Who the experts have the Calgary Flames selecting in the first round of the 2025 NHL draft

Draft day is finally upon us, and the Calgary Flames will be one of the busier teams at the draft tonight with two first-round picks for the second year in a row. Slotted to select at 18th and 32nd, the Flames will have some tough decisions to make in what should be a wild first round across the league.

Given where they pick and the shallow draft pool this year, there have been numerous names thrown around for the Flames. Below are the players the draft experts have the Flames selecting tonight.

18th overall

At 18, it’s been suggested that the Flames are likely to target a centre. However, some experts seem to have a wide range of potential players whom the organization could end up drafting with their first pick of the draft.

FC Hockey, Adam Kimelman (NHL.com), Sam Cosentino (Sportsnet)

The pick: Braeden Cootes, C

Numerous outlets have WHL centre Braeden Cootes going to the Flames at 18. Cootes clearly seems like one of the most popular picks at 18th, and it’s not hard to see why. Cootes is a strong two-way centre with an impressive motor and compete level, something the Flames have clearly made a priority with their roster. He’s also a right-shot centre, the number one need in the organization at the moment.

I don’t think Cootes is an ideal selection here, given he doesn’t have great offensive upside, but this would by no means be a bad pick. The bottom line is that he would certainly fit a major organizational need. Cootes has second-line potential, but given his lack of offensive ability, he likely fits more of a third-line role. To me, you should be aiming for a higher ceiling with an 18th overall pick.

Corey Pronman (The Athletic), Craig Button (TSN)

The pick: Cole Reschny, C

After Cootes, Reschny is the most popular pick for the Flames among draft experts. This would be a near-perfect selection for the Flames at 18 in my opinion. Reschny offers the exact type of high-end skillset the Flames are looking for, and most importantly, he plays centre.

Given the type of players that will likely be around at 18^th overall, Reschny provides some of the best upside and fits a positional need for the Flames. He’s a quick, dynamic centre who has impressive offensive skills across the board. If everything works out, he could one day be a very good second-line centre in the NHL, which is exactly what the Flames should realistically be hoping for with this pick.

Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)

The pick: Justin Carbonneau, RW

In a bit of a surprise, Scott Wheeler at the Athletic has right winger Justin Carbonneau going to Calgary with their first pick. Taking a winger seems like a questionable choice for the Flames given their needs down the middle of the ice.

That’s not to say Justin Carbonneau isn’t a great prospect. He’d be the best forward prospect in the Flames system and has very real top-six upside as one of the best wingers in the class. However, given Wheeler has Reschny going with the very next pick, it’s hard to see why the Flames would pass on a centre for yet another winger. Unless all the centres are gone by 18, I’d be stunned if Carbonneau is a Flame tonight.

Cam Robinson (Elite Prospects)

The pick: Ben Kindel, C/RW

I’m not sure how I feel about this pick at 18. Don’t get me wrong, Kindel is a super intriguing prospect and carries some impressive upside. The concern is that he likely translates to more of a winger in the NHL, and I don’t know if it’s the smartest pick for the Flames to take an undersized winger at 18. Given Kindel could very likely be around at 32, I think the Flames are better off targeting a pure centre here instead of Kindel.

32nd overall

Thanks to Matthew Tkachuk and the Panthers, the Flames’ next first-round pick won’t come until the very end of the night as the last pick of the round. Needless to say, they’ll be in tough to find an impact player in this spot.

FC Hockey, Corey Pronman (The Athletic)

The pick: Milton Gastrin, C

I am not a fan of Milton Gastrin, even at 32nd. As I’ve mentioned in the past, he very much seems like the typical low-ceiling, high-floor bottom-six player of the first round this year. The Flames have taken enough of those recently and shouldn’t be drafting low-upside players in the first round, given their need for elite talent. I’d much rather the team take a swing on a high-risk/high-reward type player with the 32nd pick. This organization is not in a position to be making safe picks.

Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)

The pick: Ben Kindel, C/RW

Some mocks out there had Ben Kindel all the way up at 18 as seen above, so snagging him here with the final pick of the first round would be a big win for the Flames. The story on Kindel is the same as most undersized players; he’s a dynamic offensive threat who dominated the CHL but has slipped down draft boards due to his size and questions around his fit in the NHL. With that said, at 32nd overall, he’d be the perfect boom or bust type gamble the Flames should be making with this pick. Sign me up for this one every day of the week.

Adam Kimelman (NHL.com)

The pick: William Horcoff, C

The Flames picking the son of a retired Edmonton Oilers legend? That would be fun. Not just that, but William Horcoff would also be a great fit for the Flames. Horcoff is a monster already, standing at over 6’4″ with plenty of room to fill out his NHL-sized frame. He’s not the flashiest player, but he offers a hard-nosed, energetic style down the middle of the ice, and projects as a future third-line, in-your-face type centre. If the Flames grab an offensive talent at 18, this could be a good pick to follow it up.

Cam Robinson (Elite Prospects)

The pick: Sascha Boumedienne, LD

While the Flames are loaded on the right side of defence, the left side is the opposite story. For that reason, I’m fully on board with this selection at 32. Sascha Boumedienne is a smooth, puck-moving defenceman who excels in transition but experienced some growing pains in the NCAA this season. Given the Flames’ complete lack of depth on the left side of defence after Kevin Bahl, selecting a high upside player like Boumedienne, who could one day become a top-four defender, is a good bet if they go centre at 18.

Place your bets

With the Flames selecting twice in the second half of the first round, it’s anyone’s guess who they walk away with later tonight. With a weak class and little difference between prospects after the top 10, we’re set for a wild night in Los Angeles as the Flames look to add to their impressive prospect pool.