Craig Conroy did what Craig Conroy does best – absolutely knock it out of the park at the NHL draft.
With the first 32 picks in the books, the Calgary Flames are the clear winners of Day 1 of the 2025 Draft, selecting Cole Reschny 18th overall and Cullen Potter 32nd overall.
The value gained by the Flames with just two picks was phenomenal.
Cole Reschny
Reschny was one of the highest risers in the draft, moving into consensus mid-first round range with a fantastic second half of the season.
Ranked as high as 14 by Craig Button, many looked at Reschny as the perfect pick for the Flames at 18, but far from guaranteed to be available at that slot. Conroy was smart to select Reschny and add a legit centre prospect to the Flames’ cupboards, something they desperately needed.
Currently, Reschny is likely the top Flames prospect in the organization behind Zayne Parekh, who probably won’t even be considered a prospect in a few months’ time.
Cullen Potter
With the 2025 draft not having too many truly elite players, a higher focus was placed on selecting players who had elite skills in at least one area. Potter is probably the best skater in the draft, and was rising up draft boards the past couple of months.
FC Hockey viewed Potter the highest, ranking him ninth overall on their board before the draft. The Flames somehow grabbed him at 32nd. If that’s not a complete and utter steal, I don’t know what is.
Despite not putting up crazy numbers in his draft year, Potter played in the NCAA for Arizona State, starting his freshman year at just 17 years old. He’s an elite skater, has elite top speed, and is widely regarded as having top-six NHL upside.
Betting on skill
It was a theme in 2024 and it appears to be a theme in 2025 – Conroy is betting on skill.
The draft is not the place to find depth NHLer, it’s a chance to take chances on players who might be amazing. Conroy is embracing this philosophy and will probably continue to do so in round two through seven tomorrow.
Did the Flames do as well as the New York Islanders who had three picks in the top 17? No. But based on where the Flames’ picks where and who they managed to get, this is already a fantastic draft for the Flames, and they are a clear winner of Round 1.
