The Calgary Flames aren’t exactly grabbing headlines for it just yet, but there’s a quiet sense building around the organization that their rebuild may be tracking a little cleaner—and maybe a little faster—than most teams in a similar position.
A big part of that comes down to what they’re about to walk into at the 2026 NHL Draft.
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Heading into KeyBank Center in Buffalo, Calgary owns 11 picks in total, including two first-round selections and six picks inside the top 55. That kind of draft capital doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does give a rebuilding team something invaluable: flexibility. At this stage of the cycle, that’s often the difference between staying stuck and actually moving forward.
The 2026 NHL Draft begins Friday, June 26 at 5 p.m. MT with Round 1, followed by Rounds 2 through 7 on Saturday, June 27 at 9 a.m. MT. Both days will be broadcast on Sportsnet.
Here’s how the Flames’ draft board currently sits:
Calgary Flames 2026 NHL Draft Picks
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Round 1: 6th overall Round 1: 30th overall (via Vegas)
Round 2: 35th overall (via Utah, originally NYR) Round 2: 36th overall Round 2: 51st overall (via Utah) Round 2: 55th overall (via Ottawa)
Round 3: 65th overall (via Vancouver) Round 3: 68th overall
Round 4: 100th overall Round 5: 132nd overall Round 6: 164th overall
What stands out isn’t just the sheer volume—it’s how tightly packed those early picks are. Calgary will be on the clock repeatedly in quick succession across the first two rounds, giving them the ability to go in multiple directions: swing for upside, target organizational holes, or package selections if a meaningful trade opportunity presents itself.
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Of course, none of it matters in theory. Draft capital only becomes real value when it’s used well—and the league has plenty of examples of teams both maximizing and wasting it.
The Colorado Avalanche, for instance, have shown both sides of that coin in recent years. Some picks have developed into key contributors, while others were moved out in pursuit of another Stanley Cup run that ultimately fell just short. It’s a reminder more than anything: stockpiling assets is only step one. Execution is everything.
For Calgary, that’s the warning label attached to all of this. The opportunity is real—but so is the risk of getting it wrong.
One potential swing at the top of the board is Swedish center Viggo Björck at sixth overall. He’s not the biggest player on the ice, but Calgary has been searching for more long-term center depth, particularly after moving Nazem Kadri back to Colorado.
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Björck’s production with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League—six goals and nine assists last season—doesn’t jump off the page at first glance, but his impact has been more noticeable in flashes and in international play. At the IIHF World Juniors, he added three goals and six assists in his debut tournament, helping power his country to a gold medal.
For a Flames organization trying to restock skill down the middle, he represents the kind of bet that can quietly reshape a depth chart over time.
There’s also a broader philosophical shift taking shape in Calgary. The organization still wants veteran presence in the room, but the runway for younger players is getting longer—and more meaningful.
Ryan Lomberg, for example, appeared in just two of Calgary’s final 19 games as the coaching staff increasingly leaned into extended auditions for younger players like Tyson Gross and Aydar Suniev. It wasn’t subtle, either. It felt like a preview of where things are heading.
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General manager Craig Conroy didn’t fully tip his hand on Lomberg’s future when asked at season’s end, but he acknowledged the balancing act the organization is now managing.
“We’ve got to take a couple days because everything is emotional. I’ll reflect and see where we think this is going. We have a lot of players under contract right now. When you have players, there needs to be room to play, too.”
That “room to play” part matters—and it’s becoming harder to ignore in Calgary.
Among the young players already forcing the issue is Gross, who scored in just his third NHL game during a 3–1 loss to Colorado on April 9. The goal stood as his first at the NHL level, though he briefly thought he had two before a second was overturned for offside.
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Even so, it was a glimpse of something the Flames haven’t had enough of in recent years: young players arriving and looking like they belong.
And that’s really the hinge point for all of this. Calgary’s rebuild won’t be defined by how many picks they have, or even where they pick. It’ll come down to whether those players turn into everyday NHLers—and how quickly they can push the roster forward.
Because if they do, this doesn’t stay a long rebuild for very long. If they don’t, all this draft capital is just paper again.
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