2026 Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings: #2 Carson Carels

After having quite the miserable season, the Flames drafted Carels out of the WHL. Some scouts saw Carels as the best NHL defenceman in the 2026 draft, and the Flames clearly saw his upside. He’ll no doubt be a defenceman at the NHL level, as his development will be a consistent storyline for fans to follow.

Carels’ development so far

Carels’ production has been experiencing a clear upward trend, as this season he finished fourth in the WHL in scoring among defencemen. He’ll be joining the NCAA this season as he’s committed to the University of North Dakota, a team which already has some notable names on their roster.

Carels’ Strengths

Skating and mobility

Carels’ skating is one of the foundations of his game. For a 6-foot-2 defenceman, he has excellent agility, edgework, and acceleration, allowing him to change direction quickly and close gaps effectively. His mobility is valuable at both ends of the ice: he can step up on attackers defensively, recover when plays break down, and transition himself into the offensive zone with speed

Defensive intelligence

Carels combines his physical tools with strong defensive awareness. He reads plays developing in front of him, keeps his head moving, and does a good job identifying passing lanes before they open. His active stick allows him to disrupt plays without always needing to make a physical play, while his skating lets him stay in position against quick forwards. He isn’t simply a physical defenceman; he has the anticipation and positioning to take away options from opposing attackers actively

Carels’ Weaknesses

Overall consistency

Carels’ overall game can fluctuate from shift to shift and game to game. There are stretches where he controls play at both ends of the ice, but he can occasionally become less impactful when managing a heavy workload. This was identified as one of his more notable areas for improvement following his breakout WHL season. As he moves into the NCAA and eventually professional hockey, maintaining his best habits for an entire game will be important. Consistency will determine whether his impressive tools translate into a dependable top-four role.

Decision-making under pressure

Carels’ biggest developmental area is making consistently efficient decisions when the game becomes chaotic. He has the skill and confidence to create plays, but that can occasionally lead him into situations where he has limited options. At times, he’ll attempt a difficult pass or force a puck through traffic rather than resetting the play and waiting for a better opportunity. At the NHL level, those small decisions become much more important because opposing forwards close space faster. He will need to become more selective about when to attack and when to simplify his game.

Carels’ next steps

Carels will be committing to the NCAA, where he’ll be exposed to a new level of hockey. Given his skill set and potential, Carels may be seeing NHL action quite soon. There could be a scenario where Carels’ NCAA season ends, and the Flames give him the chance in the big leagues.

NHL projection

Ceiling: Potential franchise defenceman

Likely Outcome: Top-pair defenceman

Floor: Top-four NHL defenceman

NHL timeline projection

Carels may appear in NHL games as soon as this upcoming season and will compete for a role likely in the 2027–28 season.

See the other articles on the list of prospect rankings for 2026:

• #3: Cole Reschny
• #4: Matvei Gridin
• #5: Cullen Potter
• #6: Hunter Brzustewicz
• #7: Ethan Wyttenbach
• #8: Jack Hextall
• #9: Samuel Honzek
• #10: Tobias Trejbal
• #11: Andrew Basha
• #12: Aydar Suniev
• #13: Henry Mews
• #14: Theo Stockselius 
• #15: Mace’o Phillips 
• Honourable Mentions