By shipping off MacKenzie Weegar to the Utah Mammoth for three second-round picks, the Calgary Flames ensured they’d enter the 2026 draft with six picks in the first two rounds. We recently took a trip down memory lane, looking at the history of the sixth overall pick. With Vegas’ first round pick not yet decided, it’s time to look at the Flames’ first pick of the second round. Craig Conroy won’t have much time to rest on day two of the draft, as the Flames will be up at 35th overall in the second round of the 2026 NHL draft.
So, how have the players selected 35th overall in the 21st century fared, and how successful has the draft slot been? Let’s take a look.
The last five 35th overall picks
2025 – Jacob Rombach – Nashville Predators
The most recent 35th overall pick was a bit of a stunner, as the Nashville Predators took hulking defenceman Jacob Rombach much higher than most anticipated. The American defenceman was projected to go somewhere in the third round, but instead the Predators made him one of the first picks in round two. It’s still far too early to grade this pick, but after Rombach produced just four points in 36 NCAA games this past season, it’s already looking like a potential miss.
2024 – Lucas Pettersson – Anaheim Ducks
Back in 2024, the Anaheim Ducks selected Swedish centre Lucas Pettersson 35th overall. So far, this looks like a solid pick. Pettersson has developed nicely in Sweden, and recently put up 20 points in the SHL in his D+2 year. Currently considered one of the Ducks’ better prospects, Pettersson is trending towards being a good value pick at 35th overall who has a chance of becoming a middle-six centre one day.
2023 – Adam Gajan – Chicago Blackhawks
Going back to 2023, the Blackhawks selected goaltender Adam Gajan at 35th. Perhaps a bit of a reach at the time, given he was ranked as a third-rounder, Gajan has put together a couple of decent seasons in the NCAA since being selected. Goalies take a long time to develop, so it’s still way too early to judge this pick. Right now, it seems like a fine selection, as Gajan has a chance to become a backup goalie in the NHL one day.
2022 – Jagger Firkus – Seattle Kraken
2022 is where we find the first potential gem at 35th overall. Jagger Firkus has put together a couple of tremendous seasons in the WHL and AHL since being picked four years ago. He racked up 126 points in the WHL in his D+2 en route to being named the CHL player of the year, and followed that up with two solid seasons in the AHL, including 56 points in 63 games this past season. As far as 35th overall picks go, Firkus has produced well above what you typically see from players who get picked here. Time will tell if it translates to the NHL, but for now, this looks like a great pick.
2021 – Ryker Evans – Seattle Kraken
Yet another Kraken pick, Ryker Evans has turned into a great selection at 35th overall. Evans jumped right to the AHL in his D+2 season and put up 26 points in 26 playoff games. By his D+3 season in 2023-24, he was already playing regular NHL minutes. He’s now been a full-time NHL defender for the Kraken for two seasons at just 24 years old. Getting a #4/5 NHL defender at 35th overall is great value.
How often do 35th-overall picks make the NHL?
For a deeper overall look at how often 35th-overall draft picks become NHL players, let’s look at how many of these picks since the turn of the century have played NHL games, played in at least 200 NHL games, and have registered at least 200 points in the NHL.
I’ll exclude the last three drafts, as it’s too early to include those picks. Overall, that leaves us with 23 total ninth-overall picks between the 2000 and 2022 drafts.
| Metric | 35th overall picks (between 2000-2022) |
|---|---|
| Played NHL Games | 14 of 23 |
| >200 NHL GP | 7 of 23 |
| >200 NHL Points | 4 of 23 |
All in all, the numbers aren’t too ugly. 14 of the 23 players selected at 35th overall between 2000 and 2022 have played at least some NHL games. That’s a hit rate around 61%. I’d wager Firkus joins that list soon. In saying that, only seven of the group managed to play at least 200 games in the NHL, with no one else coming close to hitting the mark. That would equal a much lower hit rate, around 30%. Odds are Evans joins that list next year though, as he only needs 24 more games to reach 200.
If we go one step further and start looking at production in the NHL, only four of the 23 picks have put up at least 200 points in the NHL. That represents a hit rate around 17%. Those players are Jordan Kyrou, Sebastian Aho, J.T. Compher, and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
Most notable 35th-overall picks in NHL history
Throughout the history of the NHL draft, here are the most notable players selected 35th overall. I’ll consider players who have gone on to have All-Star-level or very long careers in the NHL.
| Year | Player |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Jordan Kyrou* |
| 2015 | Sebastian Aho* |
| 2009 | Kyle Clifford |
| 2005 | Marc-Edouard Vlasic |
| 1996 | Matt Cullen |
| 1993 | Jamie Langenbrunner |
Across NHL history, the 35th overall pick has had some gems, especially in the past decade. With that said, there’s really only a handful of notable names taken at 35th overall over the 47-year history of the NHL entry draft. The most notable has to be Sebastian Aho, selected by the Hurricanes in 2015. Aho has gone on to have an All-Star-level career as a true number-one centre in the NHL. In terms of 35th overall selections, getting a player like Aho is like hitting the jackpot. Not often do you find first-line centres on day two of the draft.
Selected with the Calgary Flames’ second round pick in 2016 after acquiring it for Brian Elliot, the Blues hit a homerun by selecting Jordan Kyrou 35th overall. Kyrou has gone on to be a legitimate top-line winger in the NHL for the past four years and has provided massive value given where he was picked.
After the above names, the next most notable would be Vlasic. One of the most underrated defenders of his era, Vlasic logged 1323 regular-season games along with 142 playoff games for the Sharks after they picked him 35th in 2005. A core piece of the dominant 2010’s Sharks, Vlasic is about as good as it gets for a 35th overall pick.
Never tell me the odds
While the 35th overall pick is far from a guarantee to land an NHL star, let alone an NHL player, there is proof that an impact player can come out of the pick. For Flames fans, we’ll have to hope the Flames land the next Aho or Kyrou, and not Matt Finn or Antti Tuomisto.
