2. Cole Reschny
While the Flames lost their first-round pick in 2025, they used the New Jersey Devils pick acquired in the Jacob Markstrom trade to land Saskatchewan native Cole Reschny with the No. 18 overall selection. He may not profile as an elite offensive centre, but at North Dakota and with Team Canada, Reschny showed that he has upside as a high end two-way centre in the National Hockey League.
In his freshman season at North Dakota, Reschny had 6 goals and 35 points in just 36 games played, and after tallying 4 goals in 7 games at the World Juniors, he showed he can step up when the lights are on brightest. It's unclear just how good Reschny will turn out at the NHL level, but given the teams need for a top centre, it's safe to say that trading him to land a winger like Stenberg or even McKenna in the 2026 draft would not make sense.
1. Zayne Parekh
Of all the prospects and young players currently in the Calgary Flames organization, none have the potential ceiling as high as former No. 9 overall draft pick Zayne Parekh. Sure, his 2025/26 season was full of ups and downs, but as the year rolled on and he became more comfortable, he showed the high end offensive traits that come natural to him.
Over the last 14 games of the regular season, Parekh posted 4 goals and 7 points, and with a clear, defined role heading into next season, the hope is that he can take a major leap forward on the Flames blue line. Whether he pans out or not, only time will tell, but given how talented Parekh is, giving up on him, even for an elite level forward isn't a move that the Flames need to be making at this point in time.
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