Cole Reschny Player Profile

With the 18th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, the Calgary Flames selected forward Cole Reschny. The 18-year-old is coming off a fantastic year in the WHL and seems to be a solid prospect. He was a fantastic addition to the Flames’ prospect pool, which was seriously lacking centres. Let’s take a deeper look at who Reschny is and what he can provide in the future.

Who is Cole Reschny?

Reschny is from Macklin, Saskatchewan. He grew up playing hockey and was a top selection of the 2022 WHL Draft. Here, he was selected third overall by the Victoria Royals and has spent parts of the last three seasons with them. In the 2024–25 season, the Royals named Reschny as an assistant captain. This was an early indication that Reschny was going to have a fantastic season. He ended up leading the Royals in points with 92 in 62 games and was a dominant force in the playoffs.

Outside of the WHL, Reschny has played in many tournaments. Last summer, he played for Team Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Reschny was one of the most valuable players of the tournament, playing at both ends of the ice. He finished the tournament with seven points in five games, helping Canada capture another championship. Recently, Reschny was a member of Team Canada at the U18 WJC. He was a secondary scorer on the team, but showed up when it truly mattered. The forward scored the game-tying and winning goals against Czechia in the quarterfinal game. Without Reschny, there is a good chance that Canada would have been eliminated.

The brightest moment for Reschny recently was getting drafted in the first round by the Calgary Flames. After the development camp with the Flames, the next big step could be taking part in the World Junior Summer Showcase.

Reschny’s role in Calgary

Reschny will play a crucial role in Calgary’s future. He, alongside Theo Stockselius, may be a future centreman in the top-nine forward core of the team. This was a huge addition to the Flames, as it has been a long time since they last drafted a centreman who went on to be a successful Flame. The last time this team drafted a star centreman was in 2013 when they selected Sean Monahan sixth overall. Yes, the Flames did draft Sam Bennett in 2014, but he never really found much success in Calgary.

The 18-year-old will be the future two-way centreman of the Flames. They have had some solid two-way centremen over the years, including Elias Lindholm and Nazem Kadri. These players were acquired through either a trade or a signing. It is time that the Flames brew their own talent from the NHL Draft. Spending less assets to acquire players in the offseason and save draft capital. Craig Conroy has done an excellent job in drafting players with solid potential.

A key issue with the Flames is that they simply have too many wingers on the team. It will be interesting to see what happens in the offseason and see who could be on the move. Wingers such as Blake Coleman and Yegor Sharangovich could be moved on from (unfortunately, this will probably not happen). The team simply has too many wingers who take away opportunities from younger players. Thankfully, Reschny will not have to worry about this at centre.

Reschny fits the young core

With there being a fair amount of young guys on the Flames, Reschny just adds to the bright future. The team currently has young stars such as Dustin Wolf, Matt Coronato, and Zayne Parekh. Reschny could potentially join this list if he can develop into a top-line centre. If not, he will join the good young player core that includes Connor Zary, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Rory Kerins.

It is unlikely that Reschny will join the Flames anytime soon. There is no need to rush his development. He will play at least one season in the NCAA with the University of North Dakota. Here, he will play against some older players who are stronger and more mature than potential opponents in the WHL. The Flames will have a few prospects playing in the NCAA next season, including recent draft picks Cullen Potter and Maceo Phillips.

Looking into the future, it is likely that it will be at least two to three years before Reschny joins the Flames. He will probably need some time at the AHL level before making the jump to the NHL. Current Flames, such as Wolf, Coronato, and Zary, have taken similar routes. All of whom have turned out pretty good. An early chance that Flames fans could watch Reschny is at the next couple of World Junior Championships (assuming he makes the team). Reschny and Potter could very well be in attendance at the next couple of tournaments.

What do you think Cole Reschny can bring to the Flames?