The Calgary Flames’ prospect pool looks a lot different now than it did when Craig Conroy took over, and the 2026 entry draft only sharpened the picture. With 33 picks made under Conroy’s watch, the organization has gone from thin to crowded, and the next question is no longer whether the cupboard has been restocked. It’s which prospects are actually closest to shaping the roster.
At the very top sit two blue-chip defensemen: Zayne Parekh and Carson Carels.
Parekh, a right-shot defender, shattered scoring records in the OHL and brings a heavy offensive lean to his game. He’s undersized, but the upside is enormous, with the kind of skill set that could make him an Erik Karlsson-type player in the NHL.
Carels, a left-shot defender, offers a different look entirely. He’s bigger, meaner, and already plays a more complete game.
Both were top-10 picks, and if they hit, they could form the backbone of Calgary’s blue line for years.
The next tier is loaded, especially on defense. Simon Nemec joins Henry Mews and Hunter Brzustewicz on the right side, giving the Flames a surplus of young blueliners with top-four potential.
That depth is a luxury, but it could also create a traffic jam if everything breaks right. Nemec’s arrival only adds to that logjam.
Mews is easy to overlook after injuries wiped out most of his season, but his start at college was promising: nine assists in 10 games. Brzustewicz, meanwhile, already graduated to the NHL and finished the year looking more and more like a top-four defender. Calgary’s pipeline on the back end is in strong shape.
Up front, the picture is thinner. Matvei Gridin already forced his way into the conversation by making the NHL at 19, and another step could push him into the star tier.
Cole Reschny is trending well too, after making Canada’s U20 world junior team as one of the youngest players and scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace as a college freshman. He looks like a safe bet to become a quality NHLer; the open question is how much offense he’ll eventually bring.
Ethan Wyttenbach might be the wild card of the group. A fifth-round pick leading the NCAA in scoring as a freshman is not something you see every day. If he can repeat anything close to that production, the Flames may have uncovered a major steal.
The support tier is where much of the forward depth lives right now. Samuel Honzek, Cullen Potter, Andrew Basha, Aydar Suniev, and Jack Hextall all sit there, along with defenseman Axel Hurtig. That group could shift quickly if one or two players take a real jump next season, but for now they remain in the “maybe” category.
Honzek, selected 16th overall in 2023, still hasn’t put up the numbers expected of a first-rounder, but his time on Calgary’s third line before getting hurt hinted at a future as a useful support piece. Suniev had a strong college season with 20 goals and 38 points in 35 games as a 19-year-old, then had a rough rookie year in the AHL before finishing stronger.
His release stands out, but the skating needs work. Hurtig brings size and a defense-first profile, and after topping 20 points in the WHL and posting a combined plus-60 over two seasons, he’ll have to prove that game can translate against pro competition.
The organization does have a few other names in the mix, including Abram Wiebe, Max Curran, and Jonathan Castagna, but the players listed above are the ones at the top of the pile for now.
Even with all that depth, the exercise exposes a few clear gaps. The biggest one is up front: Calgary has a strong collection of young defensemen, especially right-shot defensemen, but not nearly as many high-end forwards.
The second issue is tied to that. Natural right wings are hard to find in the system.
Gridin plays the right side but shoots left. Wyttenbach and Hextall are right-handed centers in college, though Wyttenbach projects more as a winger in the NHL.
Two recent mid-round picks, Alan Shaikhlislamov and Joe Iginla, are right wings, but both are long shots at this stage.
There’s also a broader challenge coming. As more of these prospects move into the pro ranks, Calgary will have to figure out how to create enough development spots for everyone.
It’s a good problem, but it’s still a problem. And managing that next wave will be a major job for the front office as the rebuild enters its next phase.
In Other News...
Flames Face A Costly Shane Wright Dilemma They Cant Ignore
A young-centre search has become one of the more interesting threads around Calgary, and Shane Wright keeps surfacing as the kind of player who could fit if the price and the timing line up. Craig Conroy has been looking for help down the middle, and Wrights age and pedigree make him the sort of swing worth at least exploring, especially for a club trying to thread the needle between patience and progress.
The hesitation is obvious, though, because the Kraken forward has not yet delivered the kind of production that would make any trade feel clean or simple. Even so, a change of scenery can matter for a player still trying to establish himself, and that is what makes this a tricky Flames question: whether to gamble on upside now, or wait for a more proven answer to emerge later. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Flames Were So Eager To Land Jonathan Castagna
Jonathan Castagnas move to Calgary came together quickly after he finished his junior season at Cornell, and the Flames clearly saw enough in the center to move fast. He signed a three-year entry-level contract and arrives with the kind of profile teams like to bet on this time of year: a player whose game drew notice not just for what he did on the ice, but for the way he carried himself through camp and the draft process.
Calgarys interest was built on more than numbers, with the organization pointing to his work ethic, leadership and overall approach as reasons he fit their plans. Castagna, for his part, has spoken with real appreciation about his time at Cornell and a humble mindset as he starts the pro climb, which is part of what makes him such an intriguing addition for a team that has been looking to add dependable pieces with some upside. [Read more 🡒]