The second draw, for a potential second overall spot, was actually three separate draws, with the Flames in the mix until the bitter end for all three of them – three times, one ping-pong ball away from second overall.

-Attempt 1 at the second draw saw 2, 8 and 4 drawn. The Flames would have won if 13 was the last ball selected. Instead, 11 was selected, finishing one of San Jose’s combinations and triggering a re-draw. (Eight teams had a chance of winning on the final ball.)
-Attempt 2 at the second draw saw 14, 11 and 3 drawn. The Flames would have won if 8 was the last ball selected. Instead, 9 was selected, finishing one of San Jose’s combinations (again) and triggering another re-draw. (Six teams had a chance of winning on the final ball.)
-Attempt 3 at the second draw saw 6, 11 and 3 drawn. The Flames would have won if 7 was the last ball selected. Instead, 14 was selected, finishing one of Chicago’s combinations and cementing them at second overall. (Seven teams had a chance of winning on the final ball.)

The Calgary Flames made two selections on the first day of the 2024 NHL Draft, selecting blueliner Zayne Parekh at ninth overall and Russian winger Matvei Gridin at 28th overall. But according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, they discussed a possible swap of picks with Utah to move up to sixth overall…

…to select Tij Iginla.

As Seravalli noted on social media, the price was determined to be too hefty for the Flames and they didn’t move either of their first-round selections. Tij Iginla ended up being selected by Utah, ending the dream of many Flames fans of having a second generation of Iginlas with the club. (Tij’s younger brother, Joe, is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft.)

The Flames hit a grand slam on Day 2 of this year’s draft. They picked Calgary kid Andrew Basha, who many wanted with the No. 28 pick, all the way down at No. 41; after that, they landed public scouting favourites in Jacob Battaglia, Henry Mews, and Luke Misa far lower than many expected them to go.

TSN’s Bob McKenzie ranked Basha at No. 30, Mews at No. 48, Battaglia at No. 57, and Misa at No. 72. Daily Faceoff‘s Steven Ellis slotted them at No. 28, No. 38, No. 64, and No. 65, respectively.

In the end, the Flames got Mews all the way down at pick No. 74. Battaglia went to them with the No. 62 pick, while Misa had to wait until the No. 150 selection before he finally heard his name called by the Calgary table.

Strömgren, 21, was easily the best player on the ice at Winsport throughout the Flames’ 2024 prospect development camp, acting as a model and mentor for the younger players while looking every bit the part of a top prospect in this Calgary system.

Everything Strömgren did on the ice over the three days oozed an amount of confidence we haven’t seen from him in the past, from his goals in the scrimmage on Saturday to his one-on-one skating drills with Danielle Fujita on Thursday. It was more than fitting that the weekend ended with him being handed the Snowy Cup at centre ice.

Ciona had kind of an uneven season in 2023-24 as a first-year pro, playing in the Wranglers’ bottom six and ending up as a healthy scratch near the end of the season. Ciona had two assists across three games – one on Jaden Lipinski’s shorthanded goal against Winnipeg, the other on Luka Misa’s empty-net goal against Edmonton – and a fight to his credit. The Lipinski assist was probably emblematic of how he looked over the weekend, as he used his speed and size really effectively on the forecheck. If he’s going to be an effective pro, this might be what it needs to look like.