Gang, we’re creeping gradually up on the 2026 NHL Draft, taking place June 26 & 27 remotely from Buffalo, New York. It’s the fourth draft under the guidance of general manager Craig Conroy, and the Flames have oodles and oodles of picks.

As we wait for the 2026 edition of the draft to arrive, let’s take a look back at how the 2023 draft class has fared so far.

A product of Slovakia, Honzek is a left shot forward who mostly plays the wing. (He dabbled briefly with centre in the AHL.) In three post-draft seasons, he’s missed chunks of time due to injury in each of them – it’s actually four in a row, dating back to his draft year.

But despite that, Honzek’s shown a ton of growth. He’s tall and he’s filled out his frame. He showed a lot of hustle, winning NHL roster spots coming out of training camp in both 2024-25 and 2025-26. And he’s shown the ability to be a bit of a sponge at pro hockey, playing in a ton of different game situations – in the Dub with the Vancouver Giants, in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers and in the NHL with the Flames – and adapting himself along the way.

Prior to his November season-ending injury he had found a home on the penalty kill and the Flames’ shutdown line. Now he just needs to find a way to avoid the injury bug.

An offensive-oriented defender from the QMJHL, Morin played two post-draft seasons with the Moncton Wildcats. He was strong offensively, but not quite dominant, as he seemed to really focus in on working on his defensive game. He went pro as a 20-year-old in 2025-26, splitting the season between the AHL’s Wranglers and the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush.

He had a rough first half of the season in the AHL, playing sporadically and not quite finding a rhythm. He seemed to start figuring it out in the second half and showed flashes of his QMJHL self here and there. He needs to work on his strength a bit, but the tools all seem to be there.

A dynamic left shot winger with a heck of a shot, Suniev was drafted out of the BCHL’s Penticton Vees and went right to college. He played two seasons with the NCAA’s University of Massachusetts. He gradually figured out his game away from the puck, which led to him getting more and more of a chance to use his great shot.

Suniev went pro in 2025-26 as a 21-year-old, playing primarily with the Wranglers. He showed flashes of brilliance – he has that shot, after all – and he showed improvement away from the puck. If you’re looking at how he built his game in two years in the NCAA, it’s not unreasonable to suspect we could see some version of the same with him as a pro.

A lanky right shot centre, Lipinski played two post-draft seasons with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants – and briefly spent a few games with the AHL’s Wranglers as a 20-year-old. He was a really good junior player, but not quite a dominant one.

He moved onto college in 2025-26, joining the University of Maine as a 21-year-old freshman. He was a reliable depth player for Maine, but we’ll see if he can take a step as a sophomore.

A Russian netminder, and part of the Flames’ recent trend to take fliers on promising netminders in the later rounds, Yegorov has stayed in Russia for his three post-draft seasons. He’s played primarily in Russia’s top junior league, the MHL, split between MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva and MHK Spartak-MAX Moskva. He’s put up quite solid numbers despite being on some junior teams that weren’t full of top stars.

He’s aging out of junior, so we’ll see where he ends up next.

A big defenceman from Sweden, Hurtig has quietly put together three very nice seasons after being drafted late. He spent a season in Sweden, playing on Rogle BK’s junior team primarily. He joined the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen as an import the following season and impressed, earning a spot on Sweden’s national team at the World Juniors. He captained the Hitmen this past season and then signed his entry-level deal with the Flames. Considering he’s a seventh-rounder, signing his ELC is a pretty big deal (and a sign that he’s on a good path so far).

Four 2023 draftees have signed their entry-level deals with the Flames: Honzek, Morin, Suniev and Hurtig.

Two 2023 draftees have played NHL games: Honzek and Suniev.