Meet the Flames’ 2025 First-Round Draft Picks

Most of his points were assists. He’s primarily a playmaker and play driver, but Reschny can score goals. He has an uncanny ability to “pull” his opponents’ attention onto him, so that his linemates seem to disappear and then reappear to tap one of his passes for a shot on net. This is a quality often seen among star NHL playmakers — Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights, for example, has this skill and racks up assists.

Reschny isn’t expected to make his NHL debut this season. Thanks to the new CHL-NCAA transfer agreement, he’s committed to the University of North Dakota of the NCAA, where he’ll have the opportunity to develop in a new environment. When he does make his debut, however, the Flames will have a young, top-tier offensive driver.

32nd Overall: Cullen Potter

Drafted from the Arizona State Sun Devils of the NCAA, Cullen Potter is a similarly small forward — 5-foot-10, 172 lb — and a graduate of the United States National Team Development Program. In his rookie season with the Sun Devils, Potter scored 22 points in 35 games, placing eighth on the team in scoring as the only player under 20 on the roster.

Potter is more of a goalscorer than Reschny, and as a smaller player who doesn’t drive play in the same way, he relies a lot on foot-speed and positioning to rack up his points. The NCAA is generally a lower-scoring league than the WHL, and the Sun Devils weren’t quite as good as the Royals, who placed first in their division — but Potter’s point totals and per-game stats will be lower than Reschny’s anyway, especially since he will mostly be facing players a few years older than Reschny’s average age of competition.

Potter is an opportunistic goalscorer and a speedy player, using his skating skills to excel in neutral-zone play and get to the front of the net quickly. He’s not very physical, which is limited by his size, but he’s smart and finds his places well. Like Reschny, Potter will need some time in the NCAA to grow, both physically and as a hockey player. His ceiling is just as high as Reschny’s is, even though he has a longer way to go.

Skill Over Size: The Flames’ Drafting Philosophy

Potter and Reschny are both value picks at their draft selection, and they’re also very similar. Even though the Flames haven’t had a very high pick in years, they have had relative success with their drafting, especially of late. Reschny and Potter fit the same mould as most of the organization’s draft picks in the Craig Conroy era: Undersized (or at least not considered NHL average size) but extremely skilled.

Arguably, selecting players of this type is a pre-Conroy invention. Matt Coronato, the Flames’ first-round pick in 2021, is 5-foot-10, the same size as Potter, and just signed a seven-year contract extension worth $6.5 million annually. Former Flame Jakob Pelletier, selected in the first round in 2019, is smaller than average as well, and then there is Dustin Wolf.

In Wolf’s draft-eligible season (2018-19), he led the WHL in save percentage, wins, and goals-against average. His size, however, led teams to undervalue him, and he was the last goaltender selected in his draft class before he became a Calder Trophy finalist in 2024-25, a multi-Goaltender of the Year winner, and the Flames’ goaltender of the future.

These two new first-round prospects selected by the Flames are smaller and will take at least a season before they are NHL-ready. However, they’re also highly skilled, have a history of driving their team, and have legitimate top-six upside.