Carson Carels may not be in Calgary yet, but the Flames already sound convinced they’ve got a long-term piece on their hands.
The sixth overall pick in June’s draft is headed to the University of North Dakota for a season in the NCAA, and he has made it clear he wants to be a one-and-done. If that plan holds, he could be in a Flames sweater by next spring, and by the end of the 2026-27 NHL season, it seems very likely he’ll have joined the club.
Around the Saddledome, that timeline doesn’t sound far-fetched.
Jim Playfair, who coached Carels with the Prince George Cougars over the past three years and has two decades of NHL and AHL experience, sees the bigger picture with the prospect. For him, the question isn’t when Carels arrives so much as what he becomes once he does.
“I don’t know if the starting point is so important, I think the longevity is going to be the key to his success,” Playfair explained. “Carson’s going to play when he’s ready to play. I think the most important thing in talking about Carson is he’s going to play for 12 to 15 years in the league and be a really good player.
“Time will tell when he’s ready to play, but there’s good people in Calgary and they’re going to make the best decision for Carson and the Calgary Flames going forward. They’re not going to rush him or put him in a position where it might become overwhelming.”
That conversation has been going since draft night, and it picked up again at development camp in early July, when some wondered whether Carels could jump straight from junior to the NHL.
“Could he play? He might be able to play, but is that best for his overall, long-term development?”
said Flames director of player development Ray Edwards. “We’re not worried about one year, we’re worried about 10 to 15 years.
We’ve sat down with his representatives and his family and we’ll go through it with a fine-toothed comb and make sure we’ll do what’s best for him.”
North Dakota should give Carels exactly the kind of test the Flames want. He’ll play fewer games than he would in junior, but he’ll be up against older, bigger, stronger competition. Carels believes that’s the right next step.
“It’s going to be a good step for me to make a step instead of a leap to this next level and I think UND is going to shape me to be a more complete player and continue in my maturity as a player,” Carels said.
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