Ranking the 10 best Calgary Flames draft picks in recent memory
The Calgary Flames history in the NHL Draft is just about as checkered as any other teams in the NHL in recent times, and with a prospect cupboard that looks quite bare, no one could be blamed for criticizing them over their draft chops. Even with their struggles on draft night, the Flames have managed to make some great picks, and with the organization looking to build long-term depth, they will need to make some good, smart picks while taking calculated risks going forward.
Looking back, we see that they’ve been a mixed bag in recent years, so today, we are going to look back at recent years (2013-2022) and analyze the Flames 10 best draft picks over that time.
10. Adam Ruzicka – No. 104 overall in 2017
The Calgary Flames have struggled to build solid depth in recent times, and it’s come back to bite them in a big way, but even with Darryl Sutter behind the bench in 2022-23, they managed to find some solid young players that could no doubt contribute going forward. One of those players is Adam Ruzicka, a 24-year old that was drafted No. 104 back in 2017, and with his first significant opportunity for playing time this past season, he impressed many, racking up 6 goals and 14 assists for 20 points during his 44 games, despite questionable usage.
Sure, it’s unlikely that he turns into an 80+ point, first line player, but at No. 104, teams aren’t guaranteed superstars, and if they can find him time on the fourth line with other young names ready to make an impact, there’s no doubting that the value for where he was picked will wind up being a great one for Calgary.
9. Jeremie Poirier – No. 72 overall in 2020
The Calgary Flames are relying heavily on some of their top prospects down in the AHL to develop, and one name that the entire franchise have their eyes on is Jeremie Poirier, the 21-year old that showed fantastic improvements throughout the 2022-23 AHL campaign with the Calgary Wranglers. With their ageing blue line, the Flames desperately need one of their defensive prospects to come through the system in a big way, and after 9 goals and 32 assists for 41 points in his first AHL season, the future looks bright for Poirier.
In four seasons at the QMJHL level, Poirier managed to put up 168 points, and with his defensive play improving massively with the Wranglers, he may just be what the future of this team needs, and after landing him in the third round, it may turn out to be one of their best picks of this era.
8. Dillon Dube – No. 56 overall in 2016
While the Calgary Flames have landed some star level players in the draft, sometimes, they find themselves solid players who are capable of contributing at the NHL level, and while some believe Dillon Dube is capable of more, he has simply been reliable to this point in his career. The Flames landed the Team Canada World Junior Classic captain in the second round of the 2016 draft, and at just 24-years of age, he’s got 282 games of NHL experience under his belt, putting together 54 goals and 66 assists for 120 points over that time, making him a solid depth piece for Calgary.
After seeing time on the first line for much of the 2022-23 campaign, Dube put together a career high 45 points, and if he continues to grow and develop, getting him in the second round will look like an absolute steal for Calgary one day.
7. Jakob Pelletier – No. 26 overall in 2019
The Calgary Flames may have received plenty of criticism a season ago for the lack of youth in their lineup, but when young players did get the chance to make an impact, they did so in a big way, and there’s no better example of that than Jakob Pelletier. The 22-year old had a stellar four year career in the QMJHL before being drafted late in the first round back in 2019, and after just 24 games played in the NHL, he’s got Flames fans excited about their young pieces going forward.
In those games, Pelletier proved to be an energetic, likeable kid who’s enthusiasm clearly rubbed off on the rest of the team, and while he produced just 3 goals and 4 assists over that time, the Flames may have themselves a key winger for the future of this team, a risk that paid off late in the first round.
6. Oliver Kylington – No. 50 overall in 2015
The Calgary Flames drafting may not have been as consistent as many would have hoped over the past decade, but they have managed to find a solid core of young players that could lead them into the future, and after missing the entire 2022-23 season, one that goes highly overlooked is defenceman Oliver Kylington. The 26-year old was drafted No. 50 overall back in 2015, and finally worked up to a career year in 2021-22 with 9 goals and 22 assists in 73 games played, making it safe to say that the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft was very kind to the Flames.
Kylington is yet to prove himself as a consistent force for Calgary, but getting a potential piece for their second blue line pairing in the second round is always great value, and given how badly the offensive performance of this defence fell off a season ago without him, the Flames are looking forward to having him back next year.
5. Sean Monahan – No. 6 overall in 2013
The first-round of the 2013 NHL Draft wasn’t kind to Calgary, as they whiffed on two out of three picks, but fortunately for the front office, they were able to land on their first one, as they found a leader of the team in Sean Monahan. In nine seasons with Calgary, Monahan became a star of the franchise, appearing in 656 games, tallying 212 goals and 250 assists for 462 points, and while injuries eventually caught up to him, he will always be associated with the Flames organization after carrying them through a down period in franchise history.
There’s no telling quite where Monahan would have been as a Flame if not for the injuries, but for Flames fans, there’s few people that have given as much to the franchise as Monahan, and despite some bad picks around this time, Monahan was no doubt a fantastic choice for Calgary.
4. Andrew Mangiapane – No. 166 overall in 2015
2021-22 was one of the most enjoyable seasons in recent Calgary Flames memory, and while many will focus on the elite top line trio, Andrew Mangiapane quietly had an incredible career year, tallying 35 goals and 20 assists for 55 points in 82 games played. While he fell back to earth in 2022-23 as he scored just 17 goals, he’s proven that he has a level few believed he truly had when he fell all the way to No. 166 overall back in 2015, but it should give the team confidence that he can do it again in the future.
At 27-years of age, Mangiapane has plenty of time left to grow into the player he can become, and even if he becomes consistent at 15-20 goals a season as a second or third line winger, he was still an absolute steal for the Flames way down at the No. 166 spot in the draft.
3. Matthew Tkachuk – No. 6 overall in 2016
Despite the disappointing way his Calgary career ended a year ago, Matthew Tkachuk was no doubt one of the best players in the league during his tenure as a Flame, and with such a loaded draft, the team were no doubt glad to land the right player at this spot. In six years with Calgary, Thachuk managed to rack up an impressive 382 points in 431 games played, and while the team no doubt wanted him to be a Flame for life, the time he did spent in the city was very impactful.
If they had their time back, Calgary would no doubt make the exact same pick, and while the front office wasn’t as diligent in keeping him around long-term, he was a star on and off the ice for six years, and the team once again nailed a top pick.
2. Rasmus Andersson – No. 53 overall in 2015
The Calgary Flames are in an odd spot right now with their current team, as they have the ability to pivot to continuing their playoff push or they can go with some big moves to build a young squad, but regardless of their move, defenceman Rasmus Andersson will be a key piece for them going forward. It continues to baffle fans just how No. 4 made it all the way to No. 53 overall back in 2015, but since that point, he’s done nothing but impress for the Flames, tallying 161 points in his 377 games for Calgary.
Sure, there’s been way more spectacular players for the franchise since that point, but Andersson has been consistent and solid since he made his debut back in 2016, and now, he will be relied upon to lead the team going forward, and could join an elite group of Flames defenceman if he continues at this level.
1. Dustin Wolf – No. 214 overall in 2019
While Dustin Wolf has played in just one NHL game in his career, he’s been outstanding at the AHL level, winning Goalie of the Year for two straight seasons, as well as the 2022-23 AHL MVP Award, and even though Jacob Markstrom remains the No. 1 goalie in town, it’s only a matter of time until Wolf takes the role. Now, he appears to be one of the NHL’s top prospects, making it even more impressive that Calgary managed to land him with the 214th pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, as he may be one of their biggest stars one day.
It’s all well and good for teams to land on their first round picks, but for the Flames to find someone like Wolf so late in the draft is a testament to their scouting with a fair bit of luck, and now have a building block that 31 other NHL teams would love to have. It may be early to have him in the No. 1 spot, but with a stellar 85-19 record over the past two years along with a .928 save percentage and 2.22 GAA in 102 starts, he’s proven to be an elite level prospect, and should be a fantastic goalie at the NHL level.