No. 30 Overall: C Jack Hextall
At No. 6, the Flames filled the final need on their blue line, and at No. 30, they took their other biggest position of need, adding to Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter from 2024 with USHL right-shot centre Jack Hextall. While he's 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, the hope is that he will still add muscle during his upcoming season at Michigan State, but on paper he's a very high floor player that could be a key piece of the Flames middle-six one day.
Hextall is a very responsible player with good playmaking skills and an underrated shot, and although he may not be the finished product of other Flames first-round picks, with one year in college, he could be ready to make the leap. In six more games last year than 2024/25, Hextall added 14 points in the USHL, and if he produces in college, there's a good chance we could see him become the 2 or 3C that the Flames have needed for a long, long time.
Grade: A-
No. 36 Overall: LW Chase Harrington
The first two picks in the draft for the Flames were good, obvious choices, but in the second round, the team went off the board in a big way, taking Chase Harrington of the Spokane Chiefs. On the surface, it's easy to see what the team like, as they drafted for skill in 2025, but preferred to go for grit this year, and in the 6-foot-2, 195 pound winger, they found one of the most physical and aggressive players in the draft.
He's also got some skill, as Harrington netted 28 goals and 57 points in 61 games a year ago, but the upside is limited, with many believing he will cap out at a third-line winger in the National Hockey League. Late in the draft, that's a good pick, but at 36, this was a major reach, and while he could still turn out to be a producer for the Flames, it's hard not to be shocked and somewhat confused with this pick.
Grade: B-
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