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Ranking the top 10 prospects in the Calgary Flames' system

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Jul 23 2026, 8:54 pm
Ranking the top 10 prospects in the Calgary Flames' system
@carson_carels/Instagram

Thanks to some excellent trades and great drafting, the Calgary Flames have a very promising future ahead.

The Flames have opted for a full-fledged rebuild, which has allowed them to add some very great prospects who look like promising NHLers.

With that said, let’s take a look at the best 10 prospects the Flames currently have in their system:

*Players who spent significant time in the NHL last season (Zayne Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz, Matvei Gridin, Sam Honzek) were not included.

1. Carson Carels

  • Position: D
  • Age: 18
  • Drafted: 6th overall (2026)
  • 2025-26 stats: 58 GP, 20 G, 53 A, 73 PTS (WHL)

Though Flames fans were hoping to see their team land the first-overall pick at the 2026 draft, ending up with Carson Carels at sixth-overall is nothing to scoff at. The 18-year-old has all the skill to become a true game-changer at the NHL level.


Carels isn’t NHL ready just yet, though that is of no worries to the rebuilding Flames. They can afford to be patient with him so that by the time he steps into the lineup — whenever that may be — he can make a solid impact.

2. Cole Reschny

  • Position: C
  • Age: 19
  • Drafted: 18th overall (2025)
  • 2025-26 stats: 36 GP, 6 G, 29 A, 35 PTS (NCAA)

The Flames are a weak team down the middle right now, which makes Cole Reschny’s value to the organization even greater. The 19-year-old stepped into the NCAA with ease this past season, finishing the year tied for second on North Dakota in team scoring with 35 points.

Reschny has chosen to go back to North Dakota for his sophomore season. Flames fans shouldn’t be surprised to see his numbers increase even further. Should that happen, it’s likely that he will then sign his entry-level contract.

3. Ethan Wyttenbach

  • Position: LW
  • Age: 19
  • Drafted: 144th overall (2025)
  • 2025-26 stats: 40 GP, 25 G, 34 A, 59 PTS (NCAA)

There may not be a more exciting prospect in the Flames system than Ethan Wyttenbach. The 19-year-old was selected late in the 2025 draft, which, based on his freshman season with Quinnipiac, feels like a major mistake.

Wyttenbach didn’t just put up massive numbers this past season, but also worked on elements of his game that needed improving, such as his skating and defensive play. He’s still a ways from being NHL ready, but suddenly looks like he could be a big-time player in the coming years.

4. Cullen Potter

  • Position: C
  • Age: 19
  • Drafted: 32nd overall (2025)
  • 2025-26 stats: 24 GP, 12 G, 14 A, 26 PTS (NCAA)

Despite playing 12 games fewer this past season than in 2024-25, Cullen Potter was able to improve his point total by four with Arizona State University. The 19-year-old has a ton of skill to go along with an incredible skating ability.

Potter’s frame at 5-foot-10, 172 pounds is concerning to some, as it remains to be seen how he can handle things from a physicality standpoint at the NHL level. He recently transferred to Michigan State, where he’s expected to have a big role on a very good team.

5. Tobias Trejbal

  • Position: G
  • Age: 18
  • Drafted: 42nd overall (2026)
  • 2025-26 stats: 42 GP, 2.12 GAA, .916 SV% (USHL)

You can never have too much talent in one position, and with the amount of picks the Flames had in this year’s draft, it made sense for them to look to add to their goaltending depth even further. They did just that by drafting Tobias Trejbal.

Trejbal, who stands at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, had an excellent rookie season in the USHL, leading to him being the first goalie taken in the 2026 draft. He will be joining the University of Massachusetts this fall and will look to continue his upward trajectory.

6. Jack Hextall

  • Position: C
  • Age: 18
  • Drafted: 30th overall (2026)
  • 2025-26 stats: 59 GP, 20 G, 38 A, 58 PTS (USHL)

The Flames went off the board a little bit with their second pick in the first round of 2026, selecting centreman Jack Hextall from the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. The 18-year-old is never going to wow anybody with skill, but is a right-shot who can play in all situations. That in and of itself makes him very valuable to the Flames.

Hextall isn’t expected to produce big numbers at the NHL level, but is a player they are hoping can play up and down the lineup whenever he is ready. For now, he’s set to play for Michigan State in the fall, where Flames fans will be monitoring how he fares against much stiffer competition.

7. Henry Mews

  • Position: D
  • Age: 20
  • Drafted: 74th overall (2024)
  • 2025-26 stats: 10 GP, 0 G, 9 A, 9 PTS (NCAA)

Henry Mews’ freshman season with the University of Michigan didn’t go as planned. The right-shot, offensive defenceman was limited to just 10 games due to a season-ending ACL injury suffered in early November. While it was a disappointing setback, his brief college debut gave Flames fans plenty to be excited about.

Mews will be fully recovered and ready to go for the 2026-27 season, and should be able to get back on his proper development path. He may not have the ceiling of some other young defencemen in the Flames’ pipeline, but does still have an exciting future ahead.

8. Andrew Basha

  • Position: LW
  • Age: 20
  • Drafted: 41st overall (2024)
  • 2025-26 stats: 32 GP, 18 G, 32 A, 50 PTS (WHL)

The 2025-26 season was a tumultuous one for Andrew Basha, who started out with the Calgary Wranglers before being re-assigned to the Medicine Hat Tigers in early January. Despite his struggles in the AHL, he wasted no time at all getting right back on track with the Tigers.

Though Basha’s first half of the season at the pro ranks didn’t go as hoped, it’s important to remember that he’s still just 20 years old. It will be interesting to see how big of a jump he can make with the Wranglers this coming season.

9. Aydar Suniev

  • Position: RW/LW
  • Age: 21
  • Drafted: 80th overall (2023)
  • 2025-26 stats: 57 GP, 16 G, 8 A, 24 PTS (AHL)

Aydar Suniev certainly didn’t set the world on fire in his first season as a pro, but got significantly better as the year went on. His 16 goals were good enough for fifth in team scoring.

The Flames clearly like what they see in Suniev, as he played six NHL games this past season. There are still concerns with his skating, but his shot and high-end skill set can’t be ignored. The hope now is that he can find more consistency with the Wranglers this coming season.

10. Theo Stockselius

  • Position: C
  • Age: 18
  • Drafted: 54th overall (2025)
  • 2025-26 stats: 16 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 PT (SHL)

The stats from this past season don’t jump off the page, but the fact that Theo Stockselius was able to suit up in the SHL at just 18 years old is an impressive feat. He did play an additional 11 games in Sweden’s U20 junior league, where he had a much better four goals and 16 points.

Despite signing his entry-level contract, Stockselius will return to Djurgardens for the 2026-27 season. He’ll look to improve both his offensive totals and overall game before likely making the transition to North America for 2027-28.

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