The Calgary Flames are today's focus in an NHL off-season series examining each team’s prospect pool.
Tony Ferrari digs into the Flames' strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart and next player in line for an NHL opportunity. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises.
Initial Thoughts
The Flames are dangerously close to being the definition of a mushy-middle club.
They were poised to start a rebuild a couple of seasons ago, and then they were closer to the playoffs than anyone expected, which made them hesitant to trade some of their prime candidates. This kept them close enough to the playoff picture, but it also kept them from being a true lottery team.
One of the Flames' most exciting prospects is left winger Andrew Basha. He dealt with injuries for most of this past season, but the highly skilled speedster is a wickedly smooth playmaker. His vision and passing make him a lethal offensive threat anytime he is on the ice. Basha is a good shooter as well, which keeps goalies honest. He will head to the AHL this upcoming season, which will put his dynamism and creativity to the test.
Samuel Honzek had a solid first full season in the AHL and even earned a few NHL games, but he looked a step behind in Calgary.
Honzek has had some ups and downs in his development since being drafted due to injuries and inconsistency, but he brings a nice package of size and playmaking. He uses his frame to protect pucks and imposes himself in battles. He needs to find another level of aggression to ascend to the next level, but positionally and tactically, Honzek has potential. He could sneak into the NHL lineup more consistently this upcoming year.
When the Flames drafted Aydar Suniev in 2023, they bet on his game rounding out and refining during a couple of years in college. He did just that, becoming a reliable scorer who averaged over a point per game for UMass this past year before signing his entry-level contract and appearing in the Flames’ season finale.
Suniev is a nifty playmaker who’s creative offensively. His board play is impressive, as he rotates his hips into opposing players to cut the puck off from them. He will need a year or two in the AHL to get his skating up to par, but he has the potential to be a solid middle-six forward.
Luke Misa is a speedy, shifty playmaker who often drives his line. He was fantastic alongside Porter Martone, Philadelphia’s sixth overall pick in this past draft, taking much of the transition game off his plate and allowing him to play to his game. Misa makes life easy on his linemates, especially when he plays down the middle and has open ice and options to both sides.
In two seasons in the United States League and a year in the QMJHL, Matvei Gridin showed a blend of offenisve tools with a quick release and some nice playmaking. He often plays a complementary role, and he should generate more scoring chances for himself, but the young Russian has been a nice addition to a Flames prospect pool that desperately needs some scoring punch.
The Flames added offensive punch to their back end at last year’s draft by picking Zayne Parekh ninth overall. His skills as a playmaker and shooter are wildly impressive. He has some of the most impressive highlights we’ve seen from a defender in a while, and he’s put up over 200 points in the past two OHL seasons. This kid is a lethal offensive player on the blueline.
Balancing out some of Parekh's all-out offense approach is a trade acquisition, Artem Grushnikov. He’s mobile and physical, understands his role on the team and doesn’t try to play above his head. He won’t offer much up offensively beyond getting the puck to a teammate, but Grushnikov was a nice bet and looks decent in the AHL so far.
Etienne Morin was one of the best two-way defenders in the QMJHL this past season. He showcased his defensive game and physicality alongside his offensive activations and playmaking. He still has some footwork issues at times, which he must clean up as he heads to the AHL, but there are plenty of good traits for Morin to build on.
Aside from Parekh, the Flames have also picked up other solid offensive-minded blueliners.
Hunter Brzustewicz had a solid AHL rookie season with 32 points in 70 games and made his NHL debut. Henry Mews exploded in the OHL this past season, with 82 points in 68 games. Both defenders are excellent breakout passers who love to jump into the rush. Both also have some holes in their defensive play. Brzustewicz will return to the AHL and hone his craft there while Mews is headed to the University of Michigan, where he can train and get stronger against tougher competition.
2025 NHL Draft Class
Round 1, 18th overall – Cole Reschny, C, Victoria (WHL)
Round 1, 32nd overall – Cullen Potter, C, Arizona State University (NCAA)
Round 2, 54th overall – Theo Stockselius, C, Djurgarden Jr. (Swe.)
Round 3, 80th overall – Mace’o Phillips, D, U.S. NTDP (USHL)
Round 5, 144th overall – Ethan Wyttenbach, LW, Sioux Falls (USHL)
Round 6, 176th overall – Aidan Lane, RW, St. Andrews College (Ont. H.S.)
Round 7, 208th overall – Jakob Leander, D, HV71 Jr. (Swe.)
Round 7, 211th overall – Yan Matveiko, LW, Krasnaya Armiya Moscow Jr. (Rus.)
The Flames had one of the best drafts of any team this year, and the strength of their first three picks really carries the bulk of their success.
Although they didn’t have their first-round pick, which they sent to Montreal when they offloaded Sean Monahan’s contract, they wound up with two first-rounders and made some excellent picks.
Cole Reschny is a highly skilled, incredibly smart playmaking center with all the offensive creativity you’d want. His skating is the biggest concern in his game, but he’s always been able to overcome it thanks to an impressive work rate and a willingness to get into the battle down low or along the wall. He fishes pucks out and finds his linemates with incredible, crafty passes. When he’s in open ice, he shows off slick puckhandling to open more lanes. Reschny is a wildly talented player, and getting him at 18th overall could be a steal.
With the final pick in the first round, the Flames grabbed Cullen Potter, a center who played for Arizona State as one of the youngest players in college hockey. Potter is one of the most dynamic skaters and clever playmakers in the draft. He is undersized, which is likely what made teams hesitant to draft him, but his offensive mind is among the best in the class.
Potter produced respectable numbers in the NCAA, but his ability to drive play, create chances and generate excellent underlying numbers led many to believe there is more in his game than meets the eye. His teammates often didn’t capitalize on the chances he generated, or they mishandled good passes. Potter could be the biggest steal of the first round.
At 6-foot-3, second-round pick Theo Stockselius brings some size to the trio of centers atop the Flames’ draft selections. He plays with hard skill in physical situations, creative passing and a high-end motor. Stockselius isn’t the most fleet of foot, but some of the harping on his skating was a bit overblown. Stockselius has shown excellent puck protection and the ability to focus on finding a passing lane, even with a man on his hip. Stockselius will play through contact, which helps mitigate the middling mobility.
Mace’o Phillips is a throwback defender. He loves to engage physically, throwing hits and cross-checks as soon as attacking players enter the defensive zone. Phillips isn’t much of an offensive player, opting to defer to teammates when he gets the puck. His punishing game can get him into some penalty trouble at times, and he can make some mistakes as he chases a hit, but if he can rein in some of his overeager play, he could be a solid defensive stopper.
Fifth-round pick Ethan Wyttenbach must improve his skating and deal with physicality a bit better. He has decent passing, shooting and puckhandling, and he seems to identify his teammates in open positions quite well. The issue is that sometimes, he falls behind the play a bit and can get pushed around along the boards. For a pick in the second half of the draft, that’s an excellent package to bet on.
Aidan Lane had an interesting path this past year. He played a couple of games in the USHL early in the year, played prep hockey at St. Andrew’s College and then finished in the OHL. As the NCAA eligibility rules changed, he got the opportunity to showcase himself in a few leagues. His game is built on power and his raw offensive tools as a shooter and passer. If Lane can develop a bit more speed, he could be a really interesting depth scoring winger.
Jakob Leander is a lesser-known prospect, unranked by NHL Central Scouting or any public outlet. He is a big defender who moves fairly well, but he can struggle in moments where lateral agility is needed. He leans a bit, but his game is centered around using his length to disturb the puck carrier’s momentum. He’s a project, but in the seventh round, a 6-foot-4 defender is a decent bet.
Calgary’s final pick was lanky Russian forward Yan Matveiko. He shows some decent playmaking habits, trying to get the puck to the middle with mixed results. He tries to engage physically, but he often works hard without achieving a positive outcome in puck battles. Much like Leander, Matveiko wasn’t widely scouted, and as a forward who averaged just over half a point per game at the Russian junior level, it’s a swing in the seventh for a low-upside player.
Strengths
While it could have been considered a weakness a year ago, the Flames did an outstanding job of adding centers with potential to the pipeline. Reschny, Potter, Stockselius and Misa can all potentially make an impact at the next level. They still need to develop, but even if two of the four are centers and the others move to the wing, the Flames must be stoked with how they are looking down the middle moving forward. They already have relatively young players in the NHL, such as Connor Zary and Morgan Frost, who are also potential fits in the middle.
Weaknesses
The Flames’ prospect pipeline doesn’t have any immediate weaknesses. They have some quality wingers and intriguing blueliners, while, they bolstered the center depth in the draft.
Although no one stands out in net, Dustin Wolf was just a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
The Flames’ weakness is they don’t have anyone who projects to be “The Guy” at the NHL level. Parekh is close, but his defensive flaws may hold him back from being a true 25-minute-a-night defender in the playoffs, the way the elite of the elite are. That’s the danger of being in the mushy middle, though. It’s very difficult to get that game-breaking talent.
Hidden Gem: Luke Misa, C/W
Heading to Penn State University after a very successful four-year run in the OHL, Misa is taking advantage of the fantastic opportunity the new CHL-NCAA rules presented him.
Misa is the exact player who comes to mind when people used to say, “If only Player X could go to college for a couple of years in between junior and pro.” Misa is a bit undersized, but he plays fast, intelligent hockey, which allows him to pick apart opposing teams as a playmaker. His shot has also become a legitimate weapon. Misa was ranked all over the place last year, and teams ultimately passed on him because of his 5-foot-10 frame, but the Flames put their faith into him with a fifth-round pick, and it might be the best pick of the second half of the 2024 NHL draft.
Next Man Up: Zayne Parekh, D
Parekh was one of the most productive blueliners in the last 30 years of major junior hockey. He is a cerebral-minded defenseman who wants to tear apart the other team's defensive structure. He has excellent passing and a great shot.
Parekh should get every opportunity to make the team in training camp. They could certainly use his high-octane offense. His defense is a work in progress, but if the Flames can take a page out of Montreal’s book from this past year, when they integrated Lane Hutson, the Flames could also have a legitimate Calder Trophy candidate in Parekh.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Andrew Basha, Aydar Suniev, Samuel Honzek, William Stromgren
C: Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, Theo Stockselius, Luke Misa
RW: Matvei Gridin, Jacob Battaglia, Aidan Lane, Hunter Liang, Jaden Lipinski
LD: Etienne Morin, Artem Grushnikov, Axel Hurtig, Mace’o Phillips
RD: Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews, Henry Brzustewicz
G: Aresnii Sergeev, Yegor Yegorov, Kirill Zarubin
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of the Hockey News print edition.
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