As we get closer to the end of the season, it looks more and more likely that the Flames will finish the year as a bottom-three team. This draft is headlined by Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, and although the Flames would be delighted to add one of them to the roster next year, there is a strong chance that they miss out on both of them. So, if the Flames can’t get either of those players, who should they take instead? We asked, you answered.
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If not Stenberg or McKenna, then who do the Flames select?
We presented this poll to our readers.
Keaton Verhoeff
Verhoeff is practically the consensus third pick in almost every mock draft out there. He is a 17-year-old defenceman in the NCAA who has produced 20 points in 33 games and looks to be a future star in the NHL. To many, Verhoeff would be the best player available at that spot, which is why many believe he should be the one drafted, even with the Flames’ plethora of quality defensive prospects. Verhoeff does not solve the Flames’ need for an elite forward, but he could still be a big part of the future of the team
Carson Carels
Carels is ranked seventh on our consolidated rankings, and he is a defenceman out of the WHL. In his second year in the WHL, he has had a fantastic season, producing 73 points in 58 games. An all-situational defender in which teams would not need to be too worried about his abilities on the defensive side of the ice. However, for the Flames, just like with Verhoeff, it would be another defenceman in their pipeline, and at some point, you can’t play all of them.
Viggo Bjorck
Bjorck has had an incredible rise this year in the draft rankings. He is ranked 9th in our consolidated rankings. It seems like the only thing that Bjorck has working against him is his smaller size. He is a very intelligent centre who is playing top-line minutes in the SHL at 17 years old. That is an incredibly impressive feat. On top of this, he is a centre, which the Flames desperately need.
Other
Lawrence was once looked at as a lock for a top-five selection and arguably the best centre available in the draft. However, once he moved from the USHL to the NCAA, his season was not as impressive as many had hoped. Although he started to pick up his play later on, he still only has seven points in 18 games. Taking him at this point might be a risk anywhere inside the top 5.
Like Lawrence, Belchetz came into the year as one of the best forwards available, but this past season has also been somewhat of a disappointment. He has produced 59 points in 58 games; however, one would like to see those numbers be much higher in a depleted OHL league where many of the top players moved to the NCAA.
Tough call
At pick three/four is where the real draft starts. The Flames have to decide if they want to draft the best player available, no matter the position, or if they think they can strike gold on a forward. There is no clear-cut, obvious pick like there is with the first- and second-overall picks.
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