
The Calgary Flames are beginning to gain some serious traction in their goal of retooling their roster into a Stanley Cup contender.
While it is still some years before the Flames will be truly ready to compete for a Stanley Cup, they are making some great strides, thanks in large part due to some great drafting in recent years.
That great drafting appears to have took place this year as well, as the Flames were able to take several prospects, including two centres in the first round, who have the fan base extremely excited. Here’s a look at the top 10 prospects this organization currently boasts.
10. Aydar Suniev
- 2024-25 stats: 35 GP, 20 G, 18 A, 38 PTS (NCAA)
- Position: LW/RW
- Size: 6-foot-2, 198 pounds
- Drafted: 80th overall in 2023
Flames fans were able to catch a brief glimpse as to what Aydar Suniev can provide, as he was able to suit up for the regular season finale against the LA Kings. The 20-year-old was held pointless, but had a plus/minus of +2 in the outing.
Suniev is likely to begin his first professional season in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers, and will be an interesting player to monitor. Scoring 20 goals and 38 points in the NCAA at the age of 20 is an extremely impressive feat, and suggests he could have a future in the NHL.
9. Etienne Morin
- 2024-25 stats: 62 GP, 14 G, 44 A, 58 PTS (QMJHL)
- Position: D
- Size: 6-foot-1, 185 pounds
- Drafted: 48th overall in 2023
Drafted as an offensive defenceman, Etienne Morin has worked hard on rounding out his defensive play. It has resulted in his offensive numbers taking a bit of a dip, but that’s a trade off the Flames will take all day long.
Making the decision to become more defensive minded was the right one for Morin, as other puck moving defencemen, most notably Hunter Brzustewicz and Zayne Parekh, are viewed as the future of the Flames’ back end going forward. Fans shouldn’t forget about Morin, however, who is set to begin his professional career this coming season.
8. Jacob Battaglia
- 2024-25 stats: 68 GP, 40 G, 50 A, 90 PTS (OHL)
- Position: LW/RW
- Size: 6-foot-1, 202 pounds
- Drafted: 62nd overall in 2025
It’s starting to look like teams made a mistake letting Jacob Battaglia fall all the way to the end of the second round in the 2024 draft. While he put up an impressive 31 goals and 65 points in his draft year, he blew those totals out of the water in a big way in 2024-25.
Battaglia seems to be the full package, as he is a solid distributor, has great goal scoring abilities, and has decent size. Flames fans may get to watch him suit up for Team Canada at the 2026 World Juniors.
7. Henry Mews
- 2024-25 stats: 68 GP, 14 G, 68 A, 82 PTS (OHL)
- Position: D
- Size: 6-foot-1, 183 pounds
- Drafted: 74th overall in 2024
Depending who you talk to will determine where Henry Mews sits on prospect rankings lists for the Flames. The 19-year-old blueliner has great offensive instincts, though questions about his defensive play resulted in him sliding to the third round of the 2024 draft.
Those questions about Mews’ defensive game should get some clarity this coming season, as his time in the OHL has come to an end. He will instead be heading to the NCAA, as he recently committed to the University of Michigan.
6. Cullen Potter
- 2024-25 stats: 35 GP, 13 G, 9 A, 22 PTS (NCAA)
- Position: C
- Size: 5-foot-10, 172 pounds
- Drafted: 32nd overall in 2025
The latest of the Flames’ two first-round picks in 2025, Cullen Potter displayed some great goal-scoring traits as an 18-year-old in the NCAA this past season. Playing against some extremely difficult, much older competition is impressive enough in itself, and Potter certainly didn’t look out of place.
Potter is said to be one of the best skaters in the 2025 draft class, and has great hockey IQ to go along with it. There are concerns over his size, though he still has plenty of time to both grow and fill out.
5. Samuel Honzek
- 2024-25 stats: 52 GP, 8 G, 13 A, 21 PTS (AHL)
- Position: LW/C
- Size: 6-foot-4, 186 pounds
- Drafted: 16th overall in 2023
After having a preseason for the ages and cracking the Flames’ opening night roster last season, things quickly went downhill for Samuel Honzek. The 20-year-old was assigned to the AHL shortly after sustaining a concussion with the Flames, and struggled to regain the form he showed at the NHL level in exhibition play.
Honzek was rather non-impactful with the Wranglers, though fans need to remember that he is still just 20 years old. He’s likely to be AHL bound again this season, and should be able to improve on last seasons offensive numbers, perhaps drastically.
4. Hunter Brzustewicz
- 2024-25 stats: 70 GP, 5 G, 27 A, 32 PTS (AHL)
- Position: D
- Size: 6-foot, 190 pounds
- Drafted: 75th overall in 2023 (Vancouver Canucks)
Hunter Brzustewicz’s professional career got off to a slow start, but he really started taking big strides over the second half of the season. Flames management seemed to agree, as he was able to get in the first NHL game of his career in the regular season finale against the Kings.
Brzustewicz’s bread and butter is his offensive game, and his numbers were solid in year one with the Calgary Wranglers. Size continues to be a concern, but assuming he can produce even better in the AHL this coming season, those concerns will be quite minimal.
3. Matvei Gridin
- 2024-25 stats: 56 GP, 36 G, 43 A, 79 PTS (QMJHL)
- Position: LW/RW
- Size: 6-foot-1, 189 pounds
- Drafted: 28th overall in 2024
Matvei Gridin is able to play this coming season in the NHL, AHL, or QMJHL; it’s just a matter of where the Flames feel is the best fit. That said, it’s hard to envision him returning to the QMJHL given how dominant he was in his rookie season.
Gridin feels likely to start the season off in the AHL, though it’s worth mentioning how high head coach Ryan Huska was on him during last year’s training camp. Should he impress that much again, he could shock many like Honzek did a year ago and crack the opening night roster.
2. Cole Reschny
- 2024-25 stats: 62 GP, 26 G, 66 A, 92 PTS (WHL)
- Position: C
- Size: 5-foot-11, 183 pounds
- Drafted: 18th overall in 2025
The Flames wanted to add some centres to their organization heading into this year’s draft, and they did just that. As mentioned, they grabbed Potter with the final pick in the first round, though the one that really has fans excited was the selection of Cole Reschny at 18th overall.
Reschny isn’t ready for NHL action just yet, but is already dominating the WHL. He is a bit undersized, but is said to have tremendous strength. He’s also said to have some of the best hands in the draft, meaning Flames fans should prepare for some highlight reel goals in the years to come.
1. Zayne Parekh
- 2024-25 stats: 61 GP, 33 G, 74 A, 107 PTS (OHL)
- Position: D
- Size: 6-foot, 179 pounds
- Drafted: Ninth overall in 2024
Zayne Parekh needs no introduction. The 19-year-old is one of the best prospects throughout the entire NHL, as his offensive game from the back end is as good as we’ve seen from any young player in recent years. He isn’t eligible to play in the AHL this coming season, giving him a great opportunity to crack the Flames roster this fall.
Parekh was also able to suit up for the Flames in their regular season finale, scoring a goal in a win over the Kings. While he shouldn’t be expected to produce huge numbers in his rookie season, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Parekh is viewed as one of the best offensive defencemen in the game.
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