The Flames’ picks are set for the 2017 NHL Draft
By Ryan Pike
6 years agoThe Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues to advance to the Western Conference Final series. That result has a bit of importance for the Calgary Flames in terms of the order for the upcoming NHL Draft at the end of June. Nashville was the only team qualifying for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs that
That result has a bit of importance for the Calgary Flames in terms of the order for the upcoming NHL Draft at the end of June, as Nashville was the only team qualifying for the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs that was behind the Flames in the overall standings.
By virtue of advancing to the final four of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Nashville will also draft in the final four… which bumps the Flames up a spot in the draft order. As a result, the Flames’ placement in the draft order has been locked in.
Picks they have
As of right now, the Flames have five selections in the 2017 NHL Draft:
- 16th overall (1st round)
- 109th overall (4th round)
- 140th overall (5th round)
- 171st overall (6th round)
- 202nd overall (7th round)
Picks they traded
The Flames shipped out two of their picks in trades prior to the trade deadline:
- 46th overall (2nd round), traded to Ottawa in the Curtis Lazar trade
- 76th overall (3rd round), traded to Arizona in the Michael Stone trade
Available at 16th overall
A while ago, Christian T. whipped up this handy albeit early guide to the 2017 draft. The mid-first round is a guessing game, but here are some of the potential pieces of interest:
- Nicholas Suzuki: a right-shooting centre who quietly put up one of the best OHL seasons all while being one of the youngest players in the draft this year. He’s arguably the gem of the first round outside of the top two picks, and if things break right, he could fall to the Flames.
- Lias Andersson: son of former NHLer Niklas, Lias has stood out in the Swedish pro ranks for simply being there. He was an important member of the SHL champion HV71, scoring 19 points in 45 games.
- Juuso Valimaki: this Finnish defenceman scored just over a point per game (61 in 60), leading all WHL draft-eligibles in those categories.
- Kailer Yamamoto: falling just short of 100 points, this tiny dynamic winger will prove to be an exciting pick.
- Nicolas Hague: one of the top-ranked defenders in the draft, Hague has size and a mean streak in addition to defensive sturdiness and intelligence.
- Eeli Tolvanen: although projected to go a bit higher than where the Flames will draft, Tolvanen is a project player with all the tools to make a great NHLer and could slip to the good guys. He’ll be taking his talents to Boston College next year.
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