And rightfully so. The Roslyn, New York native leads all freshmen in NCAA scoring thanks to nine goals and 25 points in 18 games. Not only does Wyttenbach lead freshmen in points, his 25 points are good enough for fifth in the entire NCAA. Did I mention that Wyttenbach was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 draft?

Finding NHL-potential players in the latter rounds is something the Flames have improved on in recent years. Wyttenbach is the most notable, but two other late-round picks have found success this season: Eric Jamieson and Hunter Laing.

Both players were selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, Laing with the 170th overall pick and Jamieson with the 177th overall pick. Laing is a 6’6” right-shot centre who had underwhelming totals prior to the Flames drafting him. In 2023-24 with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars, he scored just 11 goals and 25 points in 66 games. Simply put, the Flames drafted him for his size rather than his results.

The 2024-25 season saw Laing play 36 games he played with the Cougars, scoring 10 goals and 22 points. While that was a better pace than the season before, it wasn’t until a trade to the Saskatoon Blades where he started to get going. Over his final 28 games, Laing scored 15 goals and 26 points.

Laing had a strong start to the 2025-26 season, scoring 13 goals and 26 points through 26 games. However, he has been held to just two points over the Blades’ last four games. Still, Laing has proven to be a good find that late in the draft, especially if he can remain at centre and fill out his frame. It’s easy to see comparisons to Nick Bjugstad, and even if he’s Bjugstad-lite, that’s a win.

Jamieson was solid in his draft year, scoring 10 goals and 32 points in 2023-24 with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, leading to the Flames using the 177th overall pick to select the left-shot defenceman. Thanks to an awful sleep schedule, I watched Jamieson and the Silvertips quite a lot last season.

It was a good season for Jamieson, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 66 games. More importantly, the team trusted him to play alongside Landon DuPont, the top 2027 draft prospect who was given exceptional status before the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

The Silvertips finished with the most points that season (and are off to another terrific start), but were defeated in seven games at the hands of the Portland Winterhawks in the second round, ending Jamieson’s junior career.

Making the step to collegiate hockey is a big one, but Jamieson has thrived with the University of Denver. In 17 games with the Pioneers, the 20-year-old left-shot defenceman has six goals and 12 points in 17 games. The thing is, Jamieson is more known for his defensive abilities, so the fact he’s scoring so much at such a high level is worth your attention.

There have been plenty of late-round picks who found success at the junior/collegiate level, without finding the same success once turning professional. Time will tell if Jamieson, Laing, and even Wyttenbach pan out, but it’s good to see late-round picks finding success a few months into the 2025-26 season.

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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