Solid Role Player Potential in the NHL
Andrew Basha, Jack Hextall, Alan Shaikhlislamov, Kirill Zarubin, Tobias Trejbal, Chase Harrington
After the first round of the draft, this is the category where teams hope players will be sitting as they continue their development, and in this spot for the Flames are some players with very good potential. Perhaps the most exciting of the group is first-round pick Jack Hextall, and while he likely isn't going to be a top-six centre in the NHL, given his responsible play defensively and his improved playmaking, he could be a very good third line centre at the next level.
The x-factor in this group however is Russian winger Alan Shaikhlislamov, with the 17-year-old being one of the most exciting goal scorers coming out of Russia, but with little known about him for the casual fan heading into the draft, his potential is unknown at the next level.
Beyond that, we've also got the likes of Chase Harrington and Tobias Trejbal, both second-round picks in 2026, with 2024 second-round pick Andrew Basha also sliding into this category, as they all have the potential of third-line wingers or backup goaltenders. Of the first two categories, there are many players that could make the jump up to this category over the next 12 months, but for now, this is the group that may see the most amount of players make the jump to the NHL in the next 2-3 seasons.
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