The Calgary Flames’s performance at the 2026 NHL Draft received rave reviews from those in the public scouting sphere for accumulating a lot of good young hockey talent with their draft picks.

But with college hockey being such a strong proving ground for up-and-coming talent, the Flames’ first two players selected in the 2026 NHL Draft – sixth overall pick Carson Carels and 30th overall pick Jack Hextall – were not in attendance at Flames’ prospects or main training camp due to collegiate commitments.

But then there’s 36th overall selection Chase Harrington, a talented and physical winger from the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs. Harrington impressed in his draft year and earned an invite to be part of Team Canada’s group at July’s World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario. Afterwards, he headed to Calgary to train and prepare for the season – with the Chiefs giving him the go-ahead to bypass their camp so that he could maximize his experience in Flames camp.

Harrington ended up impressing quite a bit, earning himself (at least) a cup of coffee in main camp, a plum placement in Team Red (the veterans practice group), and praise to the coaching staff for his shot from netminders Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley.

After the first day of main camp last Thursday, Flames head coach Ryan Huska explained the rationale behind including Harrington with the NHLer-heavy Team Red practice group.

“Zero expectations on him, I will say that,” said Huska, via Flames TV. “We want to see him come here and learn how some of our older guys handle themselves on a daily basis. If he keeps getting better and better while he’s on the ice, that’s great for us, but we just want to have him see what a lot of these NHL players are like and how they handle themselves both on and off the ice.”

Harrington, speaking a few days into main camp, cited captain Mikael Backlund as someone who impressed him during Harrington’s time with the Flames.

“I think just watching Backs,” said Harrington. “He’s such a good captain. He’s such a command over the room. Everyone respects him so much. I could list 10 guys. They’re all unbelievable.”

Harrington is not yet under an NHL contract. He’s still just 18 years old. It’s probably inevitable that he’s going to head back to junior to join Spokane before too long, and it’s probably reasonable to expect him to use his unique combination of size, skill and snarl to have an impressive 2026-27 campaign in the Western League.

But don’t underestimate how impactful this short period spent with the established NHL group can be for Harrington’s development. It’s a vote of confidence in a promising young player, and something that should boost his motivation to get his game to the next level.

“Pretty surreal,” said Harrington, speaking with the media over the weekend. “It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around. I’m standing in an NHL locker room with a bunch of people interviewing me right now. I didn’t expect this, but I believe in myself. When I play my game, I can do great things.”

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