The Calgary Flames’ rebuild has put the spotlight squarely on a prospect group that looks ready to matter soon, and a handful of names stand out as the ones most likely to force their way into the NHL picture over the next couple of seasons.
At the top of that group is Cole Reschny, the centre who was just named the youngest captain in University of North Dakota history after a freshman year that featured the third most assists by a freshman in the 21st century for UND. Calgary took him 18th overall in the 2025 Draft, and his game has the kind of pace that jumps off the page.
Reschny’s speed and passing give him a real shot to be in the mix as soon as this season once his college year is done. He carried that playmaking touch deep into the Frozen Four before UND fell to the Wisconsin Badgers, and he could be a major factor for North Dakota again this season.
There’s also a World Junior Championship stage coming, where he could very possibly wear the captain’s letter as well.
Another UND piece worth watching is Carson Carels, the Flames’ best defensive prospect now that Zayne Parekh has made the roster. Carels also gave a little glimpse into who he is when he chose not to attend the 2026 Draft and instead stayed on his family farm in Cypress River, Manitoba, a town of just 175 people.
On the ice, he brings the full package of a modern defenseman. Last season in the WHL, he piled up 73 points in 58 games while still showing the defensive sense and awareness to use his frame, shut down space, and keep opponents to the outside.
His Team Canada World Juniors selection as a 17-year-old only adds to the intrigue; he was just the 14th player ever to do that for a country that usually leans heavily on already-drafted talent.
Alan Shaikhlislamov gives Calgary another layer of upside. The Flames used their fifth pick in the 2026 Draft on him, even though it was still a second-round selection, a sign of how much talent they’ve stockpiled.
Born on Sept. 4, 2008, he was one of the youngest players in his class. His best trait is obvious: the shot.
He has seven goals and 12 points through his first nine games with Tolpar Ufa in Russia’s MHL, and he already got a taste of the KHL last season after a scorching start earned him a call-up with Salavat Yulaev Ufa. His foot speed and defensive-zone habits still need work, but he improved as last season went on, and those areas already look better early this year.
Another KHL look could be on the horizon.
Ethan Wyttenbach may be the most surprising name on the list, but the upside is hard to ignore. Calgary grabbed him in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft, and he responded by leading the NCAA in scoring last season as a true freshman at Quinnipiac University.
His rise has been unusual, because his earlier numbers never screamed top prospect, but he posted 51 points in 44 games in the USHL and then took off. Over the summer, he joined Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase and led the tournament with six goals and 12 points in six games.
With a big sophomore season ahead, he’s starting to look like the kind of pick that can make a draft class.
Then there’s Henry Mews, the oldest player on this list and another defenseman with real offensive punch. The University of Michigan sophomore was a third-round pick in the 2024 Draft, and his style is built around moving the puck quickly and jumping into the attack.
His freshman year was cut short after just 10 games and nine assists because of an ACL injury, and he was out from November to March. That makes this season a key one for him.
Michigan has plenty of talent, including projected 2027 first-overall pick Landon Dupont, so Mews needs to show early that his offensive game is still front and center. If he can get back to the level he showed in his final OHL season, when he had 82 points, third-best in the league, he should be fine.
Those five names are only part of a much deeper Flames prospect pool, but they’re the ones closest to turning promise into NHL reality.
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What made the performance harder to digest was how many of the problems were of Calgarys own making. Penalties and defensive mistakes kept feeding the Krakens momentum, and the lone Flames goal came only late in the third period after the outcome was long since tilted. For a team trying to establish a better early-season footing, the question now is how quickly this group can clean up the details before one bad opener starts feeling like a pattern. [Read more 🡒]
Flames May Have A Familiar Blue Line Option Back In Play
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For Calgary, there is at least some built-in familiarity if this turns into more than a camp stop, since Forbort once wore a Flames sweater in 2019-20 and already knows the market and the expectations that come with it. His arrival also fits the broader shuffle around the league, where teams are continually balancing injuries and reinforcements, and it leaves open the question of whether the veteran can turn this latest opportunity into a real contract chance. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Just Sent A Top Prospect Into A Situation Flames Fans Know Well
Braeden Cootes is heading into the kind of proving ground Flames fans know well, with the Vancouver Canucks assigning their 2025 first-round pick to Abbotsford to begin his pro season. The move sends the young forward into the AHL right away, just as the affiliate gets ready for its opener and finalizes an opening roster that will give a better look at how the club plans to handle one of its most closely watched prospects.
For Vancouver, the decision is clearly about patience and development, not a fast track to the NHL. Canucks GM Ryan Johnson has made it clear there is no set timeline for a promotion, which puts the emphasis on steady growth in Abbotsford rather than immediate pressure in Vancouver. How Cootes settles in there, and how quickly he can turn a strong start into momentum, will be one of the early stories to watch once the season opens. [Read more 🡒]