Ranking the 10 best Calgary Flames draft picks in recent memory

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.