Gang, the 2026 NHL Draft is just around the corner – less than a month away, in fact.

Hockey is a global game, and it’s become even more so over the past few decades. In this year’s draft, there are a pair of prominent prospects hailing from countries that the Calgary Flames have never drafted from: defenceman Alberts Smits, of Latvia, and forward Simas Ignatavicius, from Lithuania.

If the Flames nab either player with their many draft choices, they would join an eclectic group of players from countries that the Flames rarely draft from.

Here is a brief history of eight countries the Flames have drafted from… but very rarely.

The Flames selected their lone Hungarian, netminder Levente Szuper, in the fourth round (116th overall) in 2000. At the time, Szuper was playing for the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s as an import. Szuper spent three seasons in the Flames’ minor league system, amassing 112 appearances with the Saint John Flames. (He backed up Martin Brochu in 2001 when the Baby Flames won the Calder Cup.)

Szuper got two NHL call-ups during the 2002-03 season, dressing as backup eight times due to injuries to Roman Turek and then Jamie McLennan… but he never got into an NHL game. He left the organization as a free agent.

29 Norwegian players have been drafted by an NHL club. The Flames’ lone pick from Norway was 2018 fourth-rounder Emilio Pettersen, a forward selected out of the United States Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. He spent three and a half seasons in the minor-league system, with Stockton and the Wranglers, before a trade to Dallas prior to the 2024 trade deadline.

Born in Paraguay but raised in Ontario, Plett became the first – and to date, only – Paraguayan-born NHL pick when the Flames selected the rugged forward in the fifth round of the 1975 NHL Draft. If you haven’t ever seen tapes of Plett’s old games: seek them out. The guy ruled. Playing with a ferocity that would make Matthew Tkachuk say “Hey buddy, tone it down a bit,” Plett played 452 games for the Flames in Atlanta and Calgary between 1975 and 1982.

The Flames have made one selection of a player born in Ukraine, selecting forward Yegor Shastin the fourth round of the 2001 NHL Draft. (It was a heavy European draft by the Flames, with them also selecting three Russians and two Finns.) Shastin never left Europe, playing primarily in Russia and Ukraine for the remainder of his career.

35 NHL draft choices have been born in the United Kingdom. The Flames’ lone selection of a player from the U.K. was Oshawa Generals defenceman Paul Heaver, who they selected in the sixth round of the 1975 NHL Draft. Rather than pursue any Flames-related opportunities, Heaver chose to go the World Hockey Association route, briefly playing for the Toronto Toros before his playing career ended after the 1976-77 season.

The Flames have selected two Swiss players.

In 2002, they nabbed centre Emanuel Peter from Kloten of the Swiss National League in the fifth round. He never left Switzerland in his playing career, bouncing around a handful of teams before retiring in 2018.

In 2011, the Flames selected Portland Winterhawks standout forward Sven Baertschi in the first round, 13th overall. Baertschi spent parts of four seasons with the Flames before a trade to Vancouver prior to the 2015 trade deadline.

The Flames have drafted a trio of Belarusians, all fairly recently.

In 2015, the Flames selected Calgary Hitmen import forward Pavel Karnaukhov in the fifth round. He returned to Europe after the following season and remains active in the KHL.

In 2016, the Flames selected overage OHL defenceman Stepan Falkovsky in the seventh round. He ended up unsigned by the Flames and landed in the minor-league systems in Los Angeles and Minnesota before returning to Europe.

In 2020, the Flames selected overage OHL defenceman llya Solovyov in the seventh round. This time, he signed with the Flames, and spent four years in their system – including playing 15 games for the big club – before being claimed off waivers by Colorado prior to the 2025-26 season.

Finally, the Flames have selected four draft choices from Deutchland.

In the 12th round of the 1978 draft, they selected goaltender Bernhard Englbrecht. Despite having an epic name and representing West Germany in two Olympics, Englbrecht never left Germany.

In 1985, the Flames selected blueliner Peter Romberg in the 10th round. He never left Germany.

In 1986, the Flames hit paydirt with defenceman Bryan Glynn, who was born in Germany but grew up in Saskatchewan. Selected in the second round from the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, he played parts of three seasons with the Flames before a trade to the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 in exchange for Frank Musil.

In 1994, the Flames selected defender Frank Appel from Dusseldorf. He ended up migrating to Canada for a couple seasons, suiting up for the AJHL’s Calgary Royals and the QMJHL’s Moncton Alpines, but he returned to Germany soon after and spent the rest of his career there.