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No Flames on TSN’s top NHL prospects list

Photo credit: Rob Wallator/CHL Images

By Ryan Pike

Jan 9, 2020, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 9, 2020, 00:14 EST

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TSN prospect guru Craig Button has released his annual listing of the top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects. In a bit of a surprise, zero Calgary Flames prospects have made his list.

Here’s the top 10:

1. Igor Shesterkin, New York Rangers
2. Grigori Denisenko, Florida Panthers
3. Bowen Byram, Colorado Avalanche
4. Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild
5. Alexander Romanov, Montreal Canadiens
6. Rasmus Sandin, Toronto Maple Leafs
7. Jan Jenik, Arizona Coyotes
8. Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
9. Dylan Cozens, Buffalo Sabres
10. Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens

If it makes everyone feel any better, zero Edmonton Oilers prospects hit Button’s list ether.

Button also published his top five Flames-affiliated prospects:

Jakob Pelletier – Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
Matthew Phillips – Stockton Heat (AHL)
Ilya Nikolayev – Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)
Glenn Gawdin – Stockton Heat (AHL)
Emilio Pettersen – Denver Pioneers (NCAA)

Raise your hand if you’re shocked by zero goaltenders or defenders being on this list. Dustin Wolf probably could’ve merited consideration based on his body of work in the WHL. But considering the rest of the Flames goalie prospects are in their 20s, it makes sense. Nikolayev seems a tad high, and I wonder where Button sits on Dmitry Zavgorodniy.

Either way, it speaks to the lack of high-end depth in the Flames prospect pool right now.