Other than ceiling and floor I tend to place a lot of value on how close a prospect is to NHL ready. I'mma do top 20 just cuz I feel like it. Not a ton of bluechip high end prospects in the Flames' pool but I feel it's quite deep. Will stick to drafted prospects for this list. Really noticeable is that the Flames like to draft undersized high IQ players in later rounds.
1) (C) Connor Zary - best C prospect the Flames have had in quite some time. Smart, great edges, and really good vision and hands. Quality 2 way player that projects as a middle 6 C at this point in time.
2) (RW) Matthew Coronato - High ceiling high floor winger prospect. Not quite as high as some others are on him but really has a great shot, scoring nearly a goal per game in the USHL. Smart, great edges, good vision and hands(reoccurring theme for Flames prospects). Reasonably good bet to be an eventual top 6 winger.
3) (LW) Jakob Pelletier - Another high ceiling high floor winger prospect. Great motor, forechecking demon, quality 2 way player. Don't see top line upside with Pelletier but like him to be a good eventual middle 6 player. Has great attention to detail for his age. Smart, great edges, good vision and hands(sic)
4) (RW) Matthew Phillips - Good ceiling, low floor winger prospect. Going a little off the board here but is very close to NHL ready and has been a good producer wherever he goes. Undersized(very) but drives the net fearlessly and has a great goal scorers touch. Even if he doesn't amount to much as a Flame he was great value in the 6th round.
5) (LD) Yan Kuznetsov - Big smooth skating shutdown D. Has an impressive resume for a player his age seeing success in the NCAA, WJCs, and already has got 6 games in the AHL. Not a super high ceiling for Yan but his skating and size should get him some games eventually.
6) (G) Dustin Wolf - Very smart goaltender. Also undersized but simply has terrific anticipation, reads the play extremely well. CHL Goaltender of the Year and 2X WHL Goaltender of the Year. Still a ways off but very high on him.
7) (C) Adam Ruzicka - Big rangy center who has improved every year. Impresses every time I watch him. Great hands and vision, skating is alright. Has a shot to get some NHL games this year at some point, needs to improve his defense and play in traffic. Likely a bottom 6 C as his ceiling.
8) (LD) Jeremie Poirier - Fantastic offensive defenseman. Carries the puck a lot and shoots at every opportunity. Improved his defense somewhat last season from atrocious to just bad. Still very raw and an intriguing long term project.
9) (C) Ryan Francis - Quietly was 5th in ppg in the QMJHL last season just behind Dawson Mercer and ahead of guys like Lapierre, Bourgault, and Bourque. Yet another undersized intelligent player with great edges, hands, and vision.
10) (LW) William Stromgren - Fast and physical, gets to scoring areas really well with great hands. Another raw long term project.
11) (C) Matthias Emilio-Pettersen - Kind of a forgotten player but has always been a favourite of mine. Elite hands, uses his linemates really well and should be ready for more responsibility in the AHL this year. Probably not a center at the NHL level but you never know.
12) (RW) Emil Heineman - Pain in the ass physical winger, lot of runway left for Emil but has some great north south speed and could be an effective forechecker at the NHL level. Bottom 6 winger ceiling.
13) (C) Cole Huckins - Great athlete and good value in the 3rd round. Long term project but could be a middle 6 C down the road.
14) (RW) Dmitry Zavgorodny - Underwhelming season from Zav last year has knocked him down my ranking but has some nice speed and compliments talent well. Sadly it's top 6 or bust for this player and doesn't have a great chance of breaking in to the NHL anytime soon. Could see him bouncing around a while and getting a shot somewhere else.
15) (LW,C) Martin Pospisil - An unhinged shit disturber with a bit of a scoring touch. Strictly a 4th line ceiling but has a lot of gumption. Might get some games this year if healthy, Sutter likes the energy types.
16) (LD) Cameron Whynot - All around 2way dman that saw a massive improvement from his 16yearold season in junior. Don't know a ton about him yet but scouts seem to like him.
17) (G) Tyler Parsons - Injuries have unfortunately derailed Parsons career but still has some potential. Hopefully has a good season in Stockton.
18) (C) Ilya Nikolayev - 2 way Russian center prospect. Tough to get a read on but the tape on him is promising. Seems like a jack of all trades master of none.
19) (C) Rory Kerins - Respectable Junior numbers as yet another undersized intelligent forward.
20) (G) Daniil Chechelev - He plays goalie in the MHL and is a character.
