The general consensus in the scouting community is that the Calgary Flames had a pretty good performance in the 2024 NHL Draft. As the saying goes, success for draft choices is measured with a calendar, not a stop watch. But the Flames did manage to add some talented players to their organization, and several of them came from the Ontario Hockey League.
Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis dove into the talent pool in the OHL with a deep dive on 15 of the top NHL-drafted players in that circuit. And to the surprise of nobody that’s spent time watching that league, a good chunk of Ellis’ analysis of the OHL focused in on some Flames prospects – three in particular.
Zayne Parekh
A blueliner with the Saginaw Spirit, Parekh is in his third season in the OHL. Selected by the Flames in the first round of the 2024 draft, ninth overall, Parekh is having a heck of a season offensively. He has 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points through 45 games. He’s 13th overall in points, and top among all OHL blueliners.
Here’s Ellis’ rundown on Parekh:
At one point, it looked like Parekh wasn’t going to touch his previous personal best of 96 points set last year. But after registering at least three points four times in a six-game span, Parekh might finish things off with 100 points instead. When Parekh is on his game, he’s not only one of the most dangerous defensemen, but he’s one of the most outstanding OHLers, period. A 35-goal, 100-point season would be bonkers for a blueliner – especially one who didn’t make Canada’s World Junior team – and while he can make the odd gaffes in his own zone, his pure skill and dominant puck play mostly overshadow that. The Flames have an excellent prospect in Parekh.
Jacob Battaglia
A winger for the Kingston Frontenacs, he’s in his third OHL season. A second-round selection by the Flames – selected with a pick they acquired from Dallas in the Chris Tanev trade – he, too, is having a monster year. He has 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points over 51 games. He’s ninth in the OHL in points and tied for sixth in the league in goals.
Here’s Ellis:
Battaglia is a ton of fun to watch. The 2024 second-rounder is exceptionally smart, beating opponents with his playmaking and excellent shot release. He isn’t huge, but he hits hard and doesn’t let himself get pushed around. He’s one of the best at converting on opponents’ mistakes and he works so hard. Battaglia’s biggest issue is his skating, but his play with the puck should excite Flames fans. Battaglia also recently became the first spokesperson for the Canadian Mental Health Association’s sports mental health awareness and suicide prevention program, Talk Today, which is great to see.
Luke Misa
The older brother of Michael, a top 2025 NHL Draft prospect, Luke is a pretty highly-regarded player in his own right. This centre is in his fourth season in the OHL, and was a fifth-round pick by the Flames in 2024. (The Flames traded a fourth-round pick they received from the Elias Lindholm trade with Vancouver and received this fifth-round pick, used on Misa, and a sixth-round pick they used to select Eric Jamieson.) Misa has 30 goals, 35 assists and 65 points in 49 games. He’s 17th overall in points, but he’s sixth in even strength goals and tied for fourth in even strength points.
Here’s Ellis’ evaluation:
Misa was one of the better skaters from the 2024 NHL Draft, and now he’s one of the more productive. He’s on track for around 40 goals and 90 points – a nice boost from his 81 a year ago. He has become a more dangerous finisher than in years past, but he’s still a high-end playmaker, too. No matter who he plays with, and no matter the situation, Misa is often the one making sure things are happening at both ends of the ice for Brampton.
Third-round pick Henry Mews (of the Sudbury Wolves) is listed as a “notable” by Ellis, we suspect because the whole list couldn’t just be full of Flames prospects. Mews has 13 goals and 54 assists for 67 points over 50 games, good for 15th in the OHL in points (and third in assists).
Head on over to Daily Faceoff to check out the entire list!
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