As we approach the end of the decade, let’s take a look back at the Flames drafting. Picks in this decade have come from four General Managers: Darryl Sutter in 2010, Jay Feaster from 2011-2013, Brian Burke in 2014, and Brad Treliving from 2015-2019.
2010
The Flames did not have a first or a second round pick this draft, electing to send the former to Phoenix in the Olli Jokinen trade and the latter to Toronto in the three way deal that sent Rene Bourque to the Flames via Chicago.
Round 3: Max Reinhart
Drafted out of the Kootenay Ice of the WHL, Max Reinhart was drafted from a pick sent to Calgary from Columbus in exchange for Anton Stralman. Unfortunately, Reinhart struggled to make an impact with the Flames. After four seasons with the Flames, he bounced around between Germany and the AHL. He last played in 2017-18 with the Bellville Senators.
ROund 3: Joey Leach
Also drafted from Kootenay, Leech did not ever crack the Flames lineup. He bounced around through the AHL and ECHL, last playing for the Hershey Bears in the 2018-19 season.
Round 4: John Ramage
John Ramage, the Mississagua born defenceman was selected from the University of Wisconsin in the WCHA. He played two NHL games in his career, one for Calgary and one for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and currently has one goal, eight assists and 54 penalty minutes for the Belin Polar Bears of the DEL.
Round 4: Bill Arnold
Selected from the US National Development Team, Bill Arnold spent four years at Boston College, before going pro. He played one game for the Flames and two seasons in the AHL before moving on to other endeavors.
Round 5: Micheal Ferland
The Former Brandon Wheat Kings Star is the only Flames prospect still playing in the NHL from this draft. He spent over four years between the WHL, ECHL, and AHL before getting a call-up to the Flames in the 2014-15 season. From there it was all NHL, with four seasons with the Flames before being traded to Carolina in the deal that sent Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to Calgary. He then signed with the Vancouver Canucks, where he currently plays. Unfortunately he’s been out with post concussion syndrome.
Round 7: Patrick Holland
Selected in the seventh round, Patrick Holland was never signed by the Flames. He played five games with the Montreal Canadiens in the 2013-14 season, and last played in the Finnish Elite League in 2015-16.
2011
Arguably one of the better years for the Flames in terms of draft picks. This year, the Flames had two selections in the second round, but neither was theirs. Their draft pick was sent to Chicago as part of the Stralman deal mentioned above. This pick was used to select Brandon Saad. The two second round picks that they did have came from the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals, both in the deal that sent Roman Horak to Calgary.
The Flames also did not have a third, fifth, or seventh round picks this season.
Round 1: Sven Baertschi
An incredibly promising prospect out of Portland of the WHL, Sven Baertschi struggled to stay in the lineup for the Flames, bouncing between the AHL and NHL for four seasons. He was then traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a second round selection, that would later become Rasmus Andersson. He was recently waived and sent back to the AHL’s Utica Comets.
Round 2: Markus Granlund
Selected out of Finland, Granlund played parts of three seasons with the Flames. He was later traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Calgary native Hunter Shinkaruk. He is currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers.
Round 2: Tyler Wotherspoon
The former Portland Winterhawk, Tyler Wotherspoon spent parts of four seasons with the Flames, mostly in a depth defenseman role. He is currently playing for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL.
Round 4: Johnny Gaudreau
One of the best Flames draft picks, Johnny Gaudreau played three seasons with Boston College before joining the Flames. He played one game in the 2013-14 season, scoring a goal, and has 413 points in 429 NHL games.
Round 6: Laurent Brossoit
A tale in never giving up, Laurent Brossoit was a late round draft pick for the Flames but never played a game for them. He was traded to the Oilers in the deal that sent Ladislav Smid to Calgary, and bounced between the AHL and ECHL before receiving his first call up. He is currently playing for the Winnipeg Jets as their backup goalie.
2012
This was the only year this decade in which the Flames had only one selection in each round. Buffalo traded the Flames their first and second round picks (#21 & #42) for the Flames first round pick (#14) in which they selected former all-star Zemgus Girgensons.
The Flames made another deal with Buffalo that sent Robyn Regehr to Buffalo in exchange for Paul Byron. They also swapped second round picks, with the Flames’ pick being used to select Jake McCabe.
Their fifth round pick came from Montreal as part of the Bourque trade mentioned above. They also traded away their original fifth round pick to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for agitator Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond.
Round 1: Mark Jankowski
An off the board pick, Mark Jankowski was initially projected to go in the second round. However, Jay Feaster saw long term potential in the player, and elected to select him earlier. In a weak 2012 draft, Jankowski wasn’t a bad pick. He is an NHL caliber player who has appeared in over 180 NHL games, and has turned into a reasonably reliable penalty killer.
Round 2: Patrick Sieloff
Selected from the US National Development Team, Patrick Sieloff was believed to be a solid shutdown defender at the time. However, he has not proven himself in the NHL, and is currently in the AHL with the San Diego Gulls. Probably the most noteworthy story with Sieloff is that he fought his teammates at practice while playing for the Senators due to dishing out a huge hit on Clarke MacArthur.
Round 3: Jon Gillies
Jon Gillies, The former Providence College goaltender has been in the Flames organization since he was drafted, but has struggled to make the jump to the NHL. He has been a reliable netminder for the Stockton Heat so far in his career, but is slowly being surpassed by younger goalies.
Round 4: Brett Kulak
Brett Kulak, the former Vancouver Giant was a reliable depth defender for the Flames for a number of years before being traded to Montreal for Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina. He has two assists in 22 games for the Habs this season.
Round 5: Ryan Culkin
The third defenceman selected this year by the Flames, Ryan Culkin struggled to adapt his game from the QMJHL to the AHL. He is back in Quebec, playing for the Laval Rocket in the AHL.
Round 6: Coda Gordon
A Cochrane native, Gordon put up decent numbers with the Swift Current Broncos, but is currently playing for the UCalgary Dinos, where he has 20 points in 16 games.
Round 7: Matt DeBlouw
The former Muskegon Lumberjack forward never advanced beyond the ECHL, and last played there in 2017-18.
2013
This was the year of the Flames First Round Draft Picks. They acquired one from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jay Bouwmeester, and another for sending Jarome Iginla to Pittsburgh. They later acquired former first round picks Curtis Lazar and Elias Lindholm as well via trade.
The Flames second round pick went to Montreal as part of the Bourque deal mentioned above. Montreal selected goaltender Zachary Fucale.
Their Fourth round pick went to Florida in exchange for Corban Knight. They also traded away their fifth round pick from the Washington Capitals as part of the Dennis Wideman deal, and got a pick in the same round from Columbus as part of the Blake Comeau trade.
Finally, the Flames acquired a seventh round pick from Ottawa in a deal for Henrik “The Calgary Tower” Karlsson.
Round 1: Sean Monahan
Not much more you can say about Sean Monahan. The former Ottawa 67s forward has 391 points in 506 games for the Flames, and has been one of the team’s most consistent offensive threats.
Round 1: Emile Poirier
Emile Poirier was an elite offensive talent in the QMJHL when he was drafted, but has struggled on and off the ice. He is currently playing for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
Round 1 Morgan Klimchuk
Morgan Klimchuk looked incredibly promising with the Regina Pats of the WHL, but struggled to translate his game to the professional level. He is currently playing for the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
Round 3: Keegan Kanzig
The 6’7″ defenceman was a physical defender, but could not translate his game to the AHL. He was traded to Carolina as part of the Eddie Lack deal, and currently plays for the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL.
Round 5: Eric Roy
The former Brandon Wheat King forward could not translate his game to the AHL, and is currently in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals.
Round 6: Tim Harrison
Formerly with Colgate University, he went directly from there to the ECHL. He’s still in the ECHL playing for the South Carolina Stingrays.
Round 7: Rushan Rafikov
Rafikov put up decent numbers in the KHL, but has never come over to North America. He plays for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.
Round 7: John Gilmour
A Providence College defender, John Gilmour has found his way into a number of NHL games. He has played four games with the Buffalo Sabres and is currently with their affiliate Rochester Americans in the AHL.
2014
This was the year of Sam Bennett. The Flames had two second round picks, one of which was Colorado’s acquired in the Reto Berra deal. The Flames did not have a fourth or fifth round pick- the former was sent to Toronto as part of the Joe Colborne deal and the latter was sent to St. Louis as part of the Kris Russell trade.
Round 1: Sam Bennett
Ranked number one by Central Scouting, Bennett looked to be a steal for the Flames at fourth overall. He even had a fantastic playoffs to start his NHL career. But despite a good spring and lighting up the OHL, Bennett struggled to make the same impact in the NHL on a consistent basis. He has been a reliable middle-six player for the team.
Round 2: Mason McDonald
The first goaltender taken in this draft, McDonald was quite good in the QMJHL but was taken above the consensus best goalie Thatcher Demko. McDonald could not secure a role with the the team in the AHL. He was not tendered a qualifying offer in 2019, and now plays for the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL.
Round 3: Hunter Smith
A big physical forward, Smith was a truculent pick for the Flames in the third round. He struggled to be fast and mobile enough for the NHL and last played for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in 2018-19
Round 3: Brandon Hickey
A defenceman, Hickey spent his years with Boston College, but could not make the jump to Stockton. He was traded in the deal that brought Mike Smith to Calgary, and is currently with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, but struggling to crack the lineup consistently.
Round 6: Adam Ollas-Mattsson
The Swedish defenceman was selected out of Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Elite League. He played a few seasons with the Stockton Heat, but did not earn an NHL contract. He is now back in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks.
Round 7: Austin Carroll
A high energy forward, he was selected for his size and grit, but could not translate that into much else of value. He played sparingly for Stockton, but now plays in Germany for the Kassel Huskies.
2015
Flames fans will remember this draft as the year the team acquired Dougie Hamilton from Boston. The Flames sent their first and second round picks out east this season, but acquired a second from Vancouver in the Baertschi trade, and Tampa’s second round pick from Arizona in exchange for the Flames third round pick. They also traded their fourth round pick, this time to San Jose in exchange for T.J. Galiardi.
Round 2: Rasmus Andersson
The Swedish Sensation, Andersson was almost a point per game player in the OHL with the Barrie Colts. So far in the NHL, he has developed into a top pairing defenceman and has appeared in 125 games.
Round 2: Oliver Kylington
Another Swedish sensation, Oliver Kylington is slowly transforming into a solid NHL defenceman. He is showing he is too good for the AHL, and is making a home for himself in the big league. Another excellent draft pick for the Flames this season.
Round 5: Pavel Karnaukhov
The Hitmen product, Karnaukhov spent his junior years in Calgary before transitioning back to his native Russia. He currently plays for CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Round 6: Andrew Mangiapane
The bread man! Andrew Mangiapane has made a name for himself in the NHL, playing top six minutes with the Flames this season, and looking incredibly comfortable doing so. He has played 87 NHL games, and has 23 points. He’s been on the Flames’ top line for a couple weeks now as well.
Round 7: Riley Bruce
A native of Carp, Ontario, Bruce was a depth defender with the North Bay Battalion in the OHL, and is currently playing for the University of Toronto.
2016
The debate over whether Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine dominated discussion over this summer, but the Flames got their own superstar in the first round. The Flames had nine draft picks this year, the most this decade. They traded away their second round pick to the St. Louis Blues in the deal that brought Brian Elliott to Calgary. St. Louis selected Jordan Kyrou with that pick. They also got a second round pick from Florida in the Jiri Hudler trade and from Dallas in the Kris Russell deal.
The Flames kept all their other draft picks, but picked up a sixth round draft pick from Minnesota in the deal that brought goaltender Niklas Backstrom to Calgary.
Round 1: Matthew Tkachuk
A budding superstar, Matthew Tkachuk is the heart and soul of this Flames team. A veteran of 258 NHL games, Tkachuk has 201 points to his name to this point, and gets better every year.
Round 2: Tyler Parsons
Dubbed the “Goalie of the Future” for this Flames team, Parsons has hit some speed bumps along the way. With a number of goalies in the Flames system so far, he has split playing time between Stockton and Kansas City. He’s battled more than his fair share of physical injuries and mental health setbacks. With more playing time, the Flames will better know what they have in him.
Round 2: Dillon Dube
With excellent puck-playing ability and a nose for the net, Dillon Dube has fast become a favorite in Calgary. He has been at or around the point per game mark in the WHL and AHL, and is currently playing in Calgary, trying to earn a permanent role with the team.
Round 3: Adam Fox
Adam Fox was a standout defenceman with Harvard in the NCAA and projected to be a top pairing defender at the NHL level. However, it was common knowledge that he wanted to play for the New York Rangers, which prompted the Flames to include him in the trade that brought Lindholm and Hanifin to Calgary. Carolina then traded him to the New York Rangers, where he has 17 points in 33 games this season.
Round 4: Linus Lindstrom
The smaller Swedish Centre plays for Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish league, but has never come over to North America.
Round 5: Mitchell Mattson
A centre, Mattson looked promising in the USHL, but struggled to translate that at the college level. He is currently playing for Michigan State University, but has no points over the last two seasons.
Round 6: Eetu Tuulola
A fan favorite wherever he goes, Tuulola spent the last few years in Finland before joining the Stockton Heat. He currently has 11 points in 21 games and is fitting in well with his first North American club.
Round 6: Matthew Phillips
Another draft, another sixth round steal! Phillips absolutely lit up the WHL, but his size deterred a number of teams. Currently fifth in AHL scoring, Phillips is on the cusp of playing in the NHL and even earned himself a call-up this season though didn’t suit up for any games. When he plays his first NHL game, he’ll be the shortest player in the league.
Round 7: Stepan Falkovsky
The Belarusian defenceman had 32 points in 58 games for the Ottawa 67’s, but could not translate his game to the AHL. He currently plays for the Allen Americans in the ECHL.
2017
This is the draft where Nico Hischier was taken first overall, but Flames fans remember this as the year of Juuso Valimaki. The Flames had only five picks in this draft. They traded away their selections in rounds 2 and 3. Their round two selection went to Ottawa in the Lazar trade, where they selected Alex Formenton, and their round three’s selection went to St. Louis for Michael Stone, and then to Edmonton, who selected goaltender Stuart Skinner.
Round 1: Juuso Valimaki
THe former Tri-City Americans star averaged a point-per-game in his time in the WHL. He looked very promising in the AHL, and will likely end up in the NHL once he is back healthy towards the end of this season. He’s recovering from a devastating ACL injury.
Round 4: Adam Ruzicka
The Slovakian forward looked very good in the OHL, and is currently playing for the Stockton Heat, where he has 12 points in 24 games.
Round 5: Zach Fischer
An interesting selection, Fischer started slow in the WHL before emerging on the scene in his third WHL season. He then had an injury-shortened season the following season, followed by another excellent campaign the year after. He could not make it in the AHL and is currently playing for the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL.
Round 6: D’artagnan Joly
One of the best named draft picks by the Flames this decade, Joly looked very promising for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar but had a very rocky end there. He was publicly called out by his coach and healthy scratched before he forced a trade, landing in Rimouski. He was not signed by the Flames last summer, and is still playing in Rimouski.
Round 7: FIlip Sveningsson
Quietly having an excellent run of form in the Swedish second divison, Sveningsson has been developing into a decent winger. Only 20, it will be interesting to see if he makes the jump to North America in the next couple of years.
2018
This was the draft in which GM Brad Treliving acquired Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders in exchange for the Flames first and second round pick, and a conditional second the following year. The Flames third round pick was traded away in the deal that brought Mike Smith to Calgary. As a result, the highest Flames pick was in the fourth round.
The Flames actually ended up with three picks in the fourth round; their own, one from Florida as part of the Jiri Hudler deal, and one from Montreal in exchange for the Flames’ fourth round pick in 2019. The Flames fifth round pick went to Arizona as part of the deal for Michael Stone.
Round 4: Martin Pospisil
Selected out of the USHL, Pospisil was an offensive talent with a strong physical style. He is currently in Stockton, but has not put a point on the board in six games this season.
Round 4: Dimetrios Kouzmontzis
Another USHL prospect, Kouzmontzis has great hands and a nose for the net. He has looked good for Arizona State with five points in nine games, but this is a drop-off from last season.
Round 4: Milos Roman
Roman was selected from the Vancouver Giants in the WHL. He has 20 points so far this season with the Giants, not a huge total for an overager.
Round 6: Emilo Pettersen
Pettersen has looked very good at the University of Denver. Currently in his second season, he has 16 points in 18 games, but has struggled with consistency. Could be a candidate to turn pro sooner rather than later.
Round 7: Dmitri Zavgorodniy
The fact that he was available in the seventh round is looking increasingly astonishing. Above a point per game pace, Zavgorodniy has been sensational this season in Rimouski, although he is currently injured.
2019
In the most recent draft, the Flames had picks in every round except the second and seventh. Their second round pick was part of the Hamonic trade with the Islanders in 2017 and their seventh round pick was part of the deal that sent Eddie Lack to Calgary.
Round 1: Jakob Pelletier
While he is currently injured, Pelletier has been a standout for the Moncton Wildcats in the QMJHL. Sitting at almost two points-per-game, he has been one of the best players in the entire league. A budding superstar if he can translate his game to the professional leagues.
Round 3: Ilya Nikolaev
Nikolaev was projected on many boards to be a first rounder. He put up very good numbers in the MHL (the Russian second division) but has not been among the best players in a relatively weak league. There is definitely talent there; he has put up 26 points in 30 games this season and plays a good two-way game.
Round 4: Lucas Feuk
An offensive winger, Feuk is a talented player currently in Sweden. He’s bounced between leagues and currently sits at just one goal in 12 games in the Allsvenskan.
Round 5: Joshua Nodler
Selected out of the USHL, Nodler is currently in his first year at Michigan State University with fellow Flames prospect Mitchell Mattson. He has five points in 18 games so far this season.
Round 7: Dustin Wolf
An absolute standout selection for the Flames. While smaller than most NHL goalies, Wolf has been dominant in Everett, boasting a .941 SV% and a 1.91 GAA in 24 games. He’s one of the best goalies in the CHL and is a lock to make the USA World Junior squad.
