Chase Harrington is getting a taste of NHL life in Calgary, and the Flames have clearly liked what they’ve seen from the 18-year-old winger.
Selected 36th overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, Harrington has been working through Flames camp after a busy summer that included an invitation to Team Canada’s group at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario. The Spokane Chiefs prospect was allowed by his WHL club to skip their camp so he could spend more time around the Flames, and that decision has already paid off in a meaningful way.
He’s not just around the building. Harrington earned a spot in main camp, spent time with Team Red alongside the veterans, and drew praise for his shot from goaltenders Dustin Wolf and Devin Cooley.
After the first day of main camp last Thursday, Flames head coach Ryan Huska explained why Harrington was placed with the NHL-heavy practice group.
“Zero expectations on him, I will say that,” said Huska, via Flames TV. “We want to see him come here and learn how some of our older guys handle themselves on a daily basis. If he keeps getting better and better while he’s on the ice, that’s great for us, but we just want to have him see what a lot of these NHL players are like and how they handle themselves both on and off the ice.”
For Harrington, the chance to watch established pros up close has already stood out. A few days into camp, he pointed to captain Mikael Backlund as one of the players who made the biggest impression.
“I think just watching Backs,” said Harrington. “He’s such a good captain.
He’s such a command over the room. Everyone respects him so much.
I could list 10 guys. They’re all unbelievable.”
Harrington still isn’t under an NHL contract, and at 18, he’s likely headed back to Spokane before long. That said, the expectation is that he’ll carry this experience into a big 2026-27 season in the Western League, where his blend of size, skill and edge should make him hard to miss.
Even if the stay is short, it matters. Harrington said the whole thing still feels a little unreal.
“Pretty surreal,” said Harrington, speaking with the media over the weekend. “It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around.
I’m standing in an NHL locker room with a bunch of people interviewing me right now. I didn’t expect this, but I believe in myself.
When I play my game, I can do great things.”
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Hitmen coach Dustin Friesen came away impressed with Leanders work ethic and the way he has handled the adjustment so far, which matters as much as any box-score note at this stage. For Calgary, the appeal is obvious: a young blue-liner getting meaningful minutes right away, settling in quickly, and giving the club another prospect worth watching closely as the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]