For a few years now, fans of the Calgary Flames have been begging for a rebuild, and now, under GM Craig Conroy, they've finally done it, and now, things are already looking incredibly promising. Sure, the 2026/27 season is going to be a bad one, but if the Flames can find themselves with a top-five draft pick in 2027, adding another elite prospect to this group could change the trajectory of the franchise for years.
Already, they've put together an elite prospect pool, and while they're missing their 1C of the future, the 2027 NHL Draft will give them the opportunity to add to that, but for now, they've got one of the deepest groups in the National Hockey League. That was proven by Scott Wheeler in his latest top-100 prospect rankings with The Athletic,
My annual top 100 drafted NHL prospects ranking is out at @TheAthletic!
— Scott Wheeler (@scottcwheeler) July 14, 2026
- Full reports and projections
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The 2026 edition (🎁 free to read):https://t.co/sQzkpQbOiC pic.twitter.com/cJvpL0EOj4
In previous years, Flames fans have hoped to have just one player on this list, but in 2026, they've got seven, beginning with defenseman Zayne Parekh, who Wheeler has ranked No. 6 overall, putting him in Tier 2. The other Flames prospect in Tier 2 is 2026 first-round pick Carson Carels, who comes in at No. 11 overall, and with the Flames also having Simon Nemec and Kevin Bahl, it shows the future of the Flames blue line is in very, very good shape.
The next three picks come from the Flames last three drafts, representing the future of their forward group, with Matvei Gridin (31), Cole Reschny (38) and Cullen Potter (86) all expected to play huge roles for the Flames moving forward.
Then, there's Hunter Brzustewicz, who showed his potential this past season with the Flames, and while there's question marks over his future with the team, he comes in at No. 90 on this list, with the team expected to make a major decision on his future moving forward.
Finally, breakout star and former fifth-round pick Ethan Wyttenbach, who caps off the list at No. 100 overall, and if he can build on his incredible freshman year with Quinnipiac in 2025/26, he may have among the most potential of anyone in the Flames organization.
Ultimately, this is a group that's still needing an addition or two for the Flames to potentially get back into Stanley Cup Playoffs contention, but with seven players in the top-100 and many more players on the way, the future is looking considerably brighter than it did just two years ago.
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