3 Flames prospects on Daily Faceoff’s top 75 NHL-affiliated skater rankings

Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis has been hard at work all summer.

In addition to covering the 2025 NHL Draft, the World Junior Summer Showcase and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he compiled top 10 prospect rankings for all 32 NHL teams, then put together a ranking of prospect cupboards league-wide. Earlier this week, Ellis released his annual list of the top 75 NHL-affiliated skaters.

And, wouldn’t you know it, there were three Calgary Flames prospects on his list!

Zayne Parekh (4th)

The ninth player selected in the 2024 NHL Draft, Parekh was highly-regarded in his draft year and has done precisely zero things to throw cold water on that hype in another season with the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit.

Here’s Ellis:

So few prospects play with as much confidence as Parekh. He’s very unique in the way that he can dominate in so many elements of the game. It felt like early in his junior career, he had that offensive potential, but he was making too many mistakes in his own zone. We just don’t see that as much these days, which allowed him to put up triple-digit numbers in Saginaw. I don’t think he has any reason to head back to Saginaw, but does he have a spot locked up with Calgary? We’ll see after training camp. If not, look for Parekh to challenge for the top defender spot on Canada’s World Junior team.

Parekh will be given every opportunity to start the 2025-26 season with the Flames. (The three players ahead of Parekh on Ellis’ list were Matthew Schaefer, Ivan Demidov and Michael Misa.)

Cole Reschny (53rd)

The first of two Flames first-rounders in 2025, Reschny was selected 18th overall after a really strong season with the WHL’s Victoria Royals. He’s now off to the University of North Dakota as a freshman.

Here’s Ellis:

There’s a lot to love here – and I think there’s true top-six potential. Reschny’s ability to produce no matter the situation makes him so intriguing. He’s not huge, but he makes up for it with explosive speed and elusiveness, making him a tough player to contain on the rush. He’s an outstanding playmaker, maybe one of the best in this class. Reschny’s competitive nature will take him far, and he has proven internationally he can be an offensive catalyst with other high-end prospects. Reschny’s penchant for creativity will make him a great fit alongside a high-end shooter one day. For what it’s worth, Reschny was one of Canada’s best players at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase.

Cullen Potter (56th)

The second of two Flames first-rounders in 2025, Potter was selected 32nd overall after spending his season with the NCAA’s Arizona State Sun Devils. Fun fact: Potter played most of his season as a 17-year-old, not turning 18 until mid-January, and he was the third-youngest player in all of Division I college hockey.

Here’s Ellis:

I had Reschny and Potter back-to-back in my final draft rankings, and I still think they’re really close as prospects. Many people were surprised to see Potter leave the USNTDP a year early to head to college, but it paid off. He played around 20 minutes a night at ASU, and scouts were impressed with his play-driving abilities. I like his commitment to playing in all three zones, and he anticipates plays and gets himself where he needs to be better than most of the draft class. I think the ceiling is higher for Potter than many others around this part of the draft, but he needs to show he can handle the physical challenges as a 5-foot-9 forward. I think he’ll be one of the smaller players who make it.

Head over to Daily Faceoff and check out Ellis’ full top 75 rankings! Which player do you think he has too high or too low?