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Flames select Keaton Verhoeff and Liam Ruck in Daily Faceoff’s latest mock draft
Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Pals, we’re entering the final few weeks before the 2026 NHL Draft. Aside from the last couple picks, we know the order for the first round, too. So over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis has compiled his latest mock draft, weighing team needs and desires with the top players available at each pick.
The Calgary Flames are slated to pick twice in the first round: at sixth overall with their own pick and at either 30th or 31st overall with Vegas’, acquired in the Noah Hanifin trade. For this exercise, Ellis slotted the Vegas pick in at 30th overall.
The Flames ended up with a pair of western Canadian kids, taking University of North Dakota defenceman Keaton Verhoeff at sixth overall and Medicine Hat Tigers forward Liam Ruck at 30th overall.
Here’s Ellis on the sixth overall pick, Keaton Verhoeff:
Verhoeff jumped from the WHL to the NCAA this year, and he was productive while playing anywhere in the 16-20 minute range on one of the top teams in the country. He takes up a ton of space at 6-foot-4 and is willing to hit you hard while also making many high-end passes in the offensive zone. Scouts wish he’d add a bit more speed to be a true top-pairing defender, though, but there’s time for him to figure that out. His slow end of the season has dropped his stock, but that could result in found money for the Flames if Verhoeff smooths things out. I still like the upside here.
Worth noting: Verhoeff was teammates with Flames first-rounder Cole Reschny both in 2024-25 with the Western League’s Victoria Royals and in 2025-26 with North Dakota.
And here are his thoughts on the 30th overall selection, Liam Ruck:
I think the Flames would be absolutely floored if they could get Ruck here – mostly because they’d be in a perfect spot to snag Markus with their early second-rounder. He led all draft eligibles out of the WHL with 45 goals, showing some incredible chemistry with his twin brother. Ruck is extremely dangerous around the net with a variety of quality shot choices at his disposal. The Flames have reportedly shown heavy interest in the Rucks, and I think fans will come to like them.
Worth noting: Ruck was teammates with Flames second-rounder Andrew Basha the past two seasons with Medicine Hat.
The Flames are currently slated to make 11 selections at the 2026 NHL Draft, including eight selections in the first three rounds of the draft. The 2026 NHL Draft unfolds June 26 and 27, conducted remotely from Buffalo, New York.
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