The Stanley Cup has been handed out and the next big event on the calendar for the National Hockey League is the entry draft at the end of June in Nashville. Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis commemorated the Stanley Cup Final concluding with a mock draft!

And he has the Flames selecting Swedish defender Axel Sandin Pellikka at 16th overall.

Here’s Ellis’ explanation:

Sandin Pellikka turned 18 in March, and he split the 2022-23 season between Skelleftea AIK’s Swedish Hockey League team and their J20 Nationell junior team. He was one of the top young offensive blueliners in Sweden and represented his country in three major international events – the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the World Juniors, and the men’s Under-18 World Championships.

Is Sandin Pellikka a renowned shutdown defender? Nope! Can he get there? Perhaps! But the Flames took a gamble on a supremely talented, mobile blueliner from Sweden named Oliver Kylington in 2015 and it has turned out to be a very worthwhile gamble for the franchise. Considering the Flames’ relative lack of prospect depth on their blueline, grabbing a defender would be a very prudent move.

We’ll see who the Flames select at 16th overall when the 2023 NHL Draft unfolds. Round 1 is June 28, while rounds 2 through 7 are on June 29, all from scenic Nashville, TN.