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A history of the 18th overall pick, the Flames first pick of the 2025 draft
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jun 5, 2025, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 5, 2025, 01:58 EDT
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Barring a trade, the Calgary Flames’ first pick on June 27 will be the 18th overall selection.
As it stands, the Flames franchise (including when they were in Atlanta) has picked twice at this spot, with neither player having a lengthy National Hockey League career. That said, there are plenty of notable players who were picked 18th overall.
In this article, we’ll take a look at notable players who were picked 18th overall!

Flames select Dwight Bialowas in the 1972 draft

The second pick in Flames’ history came in the second round of the 1972 draft, with the then Atlanta Flames selecting Dwight Bialowas 18th overall.
Bialowas, a right-shot defenceman, played parts of two seasons with the Flames in 1973-74 and 1974-75, scoring three goals and 12 points in 48 games. Bialowas was eventually traded to the Minnesota North Stars, finishing his NHL career with 11 goals and 57 points in 164 games, retiring after the 1977-78 season.

Flames select Jesper Mattsson in the 1993 draft

The Flames, now in Calgary, drafted Jesper Mattsson 21 years later with the 18th overall selection. Unlike Bialowas, Mattsson never made it to the NHL, playing three seasons with the American Hockey League’s Saint John Flames, where he scored 41 goals and 96 points in 174 games.
He returned to Sweden, where he played another 15 seasons before calling it a career after the 2011-12 season.

Notable players selected 18th overall

While the Flames haven’t had success with the 18th overall pick. Aside from the first five players that went 18th overall, all but just eight players have played an NHL game, with three of those players being the two most recent 18th overall picks. Granted, Chaz Lucius (2022 draft) recently retired due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a painful syndrome that affects connective tissues.
Unsurprisingly, there has never been an 18th-overall pick elected into the Hall of Fame. A little more surprising is that the 18th overall spot has only produced five All-Stars: Ron Stackhouse, Bill Clement, Barry Pederson, Glenn Murray, and Thomas Chabot. The last two were selected in 1991 and 2015, respectively. 
That said, there is a legitimate defenceman drafted six years ago who is on the cusp of being an All-Star, likely more. Thomas Harley was selected 18th overall in 2019 and recently scored 16 goals and 50 points in 78 games, along with four goals and 14 points in 18 post-season games. The Stars had another 18th overall pick three drafts later, selecting left-shot defenceman Lian Bichsel,  who became a regular with the team towards the end of the 2024-25 season.
Alex Tuch should’ve been an All-Star this season, as he scored 36 goals and 67 points, the second time he’s reached the 36-goal mark in his career. Tuch, drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2014, has become a consistent 20-goal scorer when healthy.
But which 18th overall pick has scored the most goals? The answer is Glen Murray with 337 goals. Not far behind him is Petr Sýkora, who finished with 323 goals and also the most points of any 18th overall pick with 721.
The most games played by any player picked 18th overall is Ken Daneyko, who played all 1,283 of his games with the New Jersey Devils, winning all three of their Stanley Cups. Another Stanley Cup winner, Brooks Orpik, played 1,035 games, the second-most of any player selected 18th overall.
Most of the time, especially after the first NHL expansion, the 18th overall pick tends to play in NHL games. Of course, it varies with Mark McNeill (2011 draft) playing just two games. Bruce Cassidy, the Vegas Golden Knights’ current head coach, only played 36 NHL games, but went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights in 2023.
It’s a good bet that the player the Flames select 18th overall is going to be an NHLer in some capacity, but how good depends on who they’re able to select.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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