Scott Wheeler’s latest prospect tiers for The Athletic put a bright spotlight on the Calgary Flames’ pipeline, with Carson Carels and Zayne Parekh landing in the All-Star group and six more names filling out the rest of the list.
That top tier starts with Parekh, whose offensive track record in the OHL was eye-catching enough to draw comparisons to Bobby Orr. The 2024 ninth overall pick piled up 240 points in 177 games in junior, but the jump to the NHL has been a grind. Through 38 games over three seasons, the 20-year-old has 10 points and is still trying to settle in at the next level.
Wheeler actually slots Carels ahead of him. Calgary took the defenseman sixth overall in the 2026 Draft, and while his WHL numbers didn’t match Parekh’s, they were still strong: 111 points in 125 games. He entered the draft as one of the highest-rated defenders in the class, and the Flames were able to grab him with their first pick.
Behind those two, Wheeler’s Star category includes Simon Nemec and Matvei Gridin. Calgary acquired Nemec, 22, from the New Jersey Devils in June 2026.
The second overall pick from the 2022 Draft has 16 goals and 49 points in 155 NHL games across four seasons, and the hope is that a new setting and a bigger role on Calgary’s blue line will unlock more of what made him such a prized prospect. The Flames also signed him to a long-term extension.
Gridin is the other name with star potential. The 20-year-old winger, chosen 28th overall in 2024, just finished his first pro season with 16 goals and 50 points in 74 games split between the Flames and Calgary Wranglers. He’s projected to open the 2026-27 season on the team’s top line.
Most of Calgary’s prospect depth, though, sits in Wheeler’s Support tier. Cole Reschny, 19, is there after the Flames took him 18th overall in 2025. He’s still in the NCAA, where an injury disrupted his 2025-26 season and kept him from matching the 92 points he posted the year before.
Hunter Brzustewicz, 21, is another support piece, though his path has been bumpier. Since turning pro in 2024-25, the defenseman has shuttled between Calgary and the Wranglers and has 52 points in 139 games. He’ll start the new season back in the AHL.
Cullen Potter, Calgary’s other first-round pick in 2025, also lands in the support group. Wheeler doesn’t view him as the answer to the organization’s need for a true No. 1 center. The US National Development Program product is still in the NCAA and is still searching for his first 20-goal season.
Ethan Wyttenbach, a 19-year-old winger taken in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft, brings some upside to the mix. He’s coming off back-to-back 20-goal seasons, first in the USHL and then at Quinnipiac University.
The final name on Wheeler’s Calgary list is Tobias Trejbal. The 18-year-old Czech goalie was selected in the second round of the 2026 Draft and is headed to the University of Massachusetts this year. In his lone USHL season, he went 30-9-3 with a .916 save percentage, and Wheeler sees a path for him to reach the Wranglers before the decade is out.
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Flames Radio Picture Is Clearing Up But One Spot Still Looms
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Pat Steinberg and Jock Wilson are also set to host a daily Flames show, giving listeners a fresh weekday hub for team coverage and conversation. One piece still hasnt been filled in, though, and it is the one that will matter most once game night arrives: the club has not yet announced who will handle colour commentary on Flames broadcasts. [Read more 🡒]