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The Flames have had tough drafting luck in the third round
Photo credit: Michigan Photography
Pop quiz: when was the last time the Calgary Flames drafted a player in the third round that played 200 or more National Hockey League regular season games for the Flames? Lance Bouma, way back in 2008.
Before that, it was Matthew Lombardi, in 2002.
With a pair of third-rounders in the 2026 draft, can the Flames turn around their rough fortunes?
Their last five drafts
Here are the last five drafts worth of third-round selections for the Flames:
Year | Pick | Player | Team |
2025 | 80 | US Under-18 Team (USHL) | |
2024 | 84 | AKM Tula (MHL) | |
2024 | 74 | Ottawa (OHL) | |
2023 | 80 | Penticton (BCHL) | |
2022 | — | — | — |
2021 | 89 | Halifax (QMJHL) |
Notes:
- The Flames acquired Vegas’ 2024 third-rounder as part of the Noah Hanifin trade in 2024 and used that pick to select Zarubin.
- The Flames traded their 2023 third-rounder to Seattle as part of the Calle Jarnkrok in 2022, then re-acquired that pick from New Jersey as part of the Tyler Toffoli trade in 2023.
- The Flames traded their 2022 third-rounder to Boston for Dan Vladar in 2021.
- The Flames acquired Toronto’s 2022 third-rounder for David Rittich in 2021, then traded that pick to Chicago for Nikita Zadorov.
Since 2023, the Flames have made some interesting swings in the third round. In 2023, they swung on BCHL scoring sensation Aydar Suniev – he’s played NHL games. In 2024, they swung on OHL defender Henry Mews and Russian goalie Kirill Zarubin; Mews impressed in college before a knee injury, while Zarubin impressed in Russia and recently signed his entry-level deal. In 2025, they went with college-bound shutdown defender Mace’o Phillips… and it’ll be awhile before we know if that was a decent gamble or not.
Historical hits
Third-round selections by the Flames that you, the curious reader, may recognize include legendary figures like Tim Hunter and Mike Vernon, along with Perry Berezan, Sandy McCarthy, Chris Clark and Brandon Prust.
You may remember Perry Berezan as the player who was credited with the series-winning goal in 1986 against Edmonton… when Steve Smith’s attempted pass bonked into the Oilers’ net off Grant Fuhr’s skate.
Historical misses
Before 2023 third-rounder Aydar Suniev signed his entry-level deal and suited up with the Flames late in the 2024-25 season, the last Flames third-rounder to play NHL games with the hockey club was way, way back when 2012 third-rounder Jon Gillies played games in the 2017-18 season.
So suffice it to say: it’s been feast or famine in the third round for much of the Flames’ existence. There have been stretches where they found a good player every two or three years – which is a pretty good hit rate in the third – and then longer stretches where they hardly got any NHL games out of any of their picks. Example: after taking Brian Bradley in 1983, six players were selected in the third round and never played any NHL games, a streak broken by Sandy McCarthy in 1991.
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