The Calgary Flames had themselves another fine couple of days at the 2025 NHL Draft, adding eight more prospects into their already robust pipeline and generally strengthening their ranks at every position (except in net).

While most of the headlines in the days and weeks after the draft had to do with the infusion of three top centre prospects in Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, and Theo Stockselius, the Flames deserve more credit than they’ve gotten for adding a couple more intriguing options on the wings.

We’ve already covered sixth-rounder Aidan Lane, whose name appeared on one ballot submitted by our writing and on-air teams. And now, with the Top 20 countdown officially kicking off today, it’s time to talk a little bit more about Ethan Wyttenbach, a future Quinnipiac Bobcat whose strong 2024-25 season earned him the USHL’s inaugural Gaudreau Award.

Ethan Wyttenbach

Left wing, shoots right
Born Feb. 10, 2007 (age 18) in Roslyn, N.Y.
5’10”, 180 pounds
Drafted in the fifth round (144th overall) by Calgary in the 2025 NHL Draft

Wyttenbach appeared on three separate ballots, and the three writers who voted for him all ranked him between No. 13 or 16 overall on their respective lists. But, by and large, even the panellists who didn’t find a spot for Wyttenbach in the Top 20 — including yours truly — still have plenty of time for him as a player. He’s part of a very strong tertiary group of forward prospects for this Flames team.

Sure, it’s relatively common for 5’10” wingers who trade on energy and work ethic over eye-popping skill to top out as high-end AHL players or run-of-the-mill depth pieces on NHL rosters, but for every dozen tweeners, there’s an Andrew Mangiapane who slips through the cracks. Wyttenbach has already made a decent case for himself as one of the more efficient scorers in the USHL this past season. With continued positive developmental years going forward, he could begin to stand out more from the pack.

Wyttenbach finished 22nd among all USHL players with 51 points in 2024-25 despite skating in just 44 of a possible 62 contests with the Sioux Falls Stampede. Adjusting for games played, the Roslyn, N.Y. product moved up to seventh in scoring, just one spot behind Nashville Predators first-rounder Ryker Lee. Points aren’t everything, but it’s encouraging that the Flames were able to get a guy who can really score so late in a relatively weak draft class — especially a whole round after similarly productive USHLer in L.J. Mooney, who is three inches shorter.

In April, the USHL selected Wyttenbach as the first recipient of the Gaudreau Award, bestowed upon the player who best exemplifies the legacy of Johnny and Matty Hockey — “combining elements of on-ice excellence with joy, enthusiasm, care and responsibility.” He led the Stampede in total community service hours prior to sustaining a lower-body injury in February and was named a Chipotle All-American.

Here’s what McKeen’s Hockey contributor Mark Dubreuil had to say when we asked him for his thoughts on Wyttenbach:

A skilled and offensively talented forward selected in the 5th round #144 by the Flames in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Wyttenbach has great vision and is able to read the ice really well. There was a nice development curve this past season playing in the USHL for Sioux Falls, but still some nuances in his game that need to be addressed, namely his skating, which making the jump to the NCAA level with Quinnipiac should help with his development.

Expectations for 2025-26

Quinnipiac has blossomed into a top-notch NCAA Division I men’s hockey school, having won the National Championship in 2023 and clinched its 11th tournament appearance this past spring. Historically one of the more veteran-laden groups in the NCAA, Wyttenbach will have his work cut out for him as a freshman this upcoming season.

That’s not to say Wyttenbach won’t be able to play a sizable role for the Bobcats — Bruins prospect and fellow USHL Sioux Falls alum Chris Pelosi put up 24 points in 38 games as a freshman at Quinnipiac in 2024-25 — but it won’t be a walk in the park for the 5’10” winger. Working in his favour? He’s one of only three NHL prospects projected to suit up for the Bobcats in 2025-26.

Will all this considered, it’d be encouraging to see Wyttenbach score at or around a half-point-per-game pace in his first year of school. Anything above that would be highly impressive, particularly considering that he won’t turn 19 until February. We’ll see.