Calgary Flames 2025 NHL Draft primer

What do the Calgary Flames need in the draft this year?

The Calgary Flames have an assortment of needs in this upcoming draft. The team is currently retooling, as management has stated all throughout the past year. The major holes in the Flames’ lineup are up the middle and on the left side of the defence.

If the team really wants to be competitive this season, then acquiring talent in those two areas is what they need. Even if management decides that a full-blown rebuild is necessary, the Flames must go for both centres and left-side defencemen.

Key draft targets for the Calgary Flames this year

Cole Reschny – C – Victoria Royals

Cole Reschny is a major target for the Flames this draft. He is exactly what the team needs up front, a centre that brings offence to the table. His 92 points through 62 games would bring much-needed firepower to the Flames’ lineup down the middle. He has been seen as the consensus pick for Calgary at 18. However, it all depends on whether or not a different team needing a centre takes him earlier.

Ben Kindel – RW – Calgary Hitmen

Ben Kindel was an offensive juggernaut this past season for the Calgary Hitmen. The right winger from Coquitlam, BC scored 35 goals and added 64 assists for 99 points through 65 games. The Flames have an excess of wingers, but Kindel is a right-shot winger who brings a scoring touch, all things that Calgary needs.

Braeden Cootes – C – Seattle Thunderbirds

It has been well established that the Flames’ biggest need is down the middle. Other than Cole Reschny, Braeden Cootes is the main centre target for Calgary. Cootes is a player who is consistently working, and his engine never stops. That sort of work ethic and energy is invaluable to NHL teams, especially when they are able to produce both offensively and defensively.

Cameron Schmidt – RW – Vancouver Giants

Much like Kindel, Cameron Schmidt is a right-shot winger who has a lethal shot that is being overshadowed by his size. Fresh off a 40-goal season, Schmidt is a weapon in the offensive zone. His play is reminiscent of Matt Coronato. If the Flames have no good centre or left-shot defence options at 32, Schmidt would be a home run of a pick addressing a smaller need, so long as they move bodies out this offseason.

Cameron Reid – D – Kitchener Rangers

The only realistic option on defence for the Flames this draft is Cameron Reid. Reid, who just completed his second OHL season, showed his skill level on both sides of the ice. A solid two-way defenceman, Reid shot up draft boards throughout the season.

An excellent skater who isn’t afraid to use his body when necessary, he brings a bit of everything to whichever team drafts him. The Flames could use someone like Reid on the left side of their defence. With it looking like he may fall to 18, the decision is on Craig Conroy and company.

Who is expected to go in the top five of the NHL Draft?

Matthew Schaefer is the consensus number one pick, with Michael Misa being the overall second pick. In the past week, it has been reported that Anton Frondell does not drop out of the top three, possibly even going second.

After those three, the top ten becomes completely murky. Talents like Roger McQueen, Caleb Desnoyers, Jake O’Brien, and more are completely interchangeable in lists and mock drafts. It will all come down to the needs and scouting departments of each team. Due to this, there has been more commotion regarding trades involving higher picks.

Could the Calgary Flames make a trade on the draft floor?

A trade on the draft floor is entirely possible for Craig Conroy and the Flames management. Rasmus Andersson has been at the centre of rumours all year, and on the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman said the Flames are willing to make an Andersson deal.

This has sparked further speculation about whether Andersson will be a Flame post-draft. With teams like the Detroit Red Wings needing desperate help on defence, Conroy may move Andersson to get another first-round pick this draft.

Final thoughts

The Flames have plenty of options heading into this draft. Holding two late first-round picks and an abundance of potential assets to be moved in a trade, the Flames have the ability to walk out of this draft just as good as last year. However, all that depends on management and whether they want to keep the likes of Rasmus Andersson.

Want to know more about the NHL Draft?

Looking to learn more about late-round draft picks? Or the Flames’ options to move up? Here at The Win Column, we have you covered. We will be giving insight into each and every Flames pick over the course of the two-day draft.

Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2025 NHL Draft prospects:

Matthew Schaefer | Michael Misa | James Hagens | Porter Martone | Anton Frondell | Victor Eklund | Roger McQueen | Caleb Desnoyers | Jackson Smith | Jake O’Brien | Carter Bear | Radim Mrtka | Lynden Lakovic | Brady Martin | Justin Carbonneau | Malcolm Spence | Cameron Reid | Logan Hensler | Cameron Schmidt | Ben Kindel | Kashawn Aitcheson | Cullen Potter | Braeden Cootes | Ivan Ryabkin | Blake Fiddler | Cole Reschny | Joshua Ravensbergen | Bill Zonnon | William Moore | Jack Nesbitt | Jack Murtagh | Milton Gastrin | Sascha Boumedienne | Henry Brzustewicz | Adam Benak | Shane Vansaghi | Cole McKinney | Jakob Ihs-Wozniak | Ryker Lee | Ben Kevan | Michal Svrcek | Arvid Drott | Conrad Fondrk | Charlie Trethewey | Luca Romano