The Calgary Flames have the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, and while we can likely rule out two players (McKenna, Stenberg), there's still plenty of talent heading into an event that could define the future of the Flames for years to come.
Perhaps the biggest position of need for the Flames is centre, even after drafting not one, not two but three straight players at the position to kick start the 2025 draft with Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter and Theo Stockselius. That doesn't mean they should stop however, as the team parted ways with Nazem Kadri at the trade deadline, and with Mikael Backlund's career coming to an end and Connor Zary's future up in the air, they need stars down the middle.
That leads us to the biggest riser in the 2026 NHL Draft prospect rankings in Brantford Bulldogs star Caleb Malhotra, who emerged as a genuine top-three pick in the draft following his incredible performance in 2025/26.
Pre Draft Production
Year | League | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024/25 | BCHL | Chilliwack Chiefs | 44 | 8 | 18 | 26 | N/A |
2025/26 | OHL | Brantford Bulldogs | 67 | 29 | 55 | 84 | +33 |
Like so many in years gone by, Malhotra seemingly came out of nowhere in his first season at the Ontario Hockey League level, putting together a more than respectable regular season through 67 games. As a result, he climbed firmly into the top-10 conversations, but then, the OHL Playoffs began, and in that span, he put himself on the map as a potential future star in the National Hockey League.
In 15 playoff games, Malhotra had 13 goals and 26 points, and while the Brantford Bulldogs were unable to make it to the OHL Championship Series, his production had him in conversations as a potential No. 1 overall pick, even over the likes of McKenna. While the sample size isn't as big as those players, given his overall traits, there's a case to be made that Malhotra may have one of the highest ceilings of anyone in this draft.
Strengths
While Malhotra doesn't do the flashy things all the time that get the attention of the hockey world, he's been described as 'cerebral', doing all the small things that teammates absolutely love out of their top centre. Whether that's winning faceoffs, using positioning and his high hockey IQ to put his teammates in a position to succeed or winning loose puck battles, he's seemingly always putting his team in the best spot possible.
On top of that, he's got the size of a top centre in the NHL, standing at 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, and with the speed and improved skating to go along with it, the ceiling may not be superstar level high, but the floor is one of the best in the entire draft.
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