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Flames select USHL forward Jack Hextall at 30th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft
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Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ryan Pike
Jun 26, 2026, 22:58 EDTUpdated: Jun 26, 2026, 23:03 EDT
The Calgary Flames have made their second first-round selection of the 2026 NHL Draft.
At 30th overall, with the draft choice they acquired in the trade that sent Noah Hanifin to the Vegas Golden Knights back in 2024, the Flames have selected forward Jack Hextall from the United States Hockey League’s Youngstown Phantoms. If the name sounds familiar, he’s reportedly second cousins with Ron Hextall.
Hextall was the 34th-ranked North American skater by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service. He was 39th on Daily Faceoff’s final rankings and also 39th on Elite Prospects’ rankings.
A product of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Hextall is a 6’1″, 185 pounds, right shot centre. He played the past two seasons with Youngstown, making the leap after spending time with the Windy City Storm and Chicago Mission youth organizations. In 2025-26, he had 20 goals and 58 points over 59 games and was named to the league’s third all-star team. He also represented the United States at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he won a gold medal. He’s headed to Michigan State University for this coming season, where he’ll be teammates with 2025 first-rounder Cullen Potter.
Hextall had multi-point efforts in nearly all my viewings this year, both internationally and domestically, with Youngstown. He was no stranger to dominant performances, showcasing a dynamic skill set with an endless motor. That’s what I love about his game – he won’t be a high-end producer in the NHL, but he can play a variety of roles while being effective. He has a good shot, but he’s even better as a setup guy. On the power play, he doesn’t waste much time blasting shots past goalies. I also think he got better physically as the season wore on. I think he’ll be a solid support player at the next level unless he can figure out how to be more impactful at 5-on-5.
Hextall joins a really interesting young Flames forward prospect group that includes recent draft choices like Cole Reschny, Potter, Ethan Wyttenbach, Max Curran and Luke Misa.
The 2026 NHL Draft will continue on Saturday morning, with the Flames holding eight picks on the second day of the draft.

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