The Calgary Flames have plenty of young talent on the rise, and The Athletic’s latest NHL Top 100 drafted prospect rankings made that plain. Seven Flames prospects landed on Scott Wheeler’s list, trailing only the Chicago Blackhawks, who had eight.
At the top of Calgary’s group is defenseman Zayne Parekh, who came in at No. 6 overall. He was selected ninth in 2024, lit up the OHL, and then made his NHL debut on April 17, 2025.
Last season, Parekh appeared in 37 NHL games and recorded nine points, while also picking up five more points in four AHL games. He heads into the new season on the Flames’ blue line and is expected to be a major piece of the club’s effort to stay out of the NHL Draft Lottery.
Carson Carels was the other Flame to crack the top 25, checking in at No. 11.
He has not played in the NHL yet, but he recently committed to the University of North Dakota for the 2026-27 season. Over the last three years in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars, Carels put up 111 points in 125 games.
The next two Calgary prospects both landed in the 30s. Matvei Gridin was ranked 31st, while Cole Reschny came in at 38th.
Gridin spent nearly a full year in pro hockey last season, skating in 37 games for the Flames and scoring 20 points, then adding 30 points in 37 games with the Calgary Wranglers. He looks set to stay in Calgary and split time between the NHL club and the Wranglers again.
Reschny, meanwhile, is 19 and headed into his second season at the University of North Dakota, where he will team up with Carels after the recent transfer. In 2025-26, Reschny scored six goals and 35 points in 36 games, and he added five more points at the recent U20 World Juniors.
Three more Flames prospects rounded out the list outside the top 75: Cullen Potter at No. 86, Hunter Brzustewicz at No. 90, and Ethan Wyttenbach at No.
- Potter is the name Calgary fans still connect to the blockbuster deal involving Jonathan Huberdeau and Matthew Tkachuk in 2022.
The 19-year-old is preparing for his third NCAA season, but he is moving from Arizona State University to Michigan State University.
Brzustewicz is coming off a tougher year. After strong OHL seasons and a 32-point effort in 70 games as an AHL rookie two years ago, he managed seven points in 34 games with the Flames and 13 points in 34 games with the Wranglers last season.
Wyttenbach, a 2025 fifth-round pick, earned his place on the list after back-to-back 20-goal seasons in the USHL and NCAA. He is committed to Quinnipiac University for the 2026-27 season and is looking to build on a 59-point season as an 18-year-old.
For Calgary, the rankings are another sign that the rebuild has real substance behind it. The Flames were close to a playoff spot two years ago, but they spent most of 2025-26 near the bottom of the standings and could be there again next season. Still, The Athletic’s list points to a system that is moving in the right direction.
In Other News...
Flames Prospect Theo Stockselius Just Gave Fans A Real Debate
Theo Stockselius has already become one of the more interesting names in the Flames prospect pool, and not just because Calgary spent the 54th pick on him in the 2025 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-3 centre signed his three-year entry-level deal in May, then spent the 2025-26 season moving between Djurgardens IFs senior SHL club and its U20 team, giving the organization a look at both the upside and the rough edges in his game.
What stands out is how much there still is to sort through. Stockselius brings real playmaking and finishing touch, but the same reports that praise his offensive instincts also point to areas that will decide how quickly he climbs, including his physical assertiveness, face-off work and puck security. He was also named Playoff MVP in the J20 Nationell, which only adds to the sense that there is more here than a simple long-term project, even if the next step in his development is still the part everyone wants to see. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Suddenly Face A Bigger Leadership Question Behind Backlund
The Flames are heading toward a very different look by the time the 2026-27 season arrives, with eight players from the previous opening-night roster no longer around. Mikael Backlund still projects as the steady hand at the center of it all, but the leadership conversation is already widening as Calgary tries to map out who will help guide a roster that should look younger and less familiar.
Jonathan Huberdeau, Joel Farabee, Kevin Bahl and Zach Whitecloud are all in the mix to wear letters alongside Backlund, giving the Flames a blend of veteran presence and positional balance. There is also a chance the group expands further if the roster keeps shifting, with Ryan Strome and Jacob Middleton among the names that could emerge as additional voices as Calgary sorts out who fits best in a room that may need more than the usual amount of direction. [Read more 🡒]
Flames Fans Just Got An Early Read On Maceo Phillips
Maceo Phillips has given Flames fans a clearer look at his next step, signing a WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement with the Medicine Hat Tigers for next season. It is the kind of move that helps map out a prospects path a little earlier than usual, especially for a player still in the junior pipeline and working toward his college future at the University of Minnesota.
Around the same time, other familiar prospect names were making their own decisions abroad. Dmitri Ivchenko, a Vancouver Canucks pick, locked in a three-year extension with Avangard Omsk, while former Maple Leafs prospect Dmitry Ovchinnikov landed a tryout deal with HK Sochi in the KHL, underscoring how many young players are still sorting out where their development will continue. For Calgary, Phillips arrival in Medicine Hat offers a more immediate local read, even if the bigger picture on his long-term timeline is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]