As it stands, the Calgary Flames have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft. 


It appears that the Flames will pick around the 10th overall pick and somewhere in the 20s with the pick they received in the Elias Lindholm deal with the Vancouver Canucks. As for their second-round picks, their own second-rounder will likely be around the 40th spot, while the second-round pick they received from Dallas will be towards the back of the second-round. In this article, we’ll look at four players the Flames could draft at each spot
Recently, <a href="https://theathletic.com/5326639/2024/03/25/nhl-draft-ranking-top-64-prospects/">The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler released his Top 64 prospect list</a>. The Flames can only move up to the first, second, and third spot, so we’ll look at the top five ranked picks to begin with. Obviously, Macklin Celebrini ranks as the top draft prospect, which isn’t a shock as he was considered the NCAA’s best player as a 17-year-old.. 
Artyom Levshunov is a right-shot defenceman who plays for Michigan State University and he ranks second. Ranking third is right-winger Ivan Demidov, who plays for St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League. Lastly, Cole Eiserman is a left-wing that plays for the U.S. National Development Team in the USHL.
One interesting player is defenceman Zayne Parekh, who Wheeler ranks as the fifth-best draft prospect. The right-shot defenceman plays for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League and has 33 goals and 96 points… as a defenceman. If he falls to wherever the Flames pick, they should be all over him.
Of course, it doesn’t seem likely that the Flames will draft in the top three as Tankathon gives them a 10.4% chance of moving up there. With all that being said, let’s take a look at four players that Wheeler ranks around where the Flames will pick.
<h2>Berkly Catton</h2>
Of any need in the farm system, centres are arguably the biggest need. 
Well, Berkly Catton ranks as Wheeler’s ninth-best draft prospect, which is exactly where the Flames would likely pick if the season ended today (64.4% chance to pick ninth). The 18-year-old left-shot centre plays for the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League and has 54 goals and 116 points, third in goals and fourth in points in WHL scoring.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Whichever NHL team drafts Berkly Catton is getting a FUN one. <a href="https://t.co/8lYmYbNa8g">pic.twitter.com/8lYmYbNa8g</a>
&mdash; Nathan &quot;Grav&quot; (@NathanGraviteh) <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanGraviteh/status/1773065100741517322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wheeler notes that Catton is a great playmaker who uses his speed to beat defenders. Defensively, he is in no way lazy because he also uses that speed to get back into position. On top of that, he kills penalties, which is a great sign for a young player.
The only drawback with Catton is that he&#8217;s only 5”10”, 170 lbs. He’s fairly short, especially for a centre, so there are concerns he could eventually move to the wing, where he’d still be a top six player.
<h2>Leo Sahlin Wallenius</h2>
Another need in the Flames’ farm system is defencemen, because you can never have enough defence prospects.
Leo Sahlin Wallenius (also stylized as Leo Sahlin-Wallenius) is a left-shot defenceman who plays for the Växjö Lakers organization in the Swedish Hockey League. Sahlin Wallenius has yet to make his SHL debut, but he plays in the Swedish J20 Nationell (their top junior league) where he has 11 goals and 42 points in 43 games this season. For defencemen, he ranked second in points and tied for sixth in goals.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Leo Sahlin Wallenius (<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2024NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2024NHLDraft</a>) is among the smoothest skaters in the draft, and while I&#39;m often left wanting him to push that advantage harder and attempt more plays, he can do pretty cool stuff from time to time. <a href="https://t.co/iQmB4NFc1a">pic.twitter.com/iQmB4NFc1a</a>
&mdash; Lassi Alanen (@lassialanen) <a href="https://twitter.com/lassialanen/status/1770145963975311831?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wheeler reports that he’s one of the best skating defencemen available in the draft. On top of that, Wheeler points out that his playmaking ability is good and isn’t afraid to be involved in the offence. Defensively, his skating allows him to return to position quite quickly while his stick position is great as well.
Sahlin Wallenius stands at 6”0”, 176 lbs so he can afford to put on some extra muscle, but there’s a lot to like in the two-way defender’s game. Wheeler ranks Sahlin Wallenius as his 27th-best draft prospect.
<h2>Lucas Pettersson</h2>
The centre position is a need, so why not draft a Swedish two-way centre after trading Elias Lindholm?
Lucas Pettersson is a left-shot centre who plays for MoDo Hockey in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He mainly played for their junior team, where he scored 27 goals and 57 points in 44 games, an improvement over his five goals and 19 points in 29 games the season prior. He finished tied for third in goals and 10th in points.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Lucas Pettersson 🇸🇪 has one of the most attractive profiles of the Swedish players available for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2024NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2024NHLDraft</a>. He is a strong two-way center who dominates the slot, creates danger and engages well on defense, transition and offense. <a href="https://t.co/9oy63u6NTT">pic.twitter.com/9oy63u6NTT</a>
&mdash; Moi Vindas 🏒 (@moisesmv7506) <a href="https://twitter.com/moisesmv7506/status/1727123503722455209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wheeler points out that Pettersson was the first player from this draft to play in the SHL, where he played five games and was held off the scoresheet. This could be because he’s a reliable two-way centre who is a quick thinker with a “dangerously accurate snap shot.” On top of that, Wheeler reports he’s a “fairly fast skater” which helps his defensive game.
Similar to Catton, Pettersson is under six feet tall, standing at just 5”11”, 168 lbs. However, his two-way game is more developed, so it looks likely he’ll stay at centre for the time being. Wheeler ranks Pettersson as the 36th-best draft prospect.
<h2>Melvin Fernström</h2>
Just because the Flames have a bunch of wingers in the farm system like Matt Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Jakob Pelletier, Aydar Suniev, and a few others, doesn’t mean they can’t draft a few more!
Once again, we’re heading to Sweden to look at Melvin Fernström. If Catton is the playmaker and Petterson the two-way forward, well, Fernström is the shooter.In Sweden’s junior league for the Örebro HK organization, Fernström scored a league leading 31 goals and finished tied for third in points with 63 of ‘em. Like Pettersson, Fernström had a cup of coffee in the SHL where he was held pointless in six games, as well as three playoff games where he picked up 25 penalty minutes.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Sweden&#39;s second period onslaught continued with a Melvin Fernstrom goal. 6-4. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/ude4oQmBs8">pic.twitter.com/ude4oQmBs8</a>
&mdash; Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1722633249518657847?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Wheeler points to his shot as his bread and butter, calling it “a heavy wrister” and that Fernström has “an excellent one-timer”. It’s also pointed out that he knows how to get open, finding open space during five-on-five action. The skating doesn’t look great, but Wheeler believes that Fernström is a strong skater that allows him to track back defensively. There’s also some grit in his game, which explains the 25 penalty minutes in three games.
The knock on Fernström is that he’ll sometimes take bad penalties and he’s a lot less polished than the other draft prospects we’ve looked at. Still, he’s a very intriguing player who could be available when the Flames draft late in the second round.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D. I&#8217;m not Swedish, if you were wondering.
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As it stands, the Calgary Flames have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft.




It appears that the Flames will pick around the 10th overall pick and somewhere in the 20s with the pick they received in the Elias Lindholm deal with the Vancouver Canucks. As for their second-round picks, their own second-rounder will likely be around the 40th spot, while the second-round pick they received from Dallas will be towards the back of the second-round. In this article, we’ll look at four players the Flames could draft at each spot

Recently, <a href="https://theathletic.com/5326639/2024/03/25/nhl-draft-ranking-top-64-prospects/">The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler released his Top 64 prospect list</a>. The Flames can only move up to the first, second, and third spot, so we’ll look at the top five ranked picks to begin with. Obviously, Macklin Celebrini ranks as the top draft prospect, which isn’t a shock as he was considered the NCAA’s best player as a 17-year-old.. 

Artyom Levshunov is a right-shot defenceman who plays for Michigan State University and he ranks second. Ranking third is right-winger Ivan Demidov, who plays for St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League. Lastly, Cole Eiserman is a left-wing that plays for the U.S. National Development Team in the USHL.

One interesting player is defenceman Zayne Parekh, who Wheeler ranks as the fifth-best draft prospect. The right-shot defenceman plays for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League and has 33 goals and 96 points… as a defenceman. If he falls to wherever the Flames pick, they should be all over him.

Of course, it doesn’t seem likely that the Flames will draft in the top three as Tankathon gives them a 10.4% chance of moving up there. With all that being said, let’s take a look at four players that Wheeler ranks around where the Flames will pick.
<h2>Berkly Catton</h2>
Of any need in the farm system, centres are arguably the biggest need. 

Well, Berkly Catton ranks as Wheeler’s ninth-best draft prospect, which is exactly where the Flames would likely pick if the season ended today (64.4% chance to pick ninth). The 18-year-old left-shot centre plays for the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League and has 54 goals and 116 points, third in goals and fourth in points in WHL scoring.

https://twitter.com/NathanGraviteh/status/1773065100741517322

Wheeler notes that Catton is a great playmaker who uses his speed to beat defenders. Defensively, he is in no way lazy because he also uses that speed to get back into position. On top of that, he kills penalties, which is a great sign for a young player.

The only drawback with Catton is that he's only 5”10”, 170 lbs. He’s fairly short, especially for a centre, so there are concerns he could eventually move to the wing, where he’d still be a top six player.
<h2>Leo Sahlin Wallenius</h2>
Another need in the Flames’ farm system is defencemen, because you can never have enough defence prospects.

Leo Sahlin Wallenius (also stylized as Leo Sahlin-Wallenius) is a left-shot defenceman who plays for the Växjö Lakers organization in the Swedish Hockey League. Sahlin Wallenius has yet to make his SHL debut, but he plays in the Swedish J20 Nationell (their top junior league) where he has 11 goals and 42 points in 43 games this season. For defencemen, he ranked second in points and tied for sixth in goals.

https://twitter.com/lassialanen/status/1770145963975311831

Wheeler reports that he’s one of the best skating defencemen available in the draft. On top of that, Wheeler points out that his playmaking ability is good and isn’t afraid to be involved in the offence. Defensively, his skating allows him to return to position quite quickly while his stick position is great as well.

Sahlin Wallenius stands at 6”0”, 176 lbs so he can afford to put on some extra muscle, but there’s a lot to like in the two-way defender’s game. Wheeler ranks Sahlin Wallenius as his 27th-best draft prospect.
<h2>Lucas Pettersson</h2>
The centre position is a need, so why not draft a Swedish two-way centre after trading Elias Lindholm?

Lucas Pettersson is a left-shot centre who plays for MoDo Hockey in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He mainly played for their junior team, where he scored 27 goals and 57 points in 44 games, an improvement over his five goals and 19 points in 29 games the season prior. He finished tied for third in goals and 10th in points.

https://twitter.com/moisesmv7506/status/1727123503722455209

Wheeler points out that Pettersson was the first player from this draft to play in the SHL, where he played five games and was held off the scoresheet. This could be because he’s a reliable two-way centre who is a quick thinker with a “dangerously accurate snap shot.” On top of that, Wheeler reports he’s a “fairly fast skater” which helps his defensive game.

Similar to Catton, Pettersson is under six feet tall, standing at just 5”11”, 168 lbs. However, his two-way game is more developed, so it looks likely he’ll stay at centre for the time being. Wheeler ranks Pettersson as the 36th-best draft prospect.
<h2>Melvin Fernström</h2>
Just because the Flames have a bunch of wingers in the farm system like Matt Coronato, Samuel Honzek, Jakob Pelletier, Aydar Suniev, and a few others, doesn’t mean they can’t draft a few more!

Once again, we’re heading to Sweden to look at Melvin Fernström. If Catton is the playmaker and Petterson the two-way forward, well, Fernström is the shooter.In Sweden’s junior league for the Örebro HK organization, Fernström scored a league leading 31 goals and finished tied for third in points with 63 of ‘em. Like Pettersson, Fernström had a cup of coffee in the SHL where he was held pointless in six games, as well as three playoff games where he picked up 25 penalty minutes.

https://twitter.com/SEllisHockey/status/1722633249518657847

Wheeler points to his shot as his bread and butter, calling it “a heavy wrister” and that Fernström has “an excellent one-timer”. It’s also pointed out that he knows how to get open, finding open space during five-on-five action. The skating doesn’t look great, but Wheeler believes that Fernström is a strong skater that allows him to track back defensively. There’s also some grit in his game, which explains the 25 penalty minutes in three games.

The knock on Fernström is that he’ll sometimes take bad penalties and he’s a lot less polished than the other draft prospects we’ve looked at. Still, he’s a very intriguing player who could be available when the Flames draft late in the second round.

Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Twitter @Brennan_L_D. I'm not Swedish, if you were wondering.

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Looking at one player the Calgary Flames could take with their first four picks in the 2024 NHL Draft

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