The National Hockey League’s entry draft can be a long one. Early in the draft, teams know a ton about the players available. As you get into the middle part of the draft, you see really exciting players that slide a bit due to some sort of perceived flaw. Once you hit the later part of the draft, things are a bit of a gamble and teams are hoping to find players with some projectable attributes that could emerge as potential NHLers.

The Flames enter the 2026 draft with a sixth-round pick at their disposal and hopes of finding a player that can, at least, add to organizational depth.

Here’s a snapshot of Flames sixth-round history.

Here are the last five drafts worth of sixth-round selections for the Flames:

The Flames have grabbed a few interesting project picks in recent sixth rounds. Jack Beck had a bunch of untapped offensive upside, but ended up not being signed. Lucas Ciona used his size really effective in the WHL and captained Seattle to a league title, and he’s been a depth AHLer. Yegor Yegorov impressed in Russian junior and is headed to American college hockey in 2026-27. Hunter Laing had size and skill, but wasn’t signed by the Flames. Eric Jamieson has size and smarts and Aidan Lane has speed and skill; both are currently in college hockey.

There are no sure things late in the draft, but the gambles the Flames have taken in the sixth round make a lot of sense as calculated risks.

The most prominent recent Flames sixth-round success was 2015 selection Andrew Mangiapane. He played 417 games for the Flames and played a really useful middle-six role… and then they flipped him to Washington for a second-round pick.

Beyond Mangiapane, we’ll give shout-outs to Ken Houston (1973), Clarke Wilm (1995) and Adam Pardy (2004). Heck, Brett Hull (1984) was part of a pretty key trade in the Flames’ build-up to their eventual Stanley Cup win… and he also had an amazing career. That’s a good pick.

By the time teams hit the sixth round, they’re looking for untapped value and/or hail mary picks. When you’re taking those sorts of swings, it feels a bit unfair to call any gamble as a “miss” or a whiff. Getting any NHL games out of a sixth or seventh-round draft choice is pretty rare; finding an NHL regular is a minor miracle.

The future of hockey is about to be selected — and the Nation Network is bringing you closer to every pick.

From live pre and post Draft Day coverage with The Sheet and Pierre McGuire, to custom player profiles, first round pick reactions from Theleafsnation, and Barn Burner’s live hangout, we’re covering every angle of the biggest night for hockey’s next generation.

Follow along for all the Draft features, analysis, and reactions on YouTube and socials.