An overview of Craig Conroy’s three drafts thus far

Early Rounds

The 2023 NHL Draft was Conroy’s very first draft as GM of the Flames. With his first-ever draft selection, he took Samuel Honzek, a towering Slovak winger, out of the WHL. Honzek spent a significant amount of time at the NHL level last season, carving out a nice physical niche in the Flames’ bottom six before suffering a season-ending injury in November.

In the second round, Conroy looked to the QMJHL to grab smooth-skating defenceman Etienne Morin. He then followed this up by taking the highly skilled Aydar Suniev in the third round. Both Morin and Suniev spent the majority of 2025-26 gaining professional experience with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. Suniev also played six NHL games, recording one assist.

Later Rounds

Conroy focused heavily on raw physical traits during the latter rounds of the 2023 draft. In the fourth round, he selected Jaden Lipinski, who is now playing in the NCAA. In the sixth round, Conroy took Yegor Yegorov, a project goaltender who is still developing within the Russian system. Conroy concluded the 2023 draft with Axel Hurtig, a physical shutdown defenceman who has now grown into a leadership role as captain of the Calgary Hitmen.

Overall, the Flames’ 2023 draft class was the first step in building up their prospect pool into what it is now. It was the start of a retooling phase after contending for the Stanley Cup in 2022.

2024 NHL Draft

Early Rounds

In 2024, Conroy truly flexed his drafting muscles. He had an abundance of picks after trading away several high-profile roster players earlier in the year. This class already looks like an absolute home run, primarily because of the selections of dynamic defenceman Zayne Parekh at 9th overall and sniper Matvei Gridin at 28th overall. Both first-rounders spent a big chunk of the 2025–26 season cutting their teeth directly at the NHL level. Parekh logged 38 games on the blue line and showcased his high-end power play vision. Gridin defied expectations by making the opening night roster out of training camp. Additionally, he eventually locked down a regular middle-six role in the NHL, contributing 20 points in 37 games.

Conroy started the second round strong with the selection of Calgary-born forward Andrew Basha at 41st overall. Basha started his professional career in 2025–26 with the Wranglers, but was reassigned back to the WHL in January, where he scored 50 points in 32 games. Then, Conroy selected OHL winger Jacob Battaglia at 62nd overall. Battaglia has since been traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Brennan Othmann.

Conroy’s third round was no slouch either, as he took puck-moving defenceman Henry Mews at 74th overall. In 2025-26, Mews was an integral part of the power play at the University of Michigan, scoring nine points in ten games before his season ended with an injury in November. At 84th overall, Conroy went with Kirill Zarubin, a big Russian netminder who recently signed his entry-level contract with the Flames.

Later Rounds

Conroy continued his draft haul into the latter rounds of the 2024 draft. In the fourth round, he took Trevor Hoskin, an overaged player whose development in the NCAA has been tracking nicely. He also got a steal of a pick in the fifth round with the selection of Luke Misa, a lightning-fast playmaker who is also now playing in the NCAA. Conroy concluded the 2024 draft with Hunter Laing and Eric Jamieson, two massive WHL prospects.

Overall, the 2024 draft was the turning point in the Flames’ retool. It infused their prospect pool with high-end skill and immediate NHL-ready talent.

2025 NHL Draft

Early Rounds

In 2025, Conroy heavily prioritized centres. He started off the draft class by drafting three centres in a row. Landing Cole Reschny at 18th overall gave the Flames an incredibly smart playmaking center. Reschny had an excellent Draft+1 Season with the University of North Dakota, where he scored 35 points in 36 games and won the 2025–26 NCHC Rookie of the Year Award. Additionally, the selection of Cullen Potter at 32nd overall gave the Flames’ pipeline a major injection of speed. Last season, Potter had 26 points in 24 games for Arizona State University before going down with an injury in January. Furthermore, he will be transferring to Michigan State University for 2026–27. In the second round, Conroy grabbed Swedish centre Theo Stockselius. In 2025–26, Stockselius led Djurgardens to a second consecutive Swedish junior league championship.

Next, Conroy selected stay-at-home defenceman Mace’o Phillips in the third round. However, the biggest storyline of the 2025 class is fifth-rounder Ethan Wyttenbach. In his Draft+1 season, Wyttenbach put together one of the most historic freshman seasons in modern NCAA history. He led the entire country in scoring with 59 points in 40 games, took home the Tim Taylor National Rookie of the Year Award, and was named a Hobey Baker finalist.

Later Rounds

Conroy rounded out the rest of the 2025 class with an eye for size and physical upside. In the sixth round, he took Aidan Lane, who now attends Harvard University. Then, he concluded the 2025 class by taking Jakob Leander, a Swedish blueliner, and Yan Matveiko, a Russian center.

Overall, the 2025 draft class successfully shored up the middle of the ice and added more high-ceiling talent to the Flames’ prospect pool.

Conclusion

Looking back at Conroy’s body of work across these three distinct draft classes, he clearly has laid down a fantastic foundation for the next era of Flames hockey. He has successfully transitioned the franchise’s pipeline from a barren cupboard into one of the more enviable prospect pools in the entire league. By taking a mix of players from various leagues across North America, Russia, and Sweden, Conroy has brought a blend of high-end skill, size, and positional depth to the organization. As the 2026 draft approaches, Flames fans should feel incredibly confident in Conroy’s ability to build through the draft.