The Calgary Flames are heading into the 2026 NHL Draft with more picks in the top 100 than at any point since 1997. Nine selections. Eight of them inside the top 70. That’s not a typo. For a franchise that spent years stuck in a frustrating middle ground – too good to tank, too flawed to contend – this moment carries real weight.
The draft itself is headlined by one of the most hyped prospect classes in recent memory. And with the Flames slotted in at sixth overall, the decision Craig Conroy makes in Buffalo this June could define this rebuild for a decade.
The Top of the Board: McKenna and Stenberg
Before getting to Calgary’s specific situation, it’s worth understanding just how clear the top two are in this class.
Gavin McKenna: The Consensus No. 1
Gavin McKenna is the kind of prospect that comes along maybe once every few years. The 18-year-old left wing from the Yukon posted 97 points in 61 games during his first full WHL season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, then followed that up with a staggering 129 points in just 56 games the following year – including a CHL-record 54-game point streak. He then made the jump to Penn State in the NCAA, where he put up 51 points in 35 games as a freshman.
What makes McKenna special isn’t just the numbers. It’s the vision. Scouts describe him as someone who seems to see the game one or two moves ahead of everyone else on the ice. His second half at Penn State was particularly dominant. After a slower start, he averaged nearly five shots per game and put up 33 points in his final 19 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs, who won the draft lottery, are widely expected to take him first overall.
Ivar Stenberg: The European Wild Card
The debate for the No. 2 spot has been genuine. Ivar Stenberg, a Swedish winger who plays in the SHL with Frolunda, has been McKenna’s closest competition all season. He put up 33 points in 43 SHL games – a strong benchmark for a draft-eligible player competing against professionals. His game has almost no obvious weaknesses, and his performance at the World Junior Championship, where Sweden won gold, only strengthened his stock. Some evaluators have him as the safer pick, given his polish and the fact that he’s already proven himself against grown men.
| Prospect | Position | League | Points (2025-26) | Draft Ranking |
| Gavin McKenna | LW | NCAA (Penn State) | 51 in 35 GP | 1st |
| Ivar Stenberg | LW/RW | SHL (Frolunda) | 33 in 43 GP | 2nd |
| Chase Reid | RD | OHL (Soo) | 48 in 45 GP | 3rd-4th |
| Keaton Verhoeff | RD | NCAA (North Dakota) | 20 in 36 GP | 3rd-5th |
| Carson Carels | LD | WHL (Prince George) | Top-10 projected | 6th-8th |
| Caleb Malhotra | C | OHL (Brantford) | 84 in 67 GP | 4th-6th |
Where Calgary Actually Lands: The Sixth-Pick Problem
So here’s the awkward reality for Flames fans.
McKenna won’t be there. Stenberg probably won’t be either. Calgary’s sixth overall pick comes after two teams – Toronto and San Jose – already hold the top spots following the draft lottery. That creates a genuine puzzle for Conroy. Does he pick the best available player regardless of position? Or does he address what the team actually needs?
The Flames aren’t short on defensive prospects. Zayne Parekh, the ninth overall pick in 2024, is already in the NHL and projects as a top-pairing quarterback on the power play once he fills into his frame. Hunter Brzustewicz has been nearly a full-time NHLer since the trade deadline. There’s real depth on the blue line. What Calgary doesn’t have is a proven, high-end forward who can drive a line. Matthew Coronato, at 23, is a solid contributor. Matvei Gridin has been encouraging. But neither projects as a genuine top-line difference-maker.
That gap matters a lot when you’re trying to figure out who to pick sixth.
The Real Choices at No. 6: A Breakdown of Calgary’s Options
Calgary’s fans have probably heard a few names floated by now. Here’s what those options actually look like.
Keaton Verhoeff: The Big-Minutes Defenseman
Verhoeff is a 6-foot-4, 212-pound right-shot defenseman from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, who played at the University of North Dakota. He’s exactly the kind of player modern NHL front offices dream about – the size, the skating, and the hockey sense to play over 20 minutes a night. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has him going to Calgary at sixth in a recent mock draft, describing his combination of size, feet, and offensive ability as “hard to pass up.” But some Flames observers have pushed back. Do you really take another right-shot defenseman when you already have Brzustewicz and Parekh?
Carson Carels: The Swiss Army Knife
Carels is the kind of player scouts love to watch. The left-handed defenseman from Prince George has drawn comparisons to a unique all-around blueliner who brings physicality, offensive instinct, and sound positional play in one package. He ran the power play in the WHL, kills penalties, and finishes his hits. There’s a legitimate three-way debate between Carels, Verhoeff, and Chase Reid for who becomes the first defenseman off the board. If Carels is still there at six – which isn’t guaranteed – he’d fit a slightly different need than Verhoeff.
The Forward Gamble: Malhotra or Björck
If the Flames decide to address their forward need directly, the options get thinner. Caleb Malhotra is a big, two-way center from Brantford who put up 84 points in 67 OHL games. He’s not a lock for the top five, so Calgary could realistically get him at six. Viggo Björck is another name that keeps coming up in Flames-specific discussions. He’s a smart, well-rounded forward who probably won’t be considered a “reach” at that spot – but he also isn’t the slam-dunk impact player a team building around a timeline would hope for.
You can also place bets here on which players land where, with draft markets available across top sportsbooks. Analytics in hockey continue to shape how teams evaluate these calls in real time.
What Does Calgary Actually Need?
This is the question that keeps coming up. And the honest answer is: forwards.
The Flames’ prospect pool is ranked third in the entire NHL by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler – an impressive number for a team still in the middle of a rebuild. But Parekh is the only player in that pool currently graded as a Tier One, blue-chip prospect. Everyone else sits in that “good but not great” tier. A McKenna or Stenberg would fix that immediately. But those two aren’t going to be there.
So the Flames face a choice that’s less about scouting and more about philosophy. Do you take the best player available – even if it means a third high-end defenseman in two years? Or do you reach slightly for a forward because the long-term roster construction demands it?
Craig Conroy has generally stuck to the best-player-available approach since taking over as GM. That’s worked well. But the context is shifting now. BetFury has draft markets active for most first-round scenarios, and the public odds suggest most bettors expect Calgary to go with a defenseman regardless.
The Flames also aren’t working with just one pick. With nine selections in the top 100 and 11 total, they might actually have the luxury of taking the best available player at six and then addressing forward depth at 28 and beyond. That’s not a bad position to be in.
The Bigger Picture: How Far Away Are the Flames?
Realistically? A playoff team in 2027-28 is possible. Contention probably takes a year or two longer than that.
Parekh, Gridin, Wolf, and Brzustewicz form a legitimate foundation. Connor Zary still has upside. Samuel Honzek is returning from injury. And whoever comes in at sixth adds to a group that’s already showing real signs of life.
The 2026 draft won’t make or break the Calgary Flames. But it probably shapes what they look like in three years – whether they’re scrapping for a wild card spot or genuinely scaring top teams in a first-round series. That difference often comes down to one or two selections. One forward who can make something out of nothing on a line. Or one defenseman who turns out to be elite when you thought he’d just be good.
