The draft lottery took place earlier this week, with the Calgary Flames holding the fourth-best odds to move up. It looked like they had a good chance to pick in the top three for the first time since moving to Calgary. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side. Instead, both the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks leap-frogged the Flames, knocking them back to sixth in the draft order.
The disappointment is still lingering from watching the Flames’ pick end up outside the top five, at least for this fan. So, instead of focusing on the future, today, we’re going to go back in time. Let’s look at the Calgary Flames’ best top-five draft picks since relocating to Calgary in 1980.
Worst seasons in Calgary Flames history
Before getting into the rankings, I want to first take a look at some of the Flames’ worst seasons. It starts with this season, position-wise. The Flames finished 29th in the NHL in 2025–26 with 77 points. They entered the draft lottery with the fourth-best odds and came out with the sixth overall pick.
The 2013–14 season was only better on a technicality, as there were fewer teams in the league. A 77-point season that year saw the Flames ranked 27th in the NHL. They were the fourth-worst team in the league and came out of the lottery with the fourth overall pick.
Yet another 77-point season in 2015–16 saw the Flames finish 26th in the NHL. They were fifth-last in the league that year and ended up with the sixth overall pick. There were three draft lotteries that year; the 30th-place Maple Leafs won the lottery for the first overall pick. The Winnipeg Jets knocked the Flames out of the top five, jumping from sixth to second. Lastly, the Columbus Blue Jackets won the third lottery, moving from fourth to third.
In 2012–13, the Flames finished the lockout-shortened season with 42 points. They were 25th in the NHL and had the sixth-best odds at the lottery. It was just a single lottery that year, with the Colorado Avalanche winning it to move from second to first. This meant the Flames retained their spot at sixth overall.
The Flames’ fifth-worst season came in 2023–24. They finished 24th with 81 points and went into the lottery with the ninth-best odds, landing the ninth overall pick. The 32nd-place San Jose Sharks won the lottery for first, while the 31st-place Chicago Blackhawks won the lottery for second.
Looking at the Calgary Flames’ best top-five picks
Without further ado, let’s look at the Flames’ best top-five picks!
Let’s take it from the top: number one goes to none other than Sam Bennett. The Flames’ second-worst season saw them land their highest-ever pick in the draft. They used that pick on Bennett following a 91-point season for the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs.
With talk of Bennett possibly going first overall, it was exciting for him to fall to the Flames at four. Bennett was NHL Central Scouting’s top-ranked North American skater. He was also ranked well ahead of the top European skater—Kasperi Kapanen—who was expected to be more of a mid-round pick.
Bennett’s remarkable pull-up ability turned heads at the 2014 Draft Combine. If you forgot or are otherwise unaware, I’ll let you in on the secret; you don’t need to look it up yourself. The top-ranked prospect failed to complete a single pull-up.
Anyway, enough about the Flames’ best top-five pick. Let’s look at the rest of their top-five picks:
- There
- Are
- None
There are none. Sam Bennett is the Flames’ one and only top-five draft pick. That’s partly what makes falling to sixth this year so much more disappointing. On a more positive note, though, the Flames should still get a solid prospect at six. They’ve had good fortune drafting at this position in the past, after all.
I hope you enjoyed this tongue-in-cheek commentary on the Flames’ misfortunes!
