Finding gems in the fifth round or later is what separates great teams from good teams.

For the first time in franchise history, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/stats">the Calgary Flames</a> will pick 144th. They’ve picked in the 140s before, including the 143rd overall pick in the 1985 draft, where they selected Stu Grimson. Other than that, there aren’t many notable players <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">the Flames</a> have picked around the 144th selection.
That said, there have been a few notable players selected 144th overall. Let’s take a look at them!
<h2>Notable players selected 144th overall</h2>
Although the Flames have never picked 144th overall, they did employ one player picked in this spot. During the 1993-94 season, Brad Schlegel played 26 games for the Flames, scoring his only National Hockey League goal and posting seven points. The right-shot defenceman only played 48 NHL games, finishing with nine points and one post-season assist.
Without question, the most notable player selected 144th was Matt Cooke, who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1997. The forward played 1,046 games, scoring 167 goals and 398 points, picking up 1,135 penalty minutes (and some dirty hits) in the process. Cooke spent time with the Canucks, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota Wild, winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009.
Two drafts before Cooke, Brent Sopel was selected 144th overall, also by the Canucks. The right-shot defenceman spent a large portion of his time with the British Columbian team, but also played for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Montréal Canadiens. The year after Cooke won his only Stanley Cup, Sopel did the same with the Blackhawks, scoring one goal and six points in 22 post-season games.
Glendon is home to a Giant Perogy statue, Stan Smyl, and Garry Howatt, a player the Islanders picked 144th overall in the 1972 draft. Like Cooke and Sopel, Howatt’s name is on a Stanley Cup, doing so twice with the Islanders in 1980 and 1981. For his career, Howatt scored 112 goals and 268 points in 720 games, with 12 goals and 26 points in 87 post-season games. He also won a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League in 1983-84.
There are a handful of players selected 144th overall with limited NHL action, but who won trophies outside of the NHL. The most notable of which is David Oliver, who played 233 NHL games, most with the post-dynasty Edmonton Oilers, but happened to win the International Hockey League’s trophy. 
Also fitting the category of playing NHL games and winning a trophy outside the NHL are Darcy Wakaluk (Calder Cup in 1987), Anton Lindholm (won the Swedish Hockey League trophy in 2013-14), and Schlegel (won the Deutsche Eishockey Liga title in 2002).
One player fell short of winning the Stanley Cup, as Sam Carrick played 10 post-season games with the 2023-24 Oilers, falling short in the Finals against the Florida Panthers. Of the 13 players drafted 144th overall who are still playing, Carrick is the only one who played in the NHL last season. Only Carrick, Dominik Uher and Lindholm have played NHL games of those 13 players. The last draft that saw a 144th overall pick reach the NHL was Lindholm’s draft in 2014.
The only other notable player selected 144th overall was Cody McCormick, a right-shot centre the Colorado Avalanche drafted in 144. He played 405 NHL games, scoring 21 goals and 65 points, with two goals and five points in 27 postseason games. It’s also worth noting that Hall of Famer Viacheslav Fetisov was selected 145th, so it’s possible to find an important player this late in the draft.
<hr />
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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Get ready for wall-to-wall coverage of one of the biggest days in the calendar — the Daily Faceoff Live Free Agency Special goes live on July 1st at 11 AM EST. Host Tyler Yaremchuk is joined by Carter Hutton, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Marek, Hart Levine, Colby Cohen, Jonny Lazarus, and insiders from across the Network for three hours of in-depth analysis, live reactions, and real-time updates on every major signing and trade. From blockbuster deals to under-the-radar moves, we’re breaking it all down as it happens. Don’t miss a minute — catch the full special live on <a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com">DailyFaceoff.com</a> and Daily Faceoff’s YouTube.

Finding gems in the fifth round or later is what separates great teams from good teams.



For the first time in franchise history, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/stats">the Calgary Flames</a> will pick 144th. They’ve picked in the 140s before, including the 143rd overall pick in the 1985 draft, where they selected Stu Grimson. Other than that, there aren’t many notable players <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">the Flames</a> have picked around the 144th selection.

That said, there have been a few notable players selected 144th overall. Let’s take a look at them!
<h2>Notable players selected 144th overall</h2>
Although the Flames have never picked 144th overall, they did employ one player picked in this spot. During the 1993-94 season, Brad Schlegel played 26 games for the Flames, scoring his only National Hockey League goal and posting seven points. The right-shot defenceman only played 48 NHL games, finishing with nine points and one post-season assist.

Without question, the most notable player selected 144th was Matt Cooke, who was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 1997. The forward played 1,046 games, scoring 167 goals and 398 points, picking up 1,135 penalty minutes (and some dirty hits) in the process. Cooke spent time with the Canucks, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota Wild, winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009.

Two drafts before Cooke, Brent Sopel was selected 144th overall, also by the Canucks. The right-shot defenceman spent a large portion of his time with the British Columbian team, but also played for the New York Islanders, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, and Montréal Canadiens. The year after Cooke won his only Stanley Cup, Sopel did the same with the Blackhawks, scoring one goal and six points in 22 post-season games.

Glendon is home to a Giant Perogy statue, Stan Smyl, and Garry Howatt, a player the Islanders picked 144th overall in the 1972 draft. Like Cooke and Sopel, Howatt’s name is on a Stanley Cup, doing so twice with the Islanders in 1980 and 1981. For his career, Howatt scored 112 goals and 268 points in 720 games, with 12 goals and 26 points in 87 post-season games. He also won a Calder Cup with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League in 1983-84.

There are a handful of players selected 144th overall with limited NHL action, but who won trophies outside of the NHL. The most notable of which is David Oliver, who played 233 NHL games, most with the post-dynasty Edmonton Oilers, but happened to win the International Hockey League’s trophy. 

Also fitting the category of playing NHL games and winning a trophy outside the NHL are Darcy Wakaluk (Calder Cup in 1987), Anton Lindholm (won the Swedish Hockey League trophy in 2013-14), and Schlegel (won the Deutsche Eishockey Liga title in 2002).

One player fell short of winning the Stanley Cup, as Sam Carrick played 10 post-season games with the 2023-24 Oilers, falling short in the Finals against the Florida Panthers. Of the 13 players drafted 144th overall who are still playing, Carrick is the only one who played in the NHL last season. Only Carrick, Dominik Uher and Lindholm have played NHL games of those 13 players. The last draft that saw a 144th overall pick reach the NHL was Lindholm’s draft in 2014.

The only other notable player selected 144th overall was Cody McCormick, a right-shot centre the Colorado Avalanche drafted in 144. He played 405 NHL games, scoring 21 goals and 65 points, with two goals and five points in 27 postseason games. It’s also worth noting that Hall of Famer Viacheslav Fetisov was selected 145th, so it’s possible to find an important player this late in the draft.

<hr />

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/combinations">FlamesNation</a>, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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Get ready for wall-to-wall coverage of one of the biggest days in the calendar — the Daily Faceoff Live Free Agency Special goes live on July 1st at 11 AM EST. Host Tyler Yaremchuk is joined by Carter Hutton, Matthew Barnaby, Jeff Marek, Hart Levine, Colby Cohen, Jonny Lazarus, and insiders from across the Network for three hours of in-depth analysis, live reactions, and real-time updates on every major signing and trade. From blockbuster deals to under-the-radar moves, we’re breaking it all down as it happens. Don’t miss a minute — catch the full special live on <a href="http://dailyfaceoff.com">DailyFaceoff.com</a> and Daily Faceoff’s YouTube.

A history of the 144th overall pick, the Flames’ fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft

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