The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects and has been condensed from two articles to one. The article will bring you: The highlighted team’s draft; insights into its off-season moves; looking at prospect risers, fallers and likely prospects to play NHL games; and of course, the writers’ top-20 prospects. Articles may be brought back when an important team update occurs, so check back because we plan to fill your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season!
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Make sure to check out the Calgary Flames team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/calgary-flames/
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The Flames trudged through another year of a rebuild in 2025-26, but saw a glimmer of hope at the end of the season when the team kept winning games. Of course, this affected their standing in the draft, and resulted in them picking sixth overall instead of one of the higher slots. Still, the Flames got their guy in Carson Carels at the top of the draft, who projects very well alongside other stud blueliners in Zayne Parekh, and the later acquired Simon Nemec.
With a good young group on the back end, the Flames will look ahead to a centre heavy 2027 draft class to keep building up front. Another year of rebuilding lies ahead, but with names like Parekh, Nemec, and other various prospects we will touch on here making the jump, or on the cusp of the NHL, this is where the excitement starts to build for a franchise who has not seen the postseason since 2022. Craig Conroy and Co. will keep laying the foundations for the next great Flames team, but there is still a lot of work to do, but with the blueprint now showing, let’s dive into it!
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2026 NHL Draft Recap
Round 1: 6th Overall, Carson Carels, LHD
The Flames had a conundrum with their sixth overall pick. The issue was whether to deal with a top end offensive talent like Viggo Bjorck, or with a defender to keep building an incomplete blueline. Viewed by some to be the best all-around defenceman in the draft, the Flames went with the latter in Carson Carels.
Carels is a strong, positionally sound left shooting defenceman who should slot nicely as a safety valve for Parekh, or as a solid number two or three defensemen on a shutdown pairing with Henry Brzustewicz. Carels offers the versatility for the blueline that many teams do not have, so the move makes sense to pass on a top end offensive talent, especially considering acquiring defencemen like this is incredibly hard to do outside of the draft.
Doesn’t he even look like a Calgary Flame? 🤠
Round 1: 30th Overall, Jack Hextall, C
The Flames addressed another need at the end of the first round by taking Youngstown Phantoms centre Hextall. He offered them another piece with middle-six upside. Last season, he reached the 20 goal plateau, so the offense is there to go with a strong knack for the physical part of the game. Hextall is a do-it-all kind of centre, which cannot hurt the Flames to invest a first round pick in, considering that is their greatest position of need.
Round 2: 36th Overall, Chase Harrington, RW
Harrington is the kind of player you love to have but hate to play against. While he does not have the pest streak of a Marchand-type, he has the desire to get to the dirty parts of the ice to power his way to the net. He is content to make things happen while not necessarily being the play driver. His blend of natural talent and that willingness makes him a tantalizing combination to become a complementary piece.
Round 2: 42nd Overall, Tobias Trejbal, G
The Flames continued growing their impressive goaltending depth with an addition early in the second round. Tobias Trejbal immediately steps in to become one of the best, if not the best, goalies in the Flames pipeline. He is a tactically sound netminder positionally. He does not make many sudden movements and puts himself in the best position possible to make a stop. Maybe the most steady goalie in the draft class, Trejbal has a ceiling as a 1A split starter should he put all the pieces together.
Round 2: 55th Overall, Alan Shaikhislamov, RW
The Flames continued their blitz drafting shooting forwards in the top-64 picks. Shaikhislamov is a shot- first winger who likes to hang out on the perimeter. He sometimes makes things happen by just throwing the puck on the net. He should return to Russia this year where he will either return to the MHL where he dominated with 35 points in 31 games, where he could also get a look at the top level in the KHL as a 19 year old.
Round 3: 65th Overall, Joe Iginla, RW
The Flames took a trip down memory lane, making a sentimental pick in Iginla. While his pedigree is not the same level as Tij or his father, Jarome, he still possesses an incredible release that terrorizes goalies, but lacks much else of substance. Still, his shot makes him dangerous from everywhere on the ice, and that could be enough to make an impact a the top level.
Round 4: 100th Overall, Egor Barabanov, C
The Flames dipped into the overage pool after a strong season with Saginaw in the OHL. 28 goals and 91 points, Barabanov is a very agile centre who shifts his way into open space to find soft spots on the ice, he has a wicked shot from distance, but his teammates need to be ready for the pass. He’s always looking for a small opening to make it happen, and he usually does.
Round 5: 132nd Overall, Simon Katolicky, LW
Ranked 17th among European skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings, the Flames add a ton of speed and jam with Katolicky. He has an incredible first stride which accelerates him to top speed in a few seconds. He went over to Finland joining U20 Tappara, where he put up 17 points in 29 games last season. Katolicky was a big faller in this draft, dipping from the top-40 or so average projection by many lists, the Flames may have gotten a steal on a winger who projects very favourably moving forward.
Round 6: 164th Overall, Bode Laylin, RHD
Laylin became just the second defenceman taken by the Flames in this draft, and with their last pick of the event nonetheless. Laylin is a steady presence from the right side of the blueline who does not let opposing wingers get behind him on dump-ins. He’s always aware of the play and who is on the ice. A high-IQ bet late in the draft for the Flames.
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Off-Season Moves
Incoming (Years Remaining, AAV)
RHD Simon Nemec – 5 Years, 7.25 Million
Maxim Tsyplakov – 1 Year, 2.25 Million
Jake Livingstone – 1 Year, 850k
Andreas Englund – 1 Year, 900k
Ben Jones – 1 Year, 850k
Michael Benning, 1 Year, 850k
Jacob Middleton – 3 Years, 4.35 Million
Outgoing
Blake Coleman
Olli Maatta
Ryan Lomberg
Ilya Prosvetov
Re-Signed
Rory Kerins – 1 Year, 850k
Sam Morton – 1 Year, 850k
William Stromgren
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In The System
Risers
Zayne Parekh, RHD
This one goes without saying much. Parekh’s pedigree speaks for itself when you look at his numbers in major junior. He posted a 1.45 points-per-game ratio in his draft year and reached the 100 point plateau the following season despite missing a bit of time with injury. The upside is undeniable for Parekh. At his ceiling, he is one of the best offensive defencemen in the league, with the upside to rival marquee names like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. But, with intense gap control issues and defensive blemishes, there is still some risk with Parekh’s game. He needs a more defensively capable partner to cover his desire to jump in on the rush and attack from the perimeter.
Still, the upside is there for Parekh to become an undeniable superstar in the league, and all signs are trending up for him. A year older and stronger, he will look to make a bigger impact offensively than the nine points he posted in 37 games last year bouncing between the AHL. Once the Flames can finally add some top end talent up front, watch out for Parekh. The talent is there, and he will become an elite play driver as early as next season.
Matvei Gridin, RW
Gridin made the jump to professional hockey last season, posting 30 points through 37 appearances, he earned a call up to the Flames for the back half of the campaign, and in the same amount of games put up six goals and 20 points. While Gridin has received criticism for being more of a perimeter merchant and not engaging physically, he still needs to utilize that shot of his much more. He has an excellent release that pops off his stick, and could be a lethal one at the NHL level. At his ceiling, Grindin could become a consistent 25-plus goal scorer and a terror on the power play. The Flames will get a good understanding of what they have in Gridin in his sophomore season, as top-six potential is in the cards.
Cole Reschny, C
Reschny had a tremendous draft plus one season at the University of North Dakota, posting 35 points through 36 games, putting him in some interesting company of recent comparables. James Hagens (37 in 37) and the most recent member of the 40 goal club, Cutter Gauthier (37 in 32). They are not perfect comparables for Reschny because his path from the WHL looks a lot different than that of USNTDP players, but it is worth noting that as an NCAA rookie, Reschny thrived and showcased strong 200-foot play. He is returning to North Dakota for his sophomore season, where he will look to build on his strong rookie campaign.
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Fallers
Samuel Honzek, C
Honzek is not necessarily a faller in the common sense of the term, as a lot of this is driven by a stunted developmental path due to injury, most recently surgery that ended his most recent campaign. Paired with the fact the Flames pool has gotten deeper over the last few drafts as they continue their rebuild, Honzek has gotten lost in the mix. He did get some NHL time last season and could be an interesting buy-low candidate for fantasy managers in dynasty formats for someone who was once viewed as having a top-line ceiling in their arsenal.
Andrew Basha, RW
Basha made the jump to the AHL this year but struggled to produce with just five points in his 27 appearances. He was sent back down to Medicine Hat of the WHL where he produced at his regular rate. He is not a faller because of his own doing, sometimes players of his pedigree are not ready for that jump, but that was extremely evident in his stint with the Calgary Wranglers.
Basha is still a player with considerable upside, as someone who finds a way to be effective when he is not producing. For a lot of players his age, running into that wall is not something they have experienced offensively, so it will be interesting and imperative to see how he responds to that moving forward. There will be lots of competition in the organization moving forward, and Basha should find himself right in the middle of it.
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Expected to Start in the NHL
Zayne Parekh
Matvei Gridin
Samuel Honzek
Hunter Brzustewicz
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Likely to See NHL Action
Aydar Suniev
Andrew Basha
Jonathan Castagna
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Top 20 Prospects
This section is intended to paint a picture of the Calgary Flames prospects whose current trajectory projects them to make the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.
Zayne Parekh
Matvei Gridin
Cole Reschny
Carson Carels
Cullen Potter
Samuel Honzek
Andrew Basha
Aydar Suniev
Jack Hextall
Hunter Brzustewicz
Henry Mews
Arsenii Sergeev
Brennan Othmann
Chase Harrington
Luke Misa
Tobias Trejbal
Yan Kuznetsov
William Stromgren
Max Curran
Rory Kerins
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Final Comments
Still firmly entrenched in their rebuild, the Flames will look for their young players to take strides to improve themselves internally. There was little to no action in free agency for Conroy, rightfully so, as the improvement does have to come from within. There is a clear vision now to build as skilled a team as possible. With names like Gridin, Parekh, Honzek, Reschny and many more in the system to refer to, the Flames find their cupboards stocked more than they were a year ago.
Calgary still has just north of 14 million remaining in cap space and maintains the flexibility to be a player to add should their season go much better than expected or to weaponize it for teams up against the ceiling. With only a few pieces up for unrestricted free agency in 2027, the Flames to do list will not be long… yet. Internally, it will be interesting to see how they develop their new young core into one that can be in place long term. The only way to find out is to keep building.
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Make sure to check out the Calgary Flames team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/calgary-flames/
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Sean Crocker