 1st round, 6th overall

The Flames system boasts four pretty high-end young right shot defenders in Simon Nemec, Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz and Henry Mews. They desperately needed a high-end left defender with a complimentary skill-set. Well ask, and you shall receive. A Manitoba farm kid boasting equal parts size, smarts, skill and work ethic, Carels is arguably the Platonic ideal of what the Flames want their team to be adding right now. [Read more about Carels here.]

Jack Hextall, C, 1st round, 30th overall

At the end of the first round, the Flames opted for another centre for their system with Hextall. A right shot with pace, tenacity, grit and skill, Hextall has impressed at USHL Youngstown playing a mixture of centre and the wing across a lot of game situations. [Read more about Hextall here.]

Chase Harrington, LW, 2nd round, 36th overall

A skilled winger from the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs, Harrington is a bit of a chameleon, having the versatility to play a skill game or a gritty, physical game depending on his linemates and game situation.

Tobias Trejbal, G, 2nd round, 42nd overall

The Flames traded up from 51st overall to land Trejbal, considered by many to be the top goalie in the draft. A Czech product who excelled with USHL Youngstown and was named their goalie of the year last season, he’s headed to college. Considering the Flames have depth in net right now, he’ll can build his game with UMass… but there’s already a lot to like.

Alan Shaikhlislamov, RW, 2nd round, 55th overall

One of the youngest players in the 2026 class, Shaikhlislamov increased his scoring rate in Russia’s top under-20 league year-over-year as a 17-year-old and even made his KHL debut in September. The analytics-driven model from Hockey Prospecting’s Byron Bader loved this kid, particularly for his production given his age.

We think his name is pronounced Shake-Lis-Lamov.

Joe Iginla, RW, 3rd round, 65th overall

The youngest son of Jarome, and younger sibling to Tij (Utah, NHL) and Jade (PWHL Hamilton, PWHL), Joe’s another very young player in this draft class who dealt with an unclear role and an injury with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings followed by a trade. Once he got his feet under him with the Vancouver Giants, he ended up starting to find a rhythm. It’s a bet on upside with some boom/bust potential involved, but considering the depth the prospect base has… you can understand why the Flames had the confidence to make the swing. [Read more about Iginla here.]

Egor Barabanov, C, 4th round, 100th overall

After a couple seasons in the USHL, Barabanov impressed in the OHL as a 19-year-old. We would put this in the same category as the Trevor Hoskin pick from 2024: both guys impressed in their overage seasons playing against younger opponents and there’s probably some offensive upside worth betting on at this point in the draft. He’s been touted by some as the top overage player in this draft class.

Simon Katolicky, LW, 5th round, 132nd overall

A year ago, there was some chatter that Katolicky, a Czech kid playing in Finland, could be a first-round pick. Now, after a tough year that saw him tumble down the draft boards a bit, the Flames are buying low and hoping for a bounce-back. He’s headed to join the OHL’s Sarnia Sting next season.

Bode Laylin, D, 6th round, 164th overall

A defender from a hockey family where his dad and two older brothers played college puck, Laylin is a USHL defender that had pretty decent numbers with Tri-City and will be moving to the WHL’s Everett Silvertips next season before heading to college the year after that. This is a bit of a project pick, but the Flames are bullish on his potential.

What do you think of the Flames’ 2026 draft class? Let us know in the comments!

PRESENTED BY THE FLAMESNATION NEWSLETTER

Never miss what matters in the game. From lineup changes to breaking trades and must-read analysis, FlamesNation delivers the insight serious hockey fans rely on—straight to your inbox. Sign up for the FlamesNation newsletter!

Flames are betting on Joe Iginla’s potential, not his past performance

Ryan Pike — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:24 GMT

In the National Hockey League’s annual entry draft, players get selected by clubs for any number of reasons. Sometimes they’ve ripped it offensively in their draft year. Sometimes they have qualities that make scouts excited for their potential for growth.

So let’s make one thing clear: all due respect to the young man, but Joe Iginla’s performance to date in the Western Hockey League probably would not warrant selection in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.

If you go to Elite Prospects and filter just for first-time draft-eligible skaters in the WHL scoring list, Iginla was 39th in points and points-per-game with 31 points in 59 games. Following the 2025-26 season, Iginla was rated 200th among North American skaters by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service. He did not appear on any of the major agency’s public draft rankings.

Yet, Iginla was selected in the third round, 65th overall, by the Calgary Flames. Where his father, first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jarome Iginla, is the longest-serving captain, all-time leading scorer, and currently special advisor to general manager Craig Conroy.

The pick was followed by some online fan criticisms that ranged from the somewhat polite (“That was a bit of a reach…” and “Don’t like that pick,” and “Seems a bit early.”) to the more blunt (“Worst pick of the draft.“). The Athletic’ Scott Wheeler dubbed the selection “one of the biggest reaches of Day 2.”

If you’re skeptical of the pick – and understandably so – Flames brass acknowledged the potential criticisms of taking someone (a) with the last name of someone who works in management and (b) who was quite far down Central Scouting’s rankings.

“I just think that we saw it differently,” said director of amateur scouting Tod Button, chatting with the media on Saturday after the conclusion of day two. “Like, I don’t even know where Joe ended up. I just know I went through the first five pages. ‘Like, okay, I’m not even looking anymore.'”

“I think Joe, if you’ve watched him over the years, I think he’s a little bit of a late bloomer,” said Conroy, also chatting after day two.. “We believe there’s still room to grow. As the season went along, he had good stretches, and then he broke his ribs. Obviously, he tried to play through the broken ribs. Maybe the production was down a little bit this year, but the work ethic, the person, obviously we know exactly everything about him. and we’re betting on him that he’s going to continue to progress.”

Originally selected in the Western League’s draft by the Edmonton Oil Kings, Iginla was traded to the Vancouver Giants on Jan. 5… but didn’t make his debut for the Giants until a few weeks later due to his injury. Conroy related the decision to bank on Iginla’s potential for growth to a missed opportunity the club had a few years back at the draft with another second-generation player.

“I think the one thing Tod said where he made a mistake a few years ago was on Josh Doan,” said Conroy. “He went through a draft. We talked about taking him. Then the next year he went in the second round. Had a great year in the USHL. they took him in the second. You know, and you’re thinking, we could have just taken him the year before.”

Doan had 14 points in 45 games in 2019-20 with the USHL’s Chicago Steel and went undrafted in 2020, then went 37th overall in 2021 after producing 70 points in 53 games the following season. Doan’s situation, and the parallels to Iginla’s season, drove some discussions among Flames scouts and management.

“And that’s what we said, we’re not going to let that happen again,” said Conroy.

Both Button and Conroy were clear about one thing: Joe’s dad wasn’t involved in any scouting discussions regarding his son. Instead, the Flames’ scouting staff leaned on their evaluations and their guts, and made a bet that Iginla’s potential will out-weigh his draft year performance. And for a team that’s made 33 picks in a four year span under Conroy’s management, it’s a pick the Flames feel comfortable making.

“I don’t think it was insider information about the rib injury,” said Button. “I think it’s like, again, smart player, competitive player, good hands, just undersized.”

Speaking to the media via Zoom after being selected, Joe discussed his mindset regarding going to his father’s team.

“Obviously, you know, some people are going to… like, haters are going to always say something, and people will say, like, oh, something about your dad,” said Iginla. “But I feel like at this point in my career, I’ve heard about every insult and chirp there is about my dad, so I think, you know, I’m just gonna go out there and try to prove them wrong.”

If their 65th overall selection was anybody else with any other last name, the pick probably wouldn’t be scrutinized as it is – Jake Boltmann’s 2020 selection at 80th overall didn’t generate much furor – but the factors involved create a unique dynamic. Betting on Joe Iginla’s potential at 65th overall is a move that could make the Flames look really, really smart.

Or, well, not.

Time will tell how this unfolds.

Sponsored by bet365: