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A history of the 32nd overall pick, the pick the Flames received from the Panthers
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jun 23, 2025, 09:30 EDTUpdated: Jun 22, 2025, 15:54 EDT
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With the Florida Panthers’ victory over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final, the 2025 National Hockey League’s draft order has been set.
In the summer of 2022, the Calgary Flames traded Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers, getting their 2024 first-round pick in the draft. That will end up being the final pick of the first round, the 32nd overall pick.
In this article, we’ll look at the history of the 32nd overall pick, both players the Flames have drafted, as well as some other notable players from around the league. If you missed the other articles in this mini-series, you can read the history of the 18th overall pick here, the history of the 54th overall pick here, and the history of the 80th overall pick here.

Flames select Kevin LaVallee in 1980

The Flames’ third selection after moving to Calgary was the 32nd overall pick, using it to select Kevin LaVallee.
Overall, he played 366 National Hockey League games, scoring 110 goals and 235 points. The Sudbury native spent three seasons with the Flames, scoring 66 goals and 131 points. After the 1982-83 season, Lavallee was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Steve Bozek. 
LaVallee spent four more seasons in the NHL, playing a season for the Kings, two seasons for the St. Louis Blues, and with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his final season in 1985-86. Despite a productive NHL career, LaVallee spent the rest of his career in Europe before retiring after the 1995-96 season.

Flames select Vesa Viitakoski in 1990

A decade later, the Flames selected Finnish left wing Vesa Viitakoski. He played parts of three seasons with the Flames, scoring two goals and six points in 23 games. Viitakoski’s final season in North America came in 1995-96, mainly spending it in the American Hockey League with the Saint John Flames and Cornwall Aces (bring them back!).
After his tenure in North America, Viitakoski spent the remainder of his career in the Nordic countries, mainly playing in Finland, but spending three seasons in Sweden. The Finn retired after the 2009-10 season.

Flames select Evan Lindsay in 1997

From a player with limited action in the NHL to a player who never made it, the Flames selected Evan Lindsay 32nd overall in the 1997 draft. In fact, the netminder never signed with the Flames organization as he was drafted two years later in the fourth round by the Montréal Canadiens.
Lindsay spent the bulk of his professional career in the ECHL, playing for the Tallahassee Tiger Sharks, Asheville Smoke, Mississippi Sea Wolves, Florida Everblades, Macon Whoopee, Roanoke Express, Pensacola Ice Pilots, and Charlotte Checkers. He played one game in the American Hockey League, a season in the Central Hockey League, and five games United Hockey League.
Lindsay also spent three seasons in the United Kingdom, playing for the London Races and Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League, as well as the Dundee Stars, a team that was in the second tier of British Hockey.
Fun career.

Notable players selected 32nd overall

The leading scorer for any player picked 32nd overall is Tony McKegney, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in 1978. He finished with 320 goals and 639 points in 912 games. They also selected the player with the second-most goals by players selected 32nd overall, Derek Roy. He finished with 189 goals and 524 points in 738 games.
There were two All-Stars selected 32nd overall: Ron Greschner and Eric Weinrich. The latter finished with 1,157 games played, scoring 70 goals and 388 points. Greschner finished with 179 goals and 610 points in 982 games, the second-most points for any player drafted 32nd overall. That’s made even more impressive because he was a defenceman.
One player who didn’t get an All-Star nod but probably should’ve was Jim Carey. The netminder was one of four netminders picked 32nd overall, along with the aforementioned Lindsay, Lars Eriksson, and Tyler Plante. Unlike those three goalies, Carey played NHL games and won the Vezina trophy in 1996-97 with the Washington Capitals. His career fizzled out shortly after.
There have been four Hungarian hockey players drafted by an NHL team. The Flames selected one of them in 2000, picking a netminder named Levente Szuper 116th overall. However, the most recent Hungarian to be drafted was János Vas by the Dallas Stars in 2002. He never played an NHL game, leaving Frank Banham as the only Hungarian player to play in the NHL (he picked up Hungarian nationality post-NHL days).
In 1979, Lindy Ruff was picked by the Buffalo Sabres 32nd overall. He played all but two of his 12 seasons with the Sabres, scoring 105 goals and 300 points in 691 games. Ruff has been behind an NHL bench every year since retiring after the 1992-93 season, and currently serves as the Buffalo Sabres head coach.
The Sabres are not a good team, but they nearly won the Stanley Cup in 1999 had the referees enforced the rules. There are several 32nd overall picks with their names on the Stanley Cup: Bobby Sheehan, Bob Kelly, Tony Hrkac, Jamie Pushor, Jay Pandolfo, Dave Bolland, and Slava Voynov.
There are 13 players selected 32nd overall still actively playing hockey. Only five of them played an NHL game in 2024-25: Christian Fischer (2015), Conor Timmins (2017), Mattias Samuelsson (2018), Shane Pinto (2019), and Nolan Allen (2021). Four players either played in the AHL or the Canadian Hockey League. William Wallinder (2020), Reid Schaefer (2022), and David Edstrom (2023) played in the AHL last season, while Sam O’Reilly (2024) won the Memorial Cup with the London Knights.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.

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