Flames Have NHL’s Most Overlooked Prospect System

The Calgary Flames have one of the most underrated and overlooked prospect systems in the entire NHL.

Oct 12, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames left wing Samuel Honzek (29) and Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) battles for the puck during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images / Sergei Belski-Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames recently came in ranked 17th in NHL prospect group rankings from The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler. In his yearly series evaluating the pipelines around the league, Wheeler is one of the most tapped in and reliable sources when it comes to future NHL players.

Which is why I found his Flames ranking to be off the mark. By my measure, Calgary has a top-10 prospect group, and I’m surprised they weren’t more highly regarded in Wheeler’s annual rankings.

Zayne Parekh - The Next Cale Makar

The best prospect in the bunch for Calgary is defenseman Zayne Parekh. The former ninth-overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft made his debut in April of this past season. In one game, he recorded his first career NHL goal in 20 minutes of ice time.

Parekh has everything you want out a future top-pairing defender. His footwork and skating mechanics are excellent, and they are best displayed when he’s picking up speed. He has incredible burst and agility on the ice, and that continues with the puck on his stick.

It’s why Parekh is a future top pairing defender and power play quarterback. He put up a staggering 33 goals and 74 assists in 61 OHL games with the Saginaw Spirit last season, and it was likely enough to earn him a full-time role at the NHL level in 2025.

If Parekh can reach the potential most believe he can, he could become the next Cale Makar. That is a lofty expectation, but he has all of the skills and determination to become an elite defenseman at the NHL level.

Apr 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Calgary Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh (89) handles the puck during the second period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Underrated Forward Group

Wheeler included winger Matt Coronato due to his age (22), despite his breakout season at the NHL level. But outside of Coronato, there is an underrated forward group rising up the ranks. This most recent draft was a huge success for the franchise, as they added multiple legitimate NHL forward prospects. Center Cole Reschny, the team’s 2025 NHL Draft first-round pick, projects to be a second-line center at the NHL level. They also selected talented goal scorer Cullen Potter with the final pick in the first round and came back two rounds later to select big Swedish forward Theo Stockselius, giving the Flames three new, impressive forward prospects.

That doesn’t include two forwards already in the system. 2023 first-round pick Samuel Honzek took his licks in his first full professional season in North America, but he’s another top-six winger in the making. So too is 2024 first-round pick Matvei Gridin, who is coming off an excellent campaign in the QMJHL.

The one area that can be justly criticized is the lack of NHL goaltender prospects. Part of that can be written off, however, as they just graduated their best prospect to the NHL level last season. Dustin Wolf made the jump to NHL starter during the 2024-2025 season, and he’s slated to be the anchor in net for the foreseeable future. Kirill Zarubin, a 2024 third-round pick, is probably the next best prospect in the system, but he’s a long-term project.

Overall, I see five future NHL impact players in the Flames’ pipeline. Not just players who make an appearance at the top level, but top of the lineup forwards and defenders. With Parekh leading the way as one of the next rising defenders and forwards like Reschny and Honzek working their way up, the Flames have one of the most underrated and overlooked prospect systems in the entire NHL.

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