Carson Carels arrives at No. 2 on The Win Column’s 2026 Calgary Flames prospect rankings, and the Flames made sure to get him early. The 6-foot-2 defenceman was taken sixth overall in the 2026 NHL Draft after a miserable season for Calgary, with some scouts viewing him as the best NHL blueliner in the class.
That kind of upside is exactly why Carels sits near the top of the list. He projects as a defenceman at the NHL level, and his path from here will be one of the key development stories for Flames fans to track.
The numbers show a player climbing fast. Carels put up 50 points in 27 games with Pilot Mound Academy in the U17 Prep CSSHL in 2023-24, then followed that with 35 points in 60 WHL games for the Prince George Cougars in 2024-25. This past season, he exploded for 73 points in 58 games, finishing fourth among WHL defencemen in scoring.
Now he’s headed to the NCAA, where he’s committed to the University of North Dakota. He’ll be joining a roster that already includes some notable names.
What makes Carels stand out is how well his tools fit the modern game. His skating is the backbone.
For a player his size, he has the kind of agility, edgework, and acceleration that let him move in a hurry, close space, and recover when a play starts to slip away. That mobility matters on both sides of the puck, whether he’s stepping up defensively or carrying the puck into the offensive zone.
He also brings real defensive intelligence. Carels tracks the play well, keeps his head up, and does a strong job reading passing lanes before they open.
His active stick helps him break things up without always needing to lean on contact, and his skating gives him the ability to stay with faster forwards. He’s not just a physical presence back there; he has the anticipation and positioning to actively take options away.
The concerns are about how often that game shows up. Carels’ performance can swing from shift to shift and game to game, and there are stretches where he looks like he’s driving play at both ends before fading when the workload gets heavy.
That was flagged as one of his biggest areas for growth after his breakout WHL season. As he moves into the NCAA and eventually pro hockey, doing it consistently will matter.
That’s the difference between promising tools and a dependable top-four defender.
Decision-making is the other big test. Carels has enough skill and confidence to create, but that can also get him into trouble when pressure piles up.
Sometimes he’ll try to force a pass through traffic or attempt a difficult play instead of resetting and taking the safer option. At the NHL level, those moments get punished faster because forwards close space in a hurry.
He’ll need to know when to press and when to keep it simple.
The next step is the NCAA, where Carels will face a higher level of competition. Given his skill set and ceiling, there’s a chance he reaches the NHL relatively quickly. One possibility is that after his college season ends, the Flames give him a shot in the big leagues.
The projection is lofty: potential franchise defenceman at his best, a likely top-pair NHL defenceman, and a floor of a top-four blueliner. He could appear in NHL games as soon as this upcoming season and will be in the mix for a role in 2027-28.
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