Calgary Selects Andrew Mangiapane at 166th Overall

With their sixth round selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames finally took somebody born in North America, grabbing Ontario-born center Andrew Mangiapane from the Barrie Colts at 166th overall.

A second-year draft eligible, Mangiapane isn’t big at 5’11” and 165 lbs, but man-oh-man, is he skilled. In his 19-year-old season with the Colts, he put up 43 goals and 104 points in the OHL over 68 games – which put him 8th in the entire league in scoring. The folks at Elite Prospects call him “one of the most underrated guys in the draft,” characterizing him as both talented and “fearless.” Future Considerations praised his positioning and puck protection.

Smart? Check. Skilled? Check. Hard-working? Check. Big? Heck no.

But as we saw with Johnny Gaudreau, size isn’t an impediment if you’re good enough to be in the NHL.

Mangiapane turns 20 in April, so he’ll be headed back to the Ontario Hockey League and then the Flames will have to make a decision on him. Mangiapane joins Barrie teammate Rasmus Andersson as Flames picks today. He was ranked 85th among North American skaters by Central Scouting and 95th overall by Future Considerations, so he’s a bit of a steal at 166th based on those measures.