Gang, we’re just a few weeks away from the 2025 NHL Draft. For the second consecutive year, the Calgary Flames have multiple picks in the first round.

They’re slated to select for the first time at 18th overall, with the pick they received from New Jersey in the Jacob Markstrom trade. We’ve been working through profiles of several potential first-round selections, but given the Flames’ positional needs, we thought we’d zoom in a bit on four centres the Flames might be considering taking at 18th overall.

Let’s dive in.

Don’t count on ’em being available

Every year, I build out what I call the “consensus ranking,” which uses a bunch of public draft rankings to attempt to average out variability from source to source. We have no idea what each NHL team values in their draft picks or what their internal rankings are, but aggregating a bunch of rankings is the best method available to estimate how the first round could unfold. (We’ll publish a finalized version of the consensus ranking closer to draft weekend.)

Anyway, using a slew of public rankings that were released since the beginning of May (Elite Prospects, FC Hockey, Daily Faceoff, Bob McKenzie, Craig Button, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, Tony Ferrari and McKeen’s), there are a bunch of centres we suspect will probably be unavailable when the Flames select for the first time at 18th overall:

Michael Misa – 2nd
James Hagens – 4th
Anton Frondell – 5th
Caleb Desnoyers – 6th
Jake O’Brien – 8th
Roger McQueen – 9th
Brady Martin – 10th
Carter Bear – 13th

In case you’re wondering: yes, this is a pretty centre-heavy first round mix. And yes, there are still some very good young centre prospects available once these eight young gentlemen are off the board.

Here are the four we (a) think could still be available and (b) think could be pretty good fits for the Flames.

Braeden Cootes

Ranked 17th on our compiled consensus list, Cootes is a right shot centre from the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds listed at 6’0″ and 183 pounds. He’s an Alberta kid, hailing from Sherwood Park, Alberta. (That probably means he grew up cheering for the Oilers, but people can grow out of that.)

The Thunderbirds weren’t amazing this season – they were, by points percentage, the weakest playoff team in the Dub – but Cootes did a ton to help them be competitive. He didn’t turn 18 until February, playing the majority of the season as a 17-year-old, but he led the team in assists, points and face-offs taken. He was first over the boards in basically every game situation, and that sort of versatility could come in handy for the Flames. He’s also a “true” centre, in the sense that he played almost exclusively up the middle for Seattle.

Here’s what Steven Ellis at Daily Faceoff noted about Cootes in his May draft rankings (he had him 21st):

Cootes might become more of an energy forward in the NHL, but he’ll be a good one at that. The thing that really stands out here is just how much he wants the puck, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Cootes is also a solid playmaker, often easily finding teammates in open space. I think his value goes far beyond his numbers, which you want from a center. He’s not small at six-foot, but he’s not huge, either. That doesn’t seem to hurt him, though, because he’s not afraid to play with an edge. I’ve really grown on Cootes’ game as the season has developed and I could see some teams taking a chance on him even earlier.

Several recent mock drafts from major outlets have Cootes going 18th to the Flames – both writers from NHL.com made this pick in their mock – and it’s a slotting that would make a ton of sense given their needs.

Ben Kindel

The 22nd player on our consensus list, Kindel is a right shot centre (and winger) from the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen listed at 5’10” and 181 pounds. He’s a player the Flames brass obviously know pretty well, given he plays down the hall from the big club.

Kindel was flat-out great in 2024-25. He’s said to have played centre more at prior levels of hockey, but he’s been used at both centre and the wing with the Hitmen over the past couple of seasons. (He was fourth in face-offs taken this season and fifth last season, which we’re using as a rough barometer.) He was a beast for them this season, putting up 99 points and leading the Hitmen in assists. (He was one point behind overager Oliver Tulk for the team lead in points.)

Here’s what Ellis had to say about Kindel (who he had ranked 20th):

Kindel has been one of the WHL’s hottest prospects this season, and he’s quickly becoming one of the most popular names in the public scouting sphere. He’s equally good as a shooter and a playmaker and is the driving force of Calgary’s attack. Kindel does a great job of finding open space and exploiting it, and he has a shot he can unleash from just about anywhere. Below-average skating and a lack of a physical edge knock him down a few pegs, but many teams should consider him for his pure puck skills and solid all-around improvement.

Is Kindel a “true” centre at the pro level? We’re not sure. He performed well at the face-off dot and seemed to drive play well regardless of where he lined up this season, but he’s not huge, so there are the natural questions of how his skill-set and play style will translate to other levels of hockey.

Cullen Potter

Coming in at 20th on the consensus list, Potter is a left shot centre (and winger) listed at 5’10” and 172 pounds. A Wisconsin kid, he spent this season as a freshman with the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Playing primarily at centre this season, usually on the second line, Potter had a pretty solid freshman year at ASU. He was fourth on the team in goals and sixth in points, but he built his game up throughout the year.

Ellis had him ranked 18th on his May ranking:

Potter made the big decision to go to college early, and it paid off. He played around 20 minutes a night at ASU, and scouts were impressed with his play-driving abilities. He’s 5-foot-9, but his pure skill and ability to make things happen with the puck should keep him high in the draft conversation. Overall, I like his commitment to playing in all three zones, and he anticipates plays and gets himself where he needs to be better than most of the draft class. I think the ceiling is higher for Potter than many others around this part of the draft, but he needs to show he can handle the physical challenge. Fast-tracking to play at ASU early was an absolute genius move for his development and helped him push up draft boards.

Based on the scouting reports on Cullen, he may have more of a boom-or-bust risk factor to him that some of the other potential picks here don’t. But considering his potential skill ceiling, and the organization’s lack of highly-skilled natural centres, you could understand why they might consider it. (Especially when you consider they had a really successful 2024 draft that’s given them a ton of depth in the prospect pool… and they have another first-rounder this year, too.)

Cole Reschny

Reschny ranked 18th on the consensus list. He’s a left shot centre listed at 5’10” and 187 pounds. He played this season with the WHL’s Victoria Royals.

Reschny had a heck of a season, leading Victoria in assists and points (and finishing second in goals). He was leaned on heavily by Victoria in all situations, and he not only led them in face-offs taken, but he won 56% of them. In short: he’s a centre, and a really good one. He’s committed to the University of North Dakota, where he’ll be teammates with Flames prospect Cade Littler next season.

Reschny was 16th on Ellis’ rankings:

Reschny is coming off an outstanding showing at the U-18 World Championship. He didn’t start the tournament on time, but he was a big reason why Canada won gold. Reschny’s ability to produce no matter the situation makes him so intriguing. He’s not huge, but he makes up for it with explosive speed and elusiveness, making him a tough player to contain on the rush. He’s an outstanding playmaker, maybe one of the best in this class. Reschny’s competitive nature will take him far, and he has proven internationally he can be an offensive catalyst with other high-end prospects.

With his combination of skill and compete level, Reschny would be a very nice compliment to the other players in the Flames system.

Which of these four players would be your first choice for the Flames at 18th overall? Let us know in the comments!

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