Earlier on Tuesday, the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL drafted Calgary Flames prospect Jakob Leander, with many believing the 2025 seventh-round pick could end up in North America in the near future.
That not only gives the Swedish defenseman an opportunity to impress the Flames up close, but it gives the organization another way to scout and develop their player as the team look to develop as many talented prospects as posssible.
Just hours after this news, the Flames got some more prospect to the WHL news, as 2025 third-round pick Mace'o Phillips was acquired by the Medicine Hat Tigers from the Portland Winterhawks (whom he never ended up playing for), and not only that, but Pat Steinberg confirms that he'll be headed to Medicine Hat for the upcoming season.
Some #Flames prospect news today...
— Pat Steinberg (@Fan960Steinberg) June 30, 2026
D-man Mace'o Phillips has been acquired by WHL Medicine Hat from Portland.
The 2025 third-round pick will join the Tigers for this coming season.
This is great news for Phillips, who spent last season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL, appearing in 44 games for the team during 2025/26. In that time, the talented blue liner showed some improvements with 1 goal and 11 points, but it was the 187 penalty minutes for the physical, gritty defenseman that stands out above anything else.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 235 pounds, it was the physical, on-the-edge play of Phillips that made him attractive to the Flames, and while he needs to learn how to reign that in, that's the type of player that this prospect pool is sorely lacking beyond Phillips, and now Chase Harrington from the 2026 NHL Draft.
It's unclear how much time Phillips will get with the Tigers, but given his aggressive style, they should find a way to get him in the lineup for much of the year, allowing the Flames and their fans to get a more consistent look at the young 19-year-old.
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