Since the Calgary Flames entered the National Hockey League way back in 1972, they’ve drafted Canadian players pretty extensively, primarily from Canadian major junior leagues.

Over the years, the Flames have selected 264 Canadian players in the draft, representing just over half (53%) of all draft picks they’ve ever made. And when you look at the pantheon of all-time greats in club history… a good chunk of them are Canadian players drafted by the Flames. Just over 100 Canadian draftees have suited up for the Flames over the years, representing (a) just shy of half of their Canadian picks, (b) just over 20% of all picks, and (c) about one-in-seven of all Flames players ever.

Here are the 10 best Flames draft choices from Canada.

Selected at second overall in 1973 – tied for the highest Flames pick ever and the product of a big trade with Montreal – Lysiak was a star with the Western League’s Medicine Hat Tigers and stepped into the Flames roster right away. He ended up becoming one of the first real homegrown stars in Atlanta, scoring 30 goals twice and establishing himself as the team’s first all-time leading scorer. His run in Atlanta ended in 1979 as part of an eight-player blockbuster trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that sent Darcy Rota, Ivan Boldirev and Phil Russell to Atlanta. (Russell ended up serving as Flames captain for a spell after the relocation to Calgary.)

A product of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, MacInnis was the 15th overall pick in 1981, drafted from the Ontario League’s Kitchener Rangers. MacInnis became an NHL regular during the 1983-84 season, as a 20-year-old, and he became the best offensive blueliner in the franchise’s history. He quarterbacked the power play unit and his slapper from the point became feared by both penalty-kill shot-blockers and arena personnel, as it frequently caused glass issues throughout the NHL if it missed the net. Through 11 years as a full-time NHLer, MacInnis frequently contended for the Norris, won a Stanley Cup and was the Conn Smythe winner during that championship year. He was traded to St. Louis in 1994 after signing an offer sheet, and owned most of the franchise’s all-time scoring records when he departed.

A local product who played his junior hockey with the Western League’s Calgary Wranglers, Vernon was selected 41 spots after MacInnis. Vernon had his breakout in 1985-86 after a mid-season call-up; he excelled in games against Winnipeg during his rookie year, leading to the coaching staff to give him the net during their opening-round playoff series with the Jets. Vernon led the Flames to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance… and he didn’t give up the net until his departure via trade during the 1994 off-season. Vernon never won the Vezina Trophy with the Flames, but he was the netminder of record for the entirety of the team’s mid-to-late 1980s glory moments. He was traded to Detroit in 1994 in order to open up the starting job for Trevor Kidd.

Another OHL product, Roberts was selected 12th overall in the 1984 draft. He became a full-time NHLer in 1987-88 and quickly emerged as well, Gary Roberts. Equal parts offensively talented and pugnacious, he was the only Flame in franchise history to score 50+ goals and rack up 200+ points in the same season. (Heck, it only happened four times in NHL history.) Roberts’ play style led to some recurring injuries, though, including him missing the better part of three seasons. He managed to recuperate a bit, though, and was eventually traded to Carolina, in part to put him in the Eastern Conference with a less rigorous travel schedule.

A second-round pick in 1985, Nieuwendyk was a college standout at Colgate University before going pro at the end of the 1986-87 season. He had two amazing seasons to start his pro career, with 51 goals and 92 points in 1987-88 and 51 goals and 82 points in 1988-89. Then he had back-to-back 45-goal seasons. Consistently a top six centre for the Flames, Nieuwendyk was arguably the platonic ideal of what the franchise has forever been seeking in a pivot: reliable, consistent, and able to score big goals at big moments. He departed the Flames in 1995 after a contract dispute in a swap that landed the Flames the rights to junior star Jarome Iginla.

A Western League standout, the Flames selected Fleury in the eighth round in 1987, in part because they figured he might be a good minor-leaguer. Well, good news: he was a great minor-leaguer! And then he forced his way onto the NHL roster midway through the 1988-89 season and remained a fixture for the club for the next decade. One of the most fascinating players in NHL history – small, feisty, talented and occasionally full of rage – he was the reason to watch the Flames during the down years of the mid 1990s. He was traded to Colorado in 1999 in a deal that brought Robyn Regehr to town.

Another OHL product, Stillman was the sixth overall pick in 1992. Stillman arguably didn’t have any great attributes, but his greatness arguably lied in how balanced his game was. In short: he was pretty good at everything, and knew how to tailor his game to different roles and situations. He was a Flame for about five and a half seasons, getting traded to St. Louis midway through the 2000-01 season in a move that brought Craig Conroy to Calgary.

Selected at 13th overall in 1996 out of the Western League, Morris was a bit of a reach – he was taken a bit above where Central Scouting projected him – but he became an NHL regular in 1997-98 as a 19-year-old and just found his rhythm right away. Morris wasn’t quite a world-beater on the blueline, but he was a really versatile, efficient defender for years. He was traded to Colorado by the Flames during the 2002 off-season.

A star with the Western League’s Red Deer Rebels, the Flames selected Phaneuf at ninth overall in 2003. He joined the Flames full-time in 2005-06 and had a handful of superb seasons, contending for the Calder Trophy as a rookie and emerging as a Norris Trophy contender very quickly. He fell out of favour by 2010 and was traded to Toronto in a big swap that sent Matt Stajan (and some depth pieces) to Calgary. Phaneuf wasn’t a Flame for a long time, but he was very, very good while he was in Calgary.

Selected sixth overall in 2013 – the first of three first-round picks by the Flames that year – Monahan was a star with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and joined the Flames immediately after being selected. Monahan found his footing in the NHL quite quickly and remained a top six fixture for nine seasons, developing incredible chemistry with Johnny Gaudreau that helped propel the Flames to the second round of the playoffs on two occasions. Injuries slowed him down, though, and he was traded to Montreal for cap relief in 2022.