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Flames Draft 2026: A history of the 51st overall pick
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 21, 2026, 22:21 EDT
The Calgary Flames’ prospect pool is going to get even better in less than a week.
Barring any trades, which seem like a possibility, the Flames are set to have 11 picks at this draft. One of those picks, the 51st overall selection, have seen the Flames pick from that spot three times in franchise history.
It’s also a spot that has produced not just four All-Stars, but one Hall of Famer. That Hall of Famer is arguably the best player to ever play at the position.
But first, let’s take a look at what the Flames have done with the 51st overall selection in their franchise history.
Jim Laing, 1982
The first time the Flames picked 51st was in 1982, a handful of seasons following the move to Alberta. They used it to select Oakland, California native Jim Laing.
Unfortunately, the defenceman never played a game in the National Hockey League. He spent three seasons at Clarkson University, played 20 games with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the International Hockey League, then essentially retired.
Laing took nearly a decade off, played eight games over three seasons with the Brantford Smoke of the Colonial Hockey League, then played another few games with the Ontario Hockey Associations’ senior league near the turn of the millennium.
Brian Bradley, 1983
The Flames had much more success the next time they selected 51st, which happened to be in the following draft.
This time, they selected Kitchener, Ontario product Brain Bradley, who was one of four All-Stars selected 51st overall. However, Bradley only played 45 games with the Flames in 1985-86 and 1986-87, before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in March 1988.
He spent parts of four seasons with the Canucks, amassing 51 goals and 132 points in 193 games. After a season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1991-92, Bradley was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1992 expansion draft.
Over the 80 games he played, Bradley scored 42 goals and 86 points, by far the most points he ever scored in a single season in his career. Bradley was the Lightning’s first All-Star in franchise history, then he went again in 1993-93 thanks to 24 goals and 64 points.
He reached the 20-goal plateau one other time in his career, scoring 23 goals and 79 points in 1995-96. Over his 328 games with the Lightning, Bradley finished with 111 goals and 300 points in 328 games.
Bradley retired after playing 14 games in 1997-98. Just a few months before his final NHL game, the Flames selected 51st for the third and final time.
Dmitri Kokorev, 1997
In the 1997 draft, the Flames selected Russian defenceman Dmitri Kokorev 51st overall. Like Laing, Kokorev never played an NHL game, instead playing his entire career in Russia for 10 different teams from 1996-97 until his final season in 2008-09. He spent a few more seasons in Kazakhstan’s league before retiring following the 2011-12 season.
Kokorev has remained in the game following his retirement, serving mainly as an assistant coach, but spending two years behind the bench of HC Sochi, a Kontinental Hockey League team. He’ll serve as an assistant coach for Admiral Vladivostok next season.
Other notable 51st overall picks
The Flames had the 51st overall pick in 1982 and 1983, but it was in 1984 that Hall of Famer Patrick Roy was drafted by the Montréal Canadiens. He’s a four-time Stanley Cup winner (one of four players selected 51st overall to achieve that feat), a three-time Conn Smythe winner, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, and arguably the best netminder of all time. Enough said.
Another four-time Stanley Cup winner was the first ever 51st overall pick, Butch Goring. The centre was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 1969, but helped the New York Islanders win four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 until 1983. Funnily enough, Hall of Famer Mike Bossy credited Goring as the originator of the playoff beard.
Anyway, Goring played 1,107 career games with 375 goals and 888 points, second among all players selected 51st overall. He and Roy are two of the three players to play 1,000 or more games in their career.
The other All-Star who was selected 51st overall is Patrik Eliáš. The Czech-born winger played 20 seasons in the NHL, all with the New Jersey Devils. Over 1,240 games, he scored 408 goals and 1,025 points, leading players selected 51st overall in all three categories. Like Roy and Goring, Eliáš’ name is on the Stanley Cup, winning it twice with the Devils, just missing their 1995 victory.
There is only one other player selected 51st overall with their name on the Stanley Cup, Brian Dumoulin. Still active, the defenceman won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. Joining the league in 2013-14, Dumoulin has played for five teams, the Kings being the most recent team, where he has 30 career goals and 194 points in 788 games.
Drafted in 2008, Dumoulin is the oldest active player selected 51st overall, with former Calgary Flame Calle Järnkrok not far behind. Drafted in 2010, Järnkrok played just 17 regular season games and 12 post-season games with the Flames, but has amassed 143 goals and 316 points in 774 career games.
I’d be remiss not to mention Derek Stepan, who was drafted 51st overall in 2008. He never won the Stanley Cup, nor was he an All-Star, but he had a solid career, scoring 182 goals and 515 points in 890 career games. Funnily enough, he and Bradley scored the same number of goals in their career.
The other player with 100+ goals also happens to be a former Flame, Mason Raymond. Drafted 51st in 2005, Raymond scored 115 goals and 251 points in 546 career games, 16 goals and 28 points came with the Flames in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Paul Woods (1975) and Ron Zanussi (1976) each reached the 100+ point plateau in their career as well.
Two family members of Hall of Famers were selected 51st overall. Chris Pronger’s older brother, Sean, was selected in the 1991 draft and scored 23 goals and 59 points in 260 career games. Nearly two decades before that, Marty Howe, son of Gordie Howe, one of the all-time greats, was selected by the Canadiens. He played 197 games with two goals and 31 points in 197 career games.
Dumoulin and Järnkrok are two of just four players selected 51st overall who played a game in the NHL in 2025-26. Ville Koivunen (2021) played 39 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins, scoring two goals and seven points. Simon Lundmark (2019) made his NHL debut, playing in one game with the Lightning this past season.
That said, there are former NHL’ers still active. Carl Dahlström (2013) played 67 NHL games and spent his 2025-26 in Switzerland. Kale Clague (2016) played 94 games, scoring two goals and 21 points. He played for the Manitoba Moose in 2025-26. Another player with NHL experience who spent their 2025-26 in the American Hockey League is Akil Thomas (2018), who has played 32 games with the Los Angeles Kings.
Of course, there are also a handful of other active players who never played a game in the league. Some, namely Jack Hughes (2022), Carson Bjarnason (2023), Jack Berglund (2024), and Will Moore (2025) could potentially make that debut in the coming years.
However, Alexander Ruuttu (2011), Jack Dougherty (2014), and Theodor Niederbach (2020) appear like they’ll never be given a chance. There’s still a potential debut for Niederbach, as he’s just 24 years old, but he has yet to even play in North America.
Only 15 players selected 51st overall have played 100 or more games, 27 have played double-digit NHL games, and 30 have made their NHL debut. Still, there a chance to find diamond in the rough if the Flames select 51st overall.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for FlamesNation, Oilersnation, and Blue Jays Nation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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