The Calgary Flames’ current crop of prospects should have fans teeming with excitement for what the future might hold. By accumulating draft picks and making savvy selections in the middle rounds, Calgary has created a prospect pool flush with NHL-calibre potential. Of course, projecting a player’s pro career based on their production in junior is incredibly difficult and is not an exact science by any means, however, all early signs indicate that the Flames had a very strong draft last June.

During the 2023-24 season, the Flames underwent a shift in philosophy that saw them exchange a slew of veteran players (Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, Jacob Markstrom, etc) in exchange for prospects and draft capital. Future assets were something the Flames lacked throughout much of Brad Treliving’s tenure as general manager, in fact, the 10 selections Calgary made in 2024 were the most they’ve made at any draft in the last 20 years. 2024 also marked the first time Calgary had made multiple first-round selections since 2013.

The Flames’ marquee pick in 2024 was defenceman Zayne Parekh, ninth overall, who arrived in Calgary as one of the best prospects the organization had ever drafted. Parekh had just led the Saginaw Spirit to a Memorial Cup championship in a season where he scored the most points by an OHL defenceman (96) in over a decade, and was named CHL defenceman of the year for the 2023-24 season. Playing back in Saginaw this season, Parekh has resumed his dominance with 51 points in 36 contests. The Flames’ other 2024 first-rounder, 28th overall, was used to select Russian winger Matvei Gridin, who has impressed in his first QMJHL season, scoring 24 goals in 38 games played for Shawinigan.

Despite solid returns this year from both first-round picks, it’s the lesser-known players that have truly established Calgary’s pipeline, with many of the Flames’ top-performing prospects this season coming from outside of the first round. Henry Mews, selected by Calgary 73rd overall in 2024, has blossomed as an offensive defenceman in his third OHL season, his 55 points in 41 games currently leads all OHL defencemen. Centre Luke Misa, the Flames’ fifth-round pick in 2024, has looked anything but in 2024-25, racking up 57 points in 41 OHL games thus far for Brampton, including a 16-game point streak that ended in December. Staying in the OHL, Calgary’s 62nd overall pick in 2024, Jacob Battaglia, has taken major strides this season, scoring at a much higher points-per-game rate (1.33) than he was last year (0.97). Measurable improvements from multiple members of Calgary’s 2024 draft class have helped propel its prospect pool into the conversation among the league’s best.

It’s virtually impossible to accurately compare one organization’s pool of prospects to that of another, seeing as though these players come from a plethora of leagues that stretch the globe. That said, one glance at the OHL’s scoring leaderboard will reveal how the Flames have managed to corner the market in one of the NHL’s top feeder leagues. Four of the top 25 OHL scorers are Flames prospects, Mews, Misa, Battaglia and Parekh all sit within the top 25, and more importantly, have all yet to turn 20 years old.

In addition to their wealth of prospects at the junior level, Calgary also has a pair of intriguing 20-year-old prospects currently marinating in the AHL. Forward Samuel Honzek and defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz are both in their rookie campaigns with the Wranglers. For Honzek, the 6-foot-4 Slovakian native was playing in the Western Hockey League when he was drafted 14th overall by the Flames in 2023. After starting this year with the big club for a brief four-game stint in which he was injured, Sam was assigned to the AHL. He made his Wrangler debut in December and has settled in with 16 points in 29 games, showing steady improvement. Brzustewicz, on the other hand, was acquired as part of the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to Vancouver, he raised eyebrows last season with his 92 points in 67 OHL games as a defenceman. Now he has, alongside Honzek, settled in with the Wranglers and continues to grow.

Slightly older prospects like winger William Stromgren and defenceman Ilya Solovyov also wait in the wings for an NHL call-up. Calgary’s gone back to the well this season, calling up players from the AHL who would go on to earn legitimate spots on the team. Players like Matt Coronato, Jakob Pelletier and most recently Rory Kerins all started the year with the Wranglers and have each seemingly carved out a role on the NHL roster. Last season, forwards Martin Pospisil and Connor Zary were recalled and instantly became difference-makers at the NHL level. Remarkably, we’ve come this far without even mentioning the rookie phenom Dustin Wolf, who is making his case for the Calder Trophy this season. Although these players are no longer prospects, they prove that Calgary has and continues to keep the shelves ‘well-stocked’ in the farm league.

Their abundance of high-end potential at the junior level in tandem with a wealth of near NHL-ready talent sitting in the AHL makes the Flames’ prospect pool one of the more complete units in the league. Calgary are poised to add even more young talent, as they currently own 17 draft picks, including four in the first round, over the next two drafts.