FN’s mid-season Flames prospect updates: Cade Littler

The National Collegiate Hockey Conference houses five Calgary Flames prospects, and three of them are on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

Everyone knows Cole Reschny, the Flames’ 18th overall selection in the 2025 draft. After spending two full seasons with the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals, the left-shot centre is currently at a point-per-game pace in his 28 games, albeit with just four goals.

Additionally, the Flames acquired defence prospect Abram Wiebe among other parts from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Rasmus Andersson earlier this season. Wiebe, who is in his third collegiate season, has scored a career-best five goals and 25 points in 32 games, up from the four goals and 24 points in 38 games last season. He’s not looking too shabby for a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft.

The Flames had the pick 10 selections after the Golden Knights selected Wiebe, with the Flames electing to select Cade Littler 219th overall. Littler, an East Wenatchee, Washington native, had an interesting junior career, spending parts of it with the Wenatchee Wild when they were in the British Columbia Hockey League, as well as time in the United States Hockey League.

Over his first two junior seasons, Littler played two games with the Wild in 2019-20, then three games with the U.S. National Development Team in 2020-21. Finally, he got some legitimate playing time with the BCHL’s Wild in 2021-22, scoring 20 goals and 45 points in 50 games, leading to the Flames to pick him in the seventh round of that year’s draft.

His 2022-23 was mainly played in the BCHL, before playing four post-season games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. With the Wild, Littler scored 29 goals and 68 points in the BCHL’s regular season, adding four goals and six points in 10 playoff games. He picked up one assist in four USHL post-season games.

The 2023-24 season was one of limbo for Littler, as he was originally slated to go to college, but pulled out of his commitment once head coach Mike Hastings departed Minnesota State University (Mankato). He split his season between the USHL (eight goals and 11 points in 14 games) and the BCHL (nine goals and 21 points in 24 games with the Penticton Vees).

Littler began his collegiate career in 2024-25, scoring seven goals and nine points in 33 games, with three of those goals coming in the end-of-season tournament. In four fewer games, the right-shot forward has already surpassed his point total, picking up four goals and 11 points in 29 games this season.

The Fighting Hawks’ regular season is rapidly coming to a close, as they have just two more road games against the reigning NCAA tournament champions, Western Michigan. In less than two weeks, they’ll play in the end-of-season tournament, and will more than likely be invited to the NCAA tournament, as they are currently the third-seed in the nation.

Littler will more than likely play his 2026-27 season with the Fighting Hawks, potentially turning professional at the end of that season. Being a seventh-round pick and not being productive so far in his collegiate career isn’t very encouraging, but perhaps he takes a step forward next season.