The 2024 edition of the FlamesNation ranking of Calgary Flames prospects is now complete, with 2024 first-rounder Zayne Parekh emerging as the organization’s top prospect via our extensive process.

But there are always some fun little wrinkles that emerge from our internal debates during our process, and this year is no exception. Because of the many, many additions to the Flames prospect crop over the past season, this year’s balloting was probably the most challenging we’ve had in our decade doing this exercise.

We’ve convened our staff roundtable to discuss the whole process!

Mike Gould: I really went back and forth over where to put Ilya Solovyov. He’s undeniably one of the most NHL-ready prospects in the Flames’ system and I think he’ll play in the NHL for a long time but I don’t know if see anything more than a bottom-pairing defender there. Even so, I’ve stumped hard for Solovyov since his rookie year with the Heat. He’s a legit prospect who deserves a ton of credit for his development over the last three seasons.

Paige Siewert: Etienne Morin.

Robert Munnich: Sam Honzek. He has the pedigree to be a top 3 prospect in the Flames system. But everything I’ve seen from him so far indicates that he doesn’t have the skill or offensive ability to become a true difference maker at the NHL level. You could make an argument to have him anywhere from #3-#6.

Ryan Pike: I’ll echo Robert’s answer with Honzek. I don’t think a player should lose his spot because he was dealt a bad hand due to bad injury luck… but this was his “mulligan” for me. In my eyes he retains his standing as one of the team’s top prospects, but he needs to have a strong season.

Shane Stevenson: For me I had trouble figuring out where to place Jeremie Poirier. He’s ready to test his skills out in the NHL but injuries have got in the way of opportunities.

Mike: Parekh is in his own tier for me. He’s followed by Wolf and Brzustewicz, who themselves are followed by Basha, Gridin, Honzek, and Stromgren. From there, the next tier contains Mews, Battaglia, Morin, Suniev, and Misa; then, there’s the rest.

Paige: Zayne Parekh, Samuel Honzek, Jaden Lipinski and Etienne Morin feel like a group of the future if we’re able to hold onto all of them.

Robert: Group 1: Parekh
Group 2: Wolf
Group 3: Brzustewicz, Honzek, Basha
Group 4: Suniev, Stromgren, Gridin, Poirier, Morin, Misa, Mews, Battaglia
Group 5: Grushnikov, Solovyov, Kuznetsov, Lipinski, Klapka
Group 6: Schwindt, Zarubin

Ryan: I really like Paige’s interpretation, as those four players are all pieces that can anchor different parts of the Flames’ lineup if all goes well. For me, I saw Parekh and Wolf as the “A” prospects, then there’s a lot of “B” prospects that project as solid hands but not necessarily game-changers (Brzustewicz, Honzek, Basha, Gridin, Poirier, Strömgren, Mews, Morin, Battaglia and Suniev), and then the “B-minus” group of players that are potentially strong ceilings but some reasons to doubt their ability to reach those ceilings a little bit.

Shane: I think for skaters Parekh is in a tier of his own. Then there’s some solid upper end skill group that features 5-6 wingers and defenders before it drops off again. Dustin Wolf is also in his own island for internal comparisons as well.

Mike: I would’ve loved to have found a spot for Trevor Hoskin, who is a genuinely intriguing winger prospect despite being a double overager. He should be the main focal point of Niagara’s offence next year after being named the OJHL MVP this past season.

Paige: Jonathan Aspirot.

Robert: Sam Morton. He had a solid run with the Wranglers when he signed after his NCAA season which made it difficult to keep him off the list. But he’s 25 years old. It feels like there isn’t much room left for development.

Ryan: I couldn’t find a spot for Kirill Zarubin on my list, and then I watched some MHL pre-season games where he looked really calm and collected in net while his team played some rather spotty defensive hockey in front of him.

Shane: The guy I struggled with was Sam Morton. Just didn’t watch him enough to know what he can be. His age was a factor when making the list.

Mike: Three answers for me: Jeremie Poirier, Cole Schwindt, and Yan Kuznetsov. I like all of them, especially Poirier, but time is running out — especially with all the picks this team still has to make over the next few years.

Paige: Lucas Ciona and Rory Kerins.

Robert: I wrote about Poirier being in a make it or break it season in his prospect profile. So I’ll give a different answer for fun. I’ll go with Cole Schwindt. There’s not much depth in the Flames organization at center. If he can’t get a spot this season I don’t think he’ll be able to moving forward.

Ryan: I’m gonna go with Jeremie Poirier, Rory Kerins and Yan Kuznetsov.

Shane: I think Ilya Solovyov and Yan Kuznetsov have to show up in a big way if they don’t want to be passed on the depth chart by the incoming talent. Same could be said with Poirier.