On Sunday night, in the midst of a rebuild, the Calgary Flames hosted the Carolina Hurricanes, the defending Stanley Cup champions, in their final visit to the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Unfortunately absent from that game, due to an injury suffered the previous day in Winnipeg, was Hurricanes forward Mark Jankowski.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Jankowski was previously a Flames draft selection, and now represents a pretty important reminder that drafting and player development takes a lot of time and patience as players learn, grow, and mature into what they will be at the NHL level.

A product of Dundas, Ontario, Jankowski played prep school hockey at Stanstead College, serving as captain in his second year, and impressed enough to be selected at 21st overall by the Flames in the 2012 NHL Draft. While he was well-regarded by scouts, he was the 43rd-ranked North American skater by the NHL’s Central Scouting Service, so 21st overall was fairly ahead of where the scouting community saw him.

Jankowski joined the NCAA’s Providence College Friars the following season, and ended up spending four seasons with the Friars. The Friars won the NCAA’s national championship in his junior year, and he was a second-team All-American and a conference all-star in his senior year.

At the time of his selection, then-Flames general manager Jay Feaster made comparisons to Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk, and made a prediction that would live rent-free in fans’ minds for years.

Jankowski went pro after his senior year with Providence College, signing his entry-level deal with the Flames under Feaster’s successor, Brad Treliving. In four years in the Flames’ system, Jankowski emerged as a really good American League player and a promising, if a tad inconsistent, bottom six NHL forward. Following the 2019-20 season, and a year where he posted just seven points in 56 games, the Flames opted not to tender a qualifying offer to Jankowski and he became a free agent.

From there, Jankowski bounced around a bit. He spent 2020-21 with Pittsburgh, where he had 11 points but again didn’t receive a qualifying offer. He attended 2021 training camp with New Jersey on a professional try-out and after failing to land an NHL gig, he joined the American League’s Rochester Americans on an AHL deal. He impressed enough to earn an NHL contract by the end of November and some time with Buffalo, but failed to catch on long-term with the Sabres.

That summer, 2022, Jankowski landed with the Nashville Predators on a one year, two-way deal. He split 2022-23 between Nashville and AHL Milwaukee, then repeated the feat the following season on a one year, one-way pact. He was rewarded for his efforts during the 2024 off-season with a two year deal and stuck in the NHL with the Predators, but found himself traded to Carolina at the 2025 trade deadline.

With the Hurricanes, Jankowski has found a niche as a really versatile forward that can do a bit of everything. He signed a two year extension during the 2026 playoffs, and won a Stanley Cup about a month later.

Speaking prior to Sunday’s game, Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour discussed Jankowski’s success since arriving in Raleigh.

“I think since we’ve acquired him, he’s just done everything we’ve asked him to do,” said Brind’Amour. “I think he’s got a unique skill set that he can kind of do whatever you need done. We need a power play guy. He knows how to play the power play. We need a penalty kill, he knows how to kill penalties, face-offs. I mean, everything that we’ve kind of needed him to do, he’s stepped right in and done it. So he’s been a great addition for us, a great fit. Sometimes you’ve got to find that right fit as a player. And he certainly has fit in really well with us.”

Jankowski was drafted in 2012. 14 years later, he’s a Stanley Cup champion, and has seemingly finally found a consistent role, and success, with the Hurricanes. He’s a great example for Flames fans during this rebuild that prospect success sometimes need to be measured using calendars rather than stop-watches.