After weeks of anticipation, a deflating 2024 NHL Draft Lottery saw the Calgary Flames make absolutely no movement, solidifying them in the No. 9 slot for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft. While this draft isn’t considered a deep one, the top of the draft certainly has some top level talent, with the Flames potentially targeting a game-changing player.
Sure, they impossible dream of landing Macklin Celebrini unsurprisingly didn’t come true, but with the Flames building a solid young core of B level prospects, now is the time for them to target a big name in this draft.
So, we’ve scoured 10 of the biggest mock draft and from around hockey media post lottery, (all credited below) to bring you the nine players that the Calgary Flames can potentially land in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Anton Silayev (Available in two mock drafts, drafted in one)
LHD, Torpedo, KHL.
2023-24 stats: 63 GP, 3 goals, 8 assists.
Surprisingly, given that Anton Silayev has gone as high as No. 3 in some mock drafts, he was available for Calgary in two of them, and to no one’s surprise, they jumped at the opportunity. The 18-year old may have tallied just 11 points this season, but it was the highest of anyone his age in the KHL, a true sign of his physical abilities.
Silayev comes in at 6-foot-7 and brings great skill as well as size, so if the Flames see him on their draft board, no one who has watched this team draft for the past few decades would bat an eye if he was the selection.
Sam Dickinson (Available in four mock drafts, drafted in none)
LHD, London, OHL.
2023-24 stats: 68 GP, 18 goals, 52 assists.
Sam Dickinson is a wild-card for the Flames in the upcoming draft, as he made it past No. 9 four times, but surprisingly, given the Flames need on D, he wasn’t drafted in any of those. The defenseman was producing at a point-per-game pace for the London Knights this season, and could be one of the biggest boom-or-bust names in the draft.
With good size and a great skating ability, the Flames could do a lot worse, and depending on who you ask, this could be a deflating pick, or it could be the one that leads this blue line going forward for years.
Zeev Buium (Available in two mock drafts, drafted in none)
LHD, University of Denver, NCAA.
2023-24 stats: 42 GP, 11 goals, 39 assists.
Zeev Buium wasn’t on many radars before this season, but after putting up 50 points in 42 games played as a 18-year old defenseman, he could be a franchise altering pick for Calgary. There’s reports that he could go anywhere from No. 3 onwards, making it a huge shock that the Flames would seemingly pass on him if they did fall to him.
Depending on how the front office sees their priorities, it would make sense, but if they want a game-changing defenseman, than look no further.
Zayne Parekh (Available in two mock drafts, drafted in one)
RHD, Saginaw, OHL.
2023-24 stats: 66 GP, 33 goals, 63 assists.
While some Flames fans may prefer taking a centre, it’s a No. 1, offensive minded defenseman that may be their biggest need, and no one fits the bill more than Zayne Parekh. Calgary watched an incredible season from Kitchener’s Hunter Brzustewicz, but it was Parekh that was the only blue liner to outscore him in the OHL, ending the season with an incredible 96 points.
Parekh’s work defensively certainly needs work, but with raw offensive skills that we’ve rarely seen heading into the draft, the Flames could certainly do much worse if he fell to them at No. 9.
Konsta Helenius (Available in eight mock drafts, drafted in one)
C, Jukurit, Liiga.
2023-24 stats: 51 GP, 14 goals, 22 assists.
Calgary may have had their issues with European players before, but they’ve never drafted one in the first round as talented as Konsta Helenius, who will be available in most scenarios as it seems. After just 11 points in his first season in Sweden, Helenius took it to another level in 2023-24, and has all the potential to be a top-six winger at the NHL level.
Like many centres in this draft, he comes in somewhat undersized, but with the skill and the experience playing against grown men already, and while it may not be a popular pick, it wouldn’t be a bad one.
Carter Yakemchuk (Available in all 10 mock drafts, drafted in one)
RHD, Calgary, WHL.
2023-24 stats: 66 GP, 30 goals, 41 assists.
One issue the Flames have had in recent years is retaining young players, but that may not be an issue if they draft Carter Yakemchuk, as he played his WHL hockey with the hometown Calgary Hitmen. He also has something that Calgary love; size, as he stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 190 pounds, and with improvements each year (13-47-71 points in three years), he’s an intriguing prospect.
However, there’s questions over his poise and how much work it would take for him to translate to the NHL, and that type of patience is shown by the fact that only one mock draft has him landing in Calgary, as he’s not quite ready to contribute right away.
Berkly Catton (Available in nine mock drafts, drafted in none)
C, Spokane, WHL.
2023-24 stats: 68 GP, 54 goals, 62 assists.
If you ask Flames fans on social media, the one player that those who prefer not to draft Tij Iginla want to target is Spokane’s Berkly Catton, a prolific scorer at the WHL level. After 23 goals in 2022-23, Catton more than doubled his output this past season, and while he’s undersized, he has the raw talent to be a top-six centre in the NHL.
If Iginla is drafted, it makes sense that Catton is the next logical pick given he plays arguably the most important position in hockey, and with the Flames needs being C and D, Catton could be a very bright star of the future.
Cole Eiserman (Available in seven mock drafts, drafted in none)
LW, USNTDP.
2023-24 stats: 24 GP, 25 goals, 9 assists.
One thing the Calgary Flames have sorely lacked in recent years is a pure goal scorer, and in Eiserman they could get just that as he set the USNTDP record at 127, passing Montreal’s Cole Caufield. However, no one appears to have the Flames interested in landing him, as they pass on him in all seven drafts where he makes it to the number nine spot.
The reason for that is very likely due to the amount of wingers the Flames have, and unless the draft falls in a very interesting way, it’s unlikely that the team will look into Eiserman.
Tij Iginla (Available in nine mock drafts, drafted in six)
F, Kelowna, WHL.
2023-24 stats: 64 GP, 37 goals, 47 assists.
Given the last name, is anyone at all surprised that the son of Calgary’s greatest ever player was drafted more than any other? Iginla was consistently looked at as a late first-round draft pick heading into his 2023-24 season, but the 17-year old took a major jump for the Kelowna Rockets, and was most recently seen dominating for Team Canada at the U18 Worlds tournament.
At this point, it seems almost inevitable that the Flames would draft Iginla, that is if he is truly available, as his stock seemingly continues to rise. Iginla has improved in every way, physically, mentally and skillfully over the past year, and it appears as though those in hockey media see this draft playing out in a consistent fashion.
Mock Draft credits: FloHockey, Lines.com, Bleacher Report, The Athletic, Daily Faceoff, YardBarker, Sporting News, MyNHLDraft.com, Sportsnet, Tankathon.