A look back at the last 3 Calgary Flames first-round picks

Draft day is within sight, and the Calgary Flames will pick 9th overall. This will be their highest selection since 2016, when Matthew Tkachuk was plucked from the OHL London Knights. Here is a quick look at where the last three first-round picks are now.

Samuel Honzek

The Calgary Flames selected Samuel Honzek from the Vancouver Giants in the 2023 draft. The left winger went 16th overall. This season, Honzek played most of the season in the WHL and was named Captain of the Giants. He also saw three games with the Calgary Wranglers. In 33 games with the Giants, Honzek scored 10 points and assisted in 21.

In December, Honzek represented Slovakia at the World Junior Championship. The team finished 6th, and Honzek scored 3 goals in 5 games played. Since the World Junior Championship, Honzek has struggled with point production consistency for the struggling Giants team. That said, he did finish the season at a point per game and recorded eight multiple-point games. . He was named the most sportsmanlike player on the Giants this season. Having only eight infractions in the 33 games played.

Due to an injury, he was forced to the sidelines for two months of the 2023-24 season. Overall, his first season after the draft has not been without steep speed bumps, making this past season a tough gauge for where he is in development.

Matt Coronato

In 2021, Matt Coronato, an American-born winger, was chosen in the first round, 13th overall. He played his first NHL game in the 2022-23 season. This past season, he split his time between the AHL and the NHL. He played 41 regular-season games and 6 playoff games as a Calgary Wrangler. In the regular season, he registered 15 goals and 27 assists. He was selected for the AHL All-Star Game.

In his 34 games in the NHL he had 3 goals and 9 assists. The overall review for Coronato is that he has homework. He got the opportunity to come up while the Flames struggled with injuries this season. However, ultimately, being back in the AHL will likely aid in developing his all-around game.

Matt Coronato has an incredible shot, a quick release and a drive to score. With time in the AHL, the future looks bright for Coronato. We will likely see more goals, like his textbook release in April against the Arizona Coyotes.

Connor Zary

Connor Zary was the lowest first-round pick of the three names mentioned in this article, at 24th overall in the 2020 draft. However, he has become an integral part of the Flames this season. He was recalled in early November and has made himself at home in the league since.

He played 63 games with the Flames this season, contributing 14 goals and 20 assists, finding success on a line with Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisili. He did suffer an upper-body injury late in the season; however, after missing eight games in March, he returned. He finished the season strong, posting two goals and two assists in the final five games.

Over the course of his breakout season, Zary's name has been tossed around as a dark horse for the Calder Trophy. It is safe to say that the final name on this list is comfortably settling into his role in the future of Flames.