<p>The Calgary Flames, for the second year in a row, have multiple first-round picks in the NHL Draft.</p>
<p><a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/12/4-centre-options-for-the-flames-at-18th-overall-at-the-2025-nhl-draft/">We&#8217;ve already delved into a few potential centres that could be available with their first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, 18th overall</a>. Now, let&#8217;s check out what possible centres might be options with their second pick, from Florida, which will either be 31st or 32nd overall</p>
<h2>Don&#8217;t count on &#8217;em being available</h2>
<p>As mentioned in the 18th overall rundown, every year I build a &#8220;consensus ranking&#8221; of prominent public rankings in order to make an educated projection of how the first round could play out.</p>
<p>Based on our aggregated consensus ranking of public rankings released since beginning of May (Elite Prospects, FC Hockey, Daily Faceoff, Bob McKenzie, Craig Button, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, Tony Ferrari and McKeen&#8217;s), there are a bunch of centres we suspect will <em>probably</em> be unavailable when the Flames select for the second time, at 31st or 32nd overall.</p>
<ul>
<li>Before 18th overall: Michael Misa, James Hagens, Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers, Jake O&#8217;Brien, Roger McQueen, Brady Martin and Carter Bear</li>
<li>Around 18th overall: Braeden Cootes, Ben Kindel, Cullen Potter and Cole Reschny</li>
</ul>
<p>So who does that leave? Here are six possible matches for the Flames&#8217; centre needs.</p>
<h2>Milton Gastrin</h2>
<p><a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/23/versatile-swedish-forward-milton-gastrin-offers-value-late-in-2025s-first-round/">Ranked 29th on our consensus list</a>, Gastrin is a left shot centre who played this season with MoDo Hockey in Sweden – suiting up with their under-18, under-20 and Swedish Hockey League teams throughout the season. He&#8217;s listed at 6&#8217;1&#8243; and 185 pounds, and he hails from Örnsköldsvik, the same town that Flames prospect William Strömgren is from.</p>
<p>Playing primarily in Sweden&#8217;s J20 Nationell junior league, Gastrin was one of the most consistent offensive producers in his age group in that league. MoDo wasn&#8217;t an amazing team this season, missing the playoffs and just avoiding having to play in the relegation playoffs, but Gastrin was one of their best players and had a strong season, even with dealing with the usual Swedish draft year foibles of jumping around to different levels of hockey and playing in different tournaments.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-top-80-steven-ellis-misa-hagens-schaefer-martone-desnoyers">Our pal Steven Ellis, over at Daily Faceoff</a>, had this rundown of Gastrin in his May draft rankings (ranking him 24th):</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Gastrin has been excellent in Swedish national team action, developing into quite a responsible two-way player. Gastrin will not be a point producer in the NHL, but he will do so many other things that excite you. He’s defensively responsible, wins a ton of face-offs and can play the wing when you need him to. We’ve seen him play with some of Sweden’s better players in international junior tournaments, and he has never looked out of place.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As we noted in our profile of him: Gastrin is a toolsy two-way centre from Sweden. The Flames tend to love those.</p>
<h2>Jakob Ihs-Wozniak</h2>
<p><a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/01/australian-born-swedish-forward-prospect-jakob-ihs-wozniak-is-downright-fascinating/">Landing at 34th on our consensus ranking</a>, Ihs-Wozniak is a right shot forward (who played a mix of centre and the wing) who played this season with Lulea HF in Sweden. He played primarily with their under-20 team in the J20 Nationell, but he also made appearances on their under-18 and Swedish Hockey League clubs, too.</p>
<p>Born in Australia but raised in Sweden, Ihs-Wozniak had a really strong season. Lulea HF was a pretty solid team in the J20, qualifying for the playoffs, and Ihs-Wozniak led the team in scoring and was one of the top producers in the entire league. Like Gastrin, he bounced between levels of hockey and various international tournaments, but he maintained a solid offensive output all season.</p>
<p>Ihs-Wozniak landed at 40th on Ellis&#8217; May rankings; here&#8217;s Ellis&#8217; assessment of his game:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Ihs-Wozniak struggled out of the gate this year, but he ended the season as one of Sweden’s top young players. He closed with a great showing at the U-18s, which scouts were thrilled to see after a quiet Hlinka Gretzky Cup. That helped him get back into the first-round conversation like many expected. Ihs Wozniak is streaky, but the goal-scoring instincts are definitely there. He just needs to figure out how to be more consistent if he’s going to excel at the next level.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Flames are low on right shot forwards in general, and getting a Swedish rightie that can play centre would add a lot of versatility to their reserve list.</p>
<h2>Cole McKinney</h2>
<p>Coming in at 35th on our consensus tally, McKinney is a right shot centre who played this past season with the United States National Development Program&#8217;s under-18 team. He&#8217;s originally from Chicago and he&#8217;s listed at 6&#8217;0&#8243; and 201 pounds.</p>
<p>This was said to be a down year for the USNDP draft crop – there are some cohorts that produce really high-end players, and some with fewer of those – but McKinney was a effective player for them nonetheless, leading the under-18 team in scoring and performing well for them throughout the season. He&#8217;s committed to the University of Michigan for next season.</p>
<p>Ellis had McKinney 34th on his May rankings:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">McKinney was one of the USNTDP’s top forwards all year long, and he was also one of the most aggressive. McKinney is a mid-sized, two-way center who can play on the penalty kill, block shots and win a ton of faceoffs. He’s not going to be a play driver in the NHL, but he’s detail-oriented and astute. McKinney is also not afraid to land a big hit to channel some energy. I hope he gets stronger when he heads to college to really maximize his pure power, but the overall package right now is a solid base to build around.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The words Ellis uses to describe McKinney – particularly &#8220;detail-oriented&#8221; – would be things a team like the Flames, looking for long-term pieces to shore up their centre depth chart, would really value highly.</p>
<h2>Jack Nesbitt</h2>
<p><a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/22/ohl-centre-jack-nesbitt-could-be-a-late-first-round-option-for-the-flames/">The 30th-ranked player on our consensus compilation</a>, Nesbitt is a left shot centre that played this past season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He&#8217;s listed at 6&#8217;4&#8243; and 183 pounds and is originally from Sarnia.</p>
<p>The Spitfires were a pretty decent team this season, boasting a handful of NHL-drafted prospects and playing into the second round of the OHL&#8217;s playoffs. Nesbitt was a prominent piece of what we&#8217;ll call the &#8220;second tier&#8221; of Spits players, underneath Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree, and scored at around a point-per-game pace. (He also scored at just shy of a point-per-game pace in the playoffs).</p>
<p>Ellis had Nesbitt at 31st on his recent rankings:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Nesbitt was often one of Windsor’s better shot generators, and while he didn’t put up Liam Greentree numbers, he’s still going to finish at close to a point per game. He’s a big, 6-foot-4 center – teams typically like that. I wish he had more top speed, but I think Nesbitt has a solid ceiling. He showed how good he could be around the net during the U-18s, creating havoc and pushing guys around while jumping in on rebounds. Some scouts don’t know if he’ll be more than a third-line center, but I feel confident he’ll be an NHLer.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Flames have scouted the OHL heavily in recent years, and several of their most prominent prospects from the 2024 class – Zayne Parekh, Jacob Battaglia and Henry Mews – are OHL products.</p>
<h2>Eric Nilson</h2>
<p><a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/25/son-of-a-former-flame-swedish-centre-eric-nilson-could-be-a-late-first-round-option/">The 32nd-ranked player on the consensus list</a>, Nilson is a right shot centre who played this past season with Sweden&#8217;s Djurgardens IF organization – like the other Swedes here, he played a bit of under-18 and pro hockey, but primarily played for their under-20 team in the J20 Nationell circuit.</p>
<p>The son of former Flames forward Marcus Nilson, Nilson was born in Calgary but raised in Sweden. Djurgardens&#8217; J20 team was really good this season, winning the playoff crown in that league. While Nilson wasn&#8217;t the top player on that team – fellow 2025 draft prospect Theo Stockselius was well ahead of Nilson in scoring – he was a really reliable piece of their puzzle. He&#8217;s headed across the Atlantic to play at Michigan State for the 2025-26 season.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s Ellis, who had Nilson at 35th on his May list:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Nilson has hung around the 30-35 range for most of the year for me. I don’t think he has high-end skill and he’s definitely not a play-driver. But he’s a great passer who can also wire home shots, too. He’s been productive in the Swedish U-20 league and has some pro experience with Djurgardens’ Allsvenskan team. I can see Nilson becoming an effective bottom-six forward because he’s so committed to winning every battle while still maintaining his position in his own zone.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Flames haven&#8217;t selected the son of a former player since 2010, when they selected both Max Reinhart and John Ramage. But given their familiarity with Swedish hockey, they&#8217;ll have a book on Nilson.</p>
<h2>Ivan Ryabkin</h2>
<p>Last but not least, <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/31/ivan-ryabkin-2025-nhl-draft-risk-worth-taking/">Ryabkin is a fascinating player</a>. Once thought to be a high first-rounder, he&#8217;s slid and now sits 31st in our consensus list. He&#8217;s a left shot centre who split his season between three Russian teams – Dynamo Moskva in the KHL, Dynamo St. Petersburg in the second-tier VHL, and MHK Dynamo Moskva in the junior MHL – and the United States Hockey League&#8217;s Muskegon Lumberjackets.</p>
<p>Ryabkin is listed at 5&#8217;11&#8221; and 209 pounds and hails from Balakovo, Russia. On one hand, he&#8217;s a player that&#8217;s drawn rave reviews for his creativity and offensive skill set. However, whether because he&#8217;s bounced around a bunch or for whatever other reasons, his offensive production has been very stop and start for much of the season.</p>
<p>Ellis had him 27th on his May ranking:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Ryabkin is one of the most divisive players in this draft because he started out as a potential top-five pick but looked distant back in Russia and needed a change of scenery. He’s been productive since his move to Muskegon, though, playing at a 40-goal pace in a full season. We’ve also seen him flesh out his physical and playmaking games, with his passing and hockey sense being two of his best traits. A boost of confidence in the USHL seems to have really helped Ryabkin’s stock after falling out of the first round in the eyes of many at the halfway point of the season.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that the Flames drafted Matvei Gridin from Muskegon in last year&#8217;s draft and given their familiarity with that team (and the USHL), they may have some insights into what&#8217;s hampering Ryabkin. He&#8217;s a really interesting player, but likely the riskiest proposition among the six players we&#8217;ve mentioned here.</p>
<h1>This article is brought to you by the Alberta Teachers Association</h1>
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<div>Alberta spends the least per student on public education in Canada, leaving schools underfunded and in crisis. Overcrowded classrooms, unmet student needs, and dwindling supports are driving record numbers of teachers to leave the profession. As Albertans, we cannot ignore this neglect. Our children deserve better. It’s time to act—advocate for increased funding and demand answers from your MLA. Why does Alberta invest the least in its students? The excuses must stop. Stand up for our schools, support our educators, and help ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. The future of education in Alberta depends on it. Visit <a href="http://www.stoptheexcuses.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stoptheexcuses.ca/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749076604358000&amp;usg=AOvVaw37qA-Kk5hriuH_FB7qjosF">www.stoptheexcuses.ca</a></div>
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The Calgary Flames, for the second year in a row, have multiple first-round picks in the NHL Draft.

<a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/12/4-centre-options-for-the-flames-at-18th-overall-at-the-2025-nhl-draft/">We've already delved into a few potential centres that could be available with their first pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, 18th overall</a>. Now, let's check out what possible centres might be options with their second pick, from Florida, which will either be 31st or 32nd overall
<h2>Don't count on 'em being available</h2>
As mentioned in the 18th overall rundown, every year I build a "consensus ranking" of prominent public rankings in order to make an educated projection of how the first round could play out.

Based on our aggregated consensus ranking of public rankings released since beginning of May (Elite Prospects, FC Hockey, Daily Faceoff, Bob McKenzie, Craig Button, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman, Tony Ferrari and McKeen's), there are a bunch of centres we suspect will <em>probably</em> be unavailable when the Flames select for the second time, at 31st or 32nd overall.
<ul>
 	<li>Before 18th overall: Michael Misa, James Hagens, Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers, Jake O'Brien, Roger McQueen, Brady Martin and Carter Bear</li>
 	<li>Around 18th overall: Braeden Cootes, Ben Kindel, Cullen Potter and Cole Reschny</li>
</ul>
So who does that leave? Here are six possible matches for the Flames' centre needs.
<h2>Milton Gastrin</h2>
<a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/23/versatile-swedish-forward-milton-gastrin-offers-value-late-in-2025s-first-round/">Ranked 29th on our consensus list</a>, Gastrin is a left shot centre who played this season with MoDo Hockey in Sweden – suiting up with their under-18, under-20 and Swedish Hockey League teams throughout the season. He's listed at 6'1" and 185 pounds, and he hails from Örnsköldsvik, the same town that Flames prospect William Strömgren is from.

Playing primarily in Sweden's J20 Nationell junior league, Gastrin was one of the most consistent offensive producers in his age group in that league. MoDo wasn't an amazing team this season, missing the playoffs and just avoiding having to play in the relegation playoffs, but Gastrin was one of their best players and had a strong season, even with dealing with the usual Swedish draft year foibles of jumping around to different levels of hockey and playing in different tournaments.

<a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-top-80-steven-ellis-misa-hagens-schaefer-martone-desnoyers">Our pal Steven Ellis, over at Daily Faceoff</a>, had this rundown of Gastrin in his May draft rankings (ranking him 24th):
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Gastrin has been excellent in Swedish national team action, developing into quite a responsible two-way player. Gastrin will not be a point producer in the NHL, but he will do so many other things that excite you. He’s defensively responsible, wins a ton of face-offs and can play the wing when you need him to. We’ve seen him play with some of Sweden’s better players in international junior tournaments, and he has never looked out of place.</p>
</blockquote>
As we noted in our profile of him: Gastrin is a toolsy two-way centre from Sweden. The Flames tend to love those.
<h2>Jakob Ihs-Wozniak</h2>
<a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/06/01/australian-born-swedish-forward-prospect-jakob-ihs-wozniak-is-downright-fascinating/">Landing at 34th on our consensus ranking</a>, Ihs-Wozniak is a right shot forward (who played a mix of centre and the wing) who played this season with Lulea HF in Sweden. He played primarily with their under-20 team in the J20 Nationell, but he also made appearances on their under-18 and Swedish Hockey League clubs, too.

Born in Australia but raised in Sweden, Ihs-Wozniak had a really strong season. Lulea HF was a pretty solid team in the J20, qualifying for the playoffs, and Ihs-Wozniak led the team in scoring and was one of the top producers in the entire league. Like Gastrin, he bounced between levels of hockey and various international tournaments, but he maintained a solid offensive output all season.

Ihs-Wozniak landed at 40th on Ellis' May rankings; here's Ellis' assessment of his game:
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Ihs-Wozniak struggled out of the gate this year, but he ended the season as one of Sweden’s top young players. He closed with a great showing at the U-18s, which scouts were thrilled to see after a quiet Hlinka Gretzky Cup. That helped him get back into the first-round conversation like many expected. Ihs Wozniak is streaky, but the goal-scoring instincts are definitely there. He just needs to figure out how to be more consistent if he’s going to excel at the next level.</p>
</blockquote>
The Flames are low on right shot forwards in general, and getting a Swedish rightie that can play centre would add a lot of versatility to their reserve list.
<h2>Cole McKinney</h2>
Coming in at 35th on our consensus tally, McKinney is a right shot centre who played this past season with the United States National Development Program's under-18 team. He's originally from Chicago and he's listed at 6'0" and 201 pounds.

This was said to be a down year for the USNDP draft crop – there are some cohorts that produce really high-end players, and some with fewer of those – but McKinney was a effective player for them nonetheless, leading the under-18 team in scoring and performing well for them throughout the season. He's committed to the University of Michigan for next season.

Ellis had McKinney 34th on his May rankings:
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">McKinney was one of the USNTDP’s top forwards all year long, and he was also one of the most aggressive. McKinney is a mid-sized, two-way center who can play on the penalty kill, block shots and win a ton of faceoffs. He’s not going to be a play driver in the NHL, but he’s detail-oriented and astute. McKinney is also not afraid to land a big hit to channel some energy. I hope he gets stronger when he heads to college to really maximize his pure power, but the overall package right now is a solid base to build around.</p>
</blockquote>
The words Ellis uses to describe McKinney – particularly "detail-oriented" – would be things a team like the Flames, looking for long-term pieces to shore up their centre depth chart, would really value highly.
<h2>Jack Nesbitt</h2>
<a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/22/ohl-centre-jack-nesbitt-could-be-a-late-first-round-option-for-the-flames/">The 30th-ranked player on our consensus compilation</a>, Nesbitt is a left shot centre that played this past season with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. He's listed at 6'4" and 183 pounds and is originally from Sarnia.

The Spitfires were a pretty decent team this season, boasting a handful of NHL-drafted prospects and playing into the second round of the OHL's playoffs. Nesbitt was a prominent piece of what we'll call the "second tier" of Spits players, underneath Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree, and scored at around a point-per-game pace. (He also scored at just shy of a point-per-game pace in the playoffs).

Ellis had Nesbitt at 31st on his recent rankings:
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Nesbitt was often one of Windsor’s better shot generators, and while he didn’t put up Liam Greentree numbers, he’s still going to finish at close to a point per game. He’s a big, 6-foot-4 center – teams typically like that. I wish he had more top speed, but I think Nesbitt has a solid ceiling. He showed how good he could be around the net during the U-18s, creating havoc and pushing guys around while jumping in on rebounds. Some scouts don’t know if he’ll be more than a third-line center, but I feel confident he’ll be an NHLer.</p>
</blockquote>
The Flames have scouted the OHL heavily in recent years, and several of their most prominent prospects from the 2024 class – Zayne Parekh, Jacob Battaglia and Henry Mews – are OHL products.
<h2>Eric Nilson</h2>
<a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/25/son-of-a-former-flame-swedish-centre-eric-nilson-could-be-a-late-first-round-option/">The 32nd-ranked player on the consensus list</a>, Nilson is a right shot centre who played this past season with Sweden's Djurgardens IF organization – like the other Swedes here, he played a bit of under-18 and pro hockey, but primarily played for their under-20 team in the J20 Nationell circuit.

The son of former Flames forward Marcus Nilson, Nilson was born in Calgary but raised in Sweden. Djurgardens' J20 team was really good this season, winning the playoff crown in that league. While Nilson wasn't the top player on that team – fellow 2025 draft prospect Theo Stockselius was well ahead of Nilson in scoring – he was a really reliable piece of their puzzle. He's headed across the Atlantic to play at Michigan State for the 2025-26 season.

Here's Ellis, who had Nilson at 35th on his May list:
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Nilson has hung around the 30-35 range for most of the year for me. I don’t think he has high-end skill and he’s definitely not a play-driver. But he’s a great passer who can also wire home shots, too. He’s been productive in the Swedish U-20 league and has some pro experience with Djurgardens’ Allsvenskan team. I can see Nilson becoming an effective bottom-six forward because he’s so committed to winning every battle while still maintaining his position in his own zone.</p>
</blockquote>
The Flames haven't selected the son of a former player since 2010, when they selected both Max Reinhart and John Ramage. But given their familiarity with Swedish hockey, they'll have a book on Nilson.
<h2>Ivan Ryabkin</h2>
Last but not least, <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2025/05/31/ivan-ryabkin-2025-nhl-draft-risk-worth-taking/">Ryabkin is a fascinating player</a>. Once thought to be a high first-rounder, he's slid and now sits 31st in our consensus list. He's a left shot centre who split his season between three Russian teams – Dynamo Moskva in the KHL, Dynamo St. Petersburg in the second-tier VHL, and MHK Dynamo Moskva in the junior MHL – and the United States Hockey League's Muskegon Lumberjackets.

Ryabkin is listed at 5'11" and 209 pounds and hails from Balakovo, Russia. On one hand, he's a player that's drawn rave reviews for his creativity and offensive skill set. However, whether because he's bounced around a bunch or for whatever other reasons, his offensive production has been very stop and start for much of the season.

Ellis had him 27th on his May ranking:
<blockquote>
<p class="mb-4 text-lg">Ryabkin is one of the most divisive players in this draft because he started out as a potential top-five pick but looked distant back in Russia and needed a change of scenery. He’s been productive since his move to Muskegon, though, playing at a 40-goal pace in a full season. We’ve also seen him flesh out his physical and playmaking games, with his passing and hockey sense being two of his best traits. A boost of confidence in the USHL seems to have really helped Ryabkin’s stock after falling out of the first round in the eyes of many at the halfway point of the season.</p>
</blockquote>
It's worth noting that the Flames drafted Matvei Gridin from Muskegon in last year's draft and given their familiarity with that team (and the USHL), they may have some insights into what's hampering Ryabkin. He's a really interesting player, but likely the riskiest proposition among the six players we've mentioned here.
<h1>This article is brought to you by the Alberta Teachers Association</h1>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-144854" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/ATA-2025-SUMMER-Nation-727x404_v1.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="404" />
<div>Alberta spends the least per student on public education in Canada, leaving schools underfunded and in crisis. Overcrowded classrooms, unmet student needs, and dwindling supports are driving record numbers of teachers to leave the profession. As Albertans, we cannot ignore this neglect. Our children deserve better. It’s time to act—advocate for increased funding and demand answers from your MLA. Why does Alberta invest the least in its students? The excuses must stop. Stand up for our schools, support our educators, and help ensure every child has the opportunity to succeed. The future of education in Alberta depends on it. Visit <a href="http://www.stoptheexcuses.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.stoptheexcuses.ca/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1749076604358000&amp;usg=AOvVaw37qA-Kk5hriuH_FB7qjosF">www.stoptheexcuses.ca</a></div>
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