Daily Faceoff’s annual look at the NHL’s top skater prospects has six Flames names on it, and two of them landed near the very top.
Steven Ellis wrapped up his prospect coverage by ranking the top 75 NHL-affiliated skater prospects, using criteria that are a little looser than the list from this outlet: players must be under 23 and have played 50 or fewer NHL games. After earlier naming Calgary’s system the third-best in the league, Ellis put six Flames prospects inside the top 75 - Carson Carels, Zayne Parekh, Cole Reschny, Matvei Gridin, Hunter Brzustewicz and Ethan Wyttenbach. Calgary also had Tobias Trejbal included on Ellis’ top 25 goaltending prospects list.
Carels came in at No. 5. The Flames took him sixth overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, and after a strong run with the Western Hockey League’s Prince George Cougars and Canada’s national junior team last season, he’s now off to the University of North Dakota.
Parekh checked in right behind him at No. 6.
Calgary selected him ninth overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, and last season he spent most of his time with the Flames in the NHL as a teenager. He also got work with Canada’s national junior team at the World Juniors and had a conditioning stint with the AHL’s Wranglers.
He’s expected to be an NHL regular this season.
Reschny landed at No. 27.
He was the Flames’ 18th-overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, played last season at the University of North Dakota, and joined Carels and Parekh on Canada’s national junior team. He’s returning to North Dakota for his sophomore year.
Gridin was slotted at No. 28.
Calgary drafted him 30th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he split last season between the Flames and the Wranglers while making a strong impression at both stops. He’s also expected to be an NHL regular this season.
Brzustewicz appeared at No. 70.
Vancouver picked him in the third round, 75th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft, and Calgary acquired him in the Elias Lindholm trade. He split last season between the Flames and Wranglers and played well in both places.
He’s in the mix for an NHL job this season, though his waiver exemption and the number of established NHL defensemen ahead of him could keep him in the AHL to begin the year.
Wyttenbach rounded out Calgary’s group at No. 72.
The Flames chose him in the fifth round, 144th overall, in the 2025 NHL Draft, and he just finished a freshman season at Quinnipiac University that saw him lead the NCAA in scoring and emerge as a Hobey Baker contender. He’s headed back to Quinnipiac for his sophomore season.
In Other News...
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The early pairing ideas already hint at how much of this will be a work in progress. One combination under consideration is Zayne Parekh alongside Zach Whitecloud, with the real test being whether Parekh can handle the left side, while Kevin Bahl and Simon Nemec are also in the conversation as Calgary looks for the right balance. Those pairings are expected to keep evolving through camp and into the season, which makes the next few weeks feel especially important for a defense trying to find its identity quickly. [Read more 🡒]
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Flames Fans Are Turning One Saddledome Night Into A Massive Event
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The demand has already shown how much that night means. Tickets disappeared quickly, and the secondary market has pushed prices into a range that makes it clear this is no ordinary regular-season game. Whether the Flames are playing for positioning or simply for one last memory under the Saddledome roof, the atmosphere around that final night is shaping up to be every bit as intense as the occasion itself. [Read more 🡒]