As a result of their overtime loss in Anaheim on Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames can no longer finish as a bottom-10 team.
The relevance of this? Calgary&#8217;s 2025 first-round pick is subject to a pick swap if it&#8217;s not in the top 10. This means that barring a highly improbable lottery win, the Flames will send their 2025 first to the Montreal Canadiens and receive the Florida Panthers pick instead, all part of <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/updating-the-mess-of-the-flames-conditional-2025-first-round-draft-picks#">trade conditions</a> that stem back to <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2022/08/18/calgary-flames-trade-sean-monahan-2025-1st-to-montreal-canadiens-nhl/">the Sean Monahan</a> and <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2022/07/22/flames-acquire-package-including-jonathan-huberdeau-mackenzie-weegar-from-panthers-for-matthew-tkachuk/">Matthew Tkachuk trades</a> in 2022.
It&#8217;s not the end of the world as the Calgary pick wouldn&#8217;t have been a premium one by any means. And although it would have been nice for them to retain their own pick in what&#8217;s supposed to be year two of a rebuild, they&#8217;ll likely only fall back 10 or so picks in round one.
Not to mention the Flames own New Jersey&#8217;s 2025 first-rounder as well, meaning that for the first time in over a decade, they&#8217;re set to make multiple selections in the first round.
So, whereabouts will the Flames&#8217; picks end up? And what kind of prospects can they add to a pipeline already teeming with potential?
<h2>The picks</h2>
Editor&#8217;s note: Here&#8217;s how the first-round draft order is determined, with every category in reverse standings order:
<ul>
<li>1st to 16th: Non-playoff teams (subject to alteration by the draft lottery)</li>
<li>Next are the playoff teams that didn&#8217;t win their divisions and didn&#8217;t make the conference finals</li>
<li>Next are the division winners that didn&#8217;t make the conference finals</li>
<li>29th &amp; 30th: The two teams that lost in the conference finals</li>
<li>31st: Stanley Cup loser</li>
<li>32nd: Stanley Cup winner</li>
</ul>
New Jersey&#8217;s: If the season ended today the Devils&#8217; pick would yield the 18th overall selection – they&#8217;re the playoff team with the second-fewest points.
They&#8217;re one point ahead of Montreal with three games remaining, so they could still drop down a spot in the overall standings. This pick should land in the 17th to 19th overall range.
Florida&#8217;s: If the season ended today the Panthers&#8217; pick would yield the 22nd overall selection, but this pick is less entrenched than Jersey&#8217;s.
The Panthers are a point within the two teams ahead of them, meaning they could leapfrog and their selection could slide back a few spots. That said, it&#8217;s safe to assume it will end up somewhere from pick 21 to 25.
<h2>Team needs</h2>
Centre &#8211; This one&#8217;s pretty easy, at this point, everyone and their aunt knows that the Flames have lacked a franchise centreman since Joe Nieuwendyk donned the Flaming C.
And while it may be tough to find elite centreman in the back of the first, I doubt that will deter management from trying.
The centre position is even thin below the NHL level, with their most intriguing prospect at that position being Luke Misa who, although a great prospect, was a fifth-round pick last year.
Who might be available? &#8211; Right-handed centreman Ben Kindel. Despite his rather small frame of 5&#8217;10&#8221; and 175 pounds, Kindle welcomes contact and often engages opponents physically. But it&#8217;s his offensive skillset that makes him a high-end prospect, posting 99 points in 65 games this season with the Calgary Hitmen. Needless to say, Kindel can read the play like a book!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ben Kindel is just too FAST.<a href="https://twitter.com/WHLHitmen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHLHitmen</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHLPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHLPlayoffs</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FeedingTheFuture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FeedingTheFuture</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/m5MIhXzZNj">pic.twitter.com/m5MIhXzZNj</a>
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWHL/status/1907258641411092810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
Similar to Zayne Parekh last year, Kindel&#8217;s skill with the puck seems to be slightly overlooked by his shaky play without it, resulting in NHL Central Scouting ranking him as the 20th North American skater.
He should be available at either of Calgary&#8217;s first-round picks, and the upside on this player is massive if his game can translate to the NHL.
Defensively minded left-shot defenceman &#8211; Though the pipeline is already defenceman-laden, most of the Flames&#8217; defensive prospects are of a similar ilk. Arguably their three best prospects on the blue line Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews and Hunter Brzustewicz are each right-handed offensive defenceman.
Not to mention MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are also right-handed and at least somewhat offensively minded. It&#8217;s imperative that Calgary counter this with some defencemen who are more &#8216;stay-at-home&#8217; than the current crop, and who can play the left side.
Who might be available? &#8211; Enter Kashawn Aitcheson of the Barrie Colts. A 6&#8217;1&#8243; 198-pound left-shot blueliner, who is a true unicorn in every sense of the word. Aitcheson mans the back-end with a rare combination of power, grit and skill, and has mastered the lost art of striking fear into your opponent.
His Barrie Colts ended the regular season as the second seed of the Ontario Hockey League&#8217;s Eastern Conference, and he led them in goals and points as a defenceman, posting 26 tallies and 59 points in 64 games. But it&#8217;s his ability to wear out the opposition physically that makes him such a throwback prospect.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We heard there&#8217;s a Kash Money train 🚂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiddyUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GiddyUp</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/l1KLoCS2jr">pic.twitter.com/l1KLoCS2jr</a>
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) <a href="https://twitter.com/OHLBarrieColts/status/1906862375203938456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Central Scouting currently has him ranked 15th amongst North American skaters, so theoretically he should be there at the Devils pick, but don&#8217;t be surprised if a team falls in love and jumps on him in the top 15.
A goal scorer of any position &#8211; Nobody would be upset with the Flames if they completely disregarded position and team fit to simply draft the best available goal scorer.
It&#8217;s no secret that what Calgary lacks more than anything else is offence, and more specifically players who specialize in putting the puck in the back of the net. The emergence of Matt Coronato was nice and the Flames have some limited scoring talent outside of the NHL in Matvei Gridin, but not nearly enough to rest easy.
Who might be available? &#8211; Ryker Lee, a 5&#8217;11&#8221; 180-pound right winger, is one of the very few true snipers in this draft. He is a reach if taken in the round one considering Central Scouting&#8217;s ranking of 40 amongst North American skaters. Calgary may be able to get away with using their second or even third-round pick on him.
Lee is hailed for his powerful shot that netted him 30 goals in 56 USHL games this season, playing for the Madison Capitols. Both his wrist shot and one-timer are remarkably explosive and accurate.
The Flames have drafted two snipers out of the USHL (Gridin &amp; Coronato) in recent years and both have taken major steps forward following their draft year. With Lee committed to Michigan State next season, he could be a steal if he takes another step there.
Also worth mentioning is 6&#8217;1&#8243; 195 pound Nathan Behm, centreman for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. More of a power forward than a sniper, Behm posted 31 goals and 66 points in 59 WHL contests this season.
Behm&#8217;s game is more likely to gain traction at the pro level and he&#8217;s therefore a safer prospect than Lee. This of course means Calgary would more than likely have to burn a first to acquire him, but it could be worth it considering he plays a position of need and possesses size and power, something their current prospect pool lacks.
<h1 dir="ltr">This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary</h1>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-140577" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/image0-1.jpeg" alt="" width="400" height="382" srcset="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/image0-1.jpeg 400w, https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/image0-1-300x287.jpeg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />
Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary&#8217;s best run adult recreational hockey league.  Now is the time to get in for summer registration.  Mention &#8220;Barn Burner&#8221; to get $100 off your team registration.  14 games plus for the summer in women&#8217;s, co-ed and men&#8217;s divisions.  For more information, <a href="https://admin.esportsdesk.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID=5757&amp;clientID=6813&amp;pageID=1292" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://admin.esportsdesk.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID%3D5757%26clientID%3D6813%26pageID%3D1292&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1741300335995000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1SpRRNjIoZ_eEzGfcIr7cA">click here.</a>

As a result of their overtime loss in Anaheim on Wednesday night, the Calgary Flames can no longer finish as a bottom-10 team.

The relevance of this? Calgary's 2025 first-round pick is subject to a pick swap if it's not in the top 10. This means that barring a highly improbable lottery win, the Flames will send their 2025 first to the Montreal Canadiens and receive the Florida Panthers pick instead, all part of <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/updating-the-mess-of-the-flames-conditional-2025-first-round-draft-picks#">trade conditions</a> that stem back to <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2022/08/18/calgary-flames-trade-sean-monahan-2025-1st-to-montreal-canadiens-nhl/">the Sean Monahan</a> and <a href="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/2022/07/22/flames-acquire-package-including-jonathan-huberdeau-mackenzie-weegar-from-panthers-for-matthew-tkachuk/">Matthew Tkachuk trades</a> in 2022.

It's not the end of the world as the Calgary pick wouldn't have been a premium one by any means. And although it would have been nice for them to retain their own pick in what's supposed to be year two of a rebuild, they'll likely only fall back 10 or so picks in round one.

Not to mention the Flames own New Jersey's 2025 first-rounder as well, meaning that for the first time in over a decade, they're set to make multiple selections in the first round.

So, whereabouts will the Flames' picks end up? And what kind of prospects can they add to a pipeline already teeming with potential?
<h2>The picks</h2>
Editor's note: Here's how the first-round draft order is determined, with every category in reverse standings order:
<ul>
 	<li>1st to 16th: Non-playoff teams (subject to alteration by the draft lottery)</li>
 	<li>Next are the playoff teams that didn't win their divisions and didn't make the conference finals</li>
 	<li>Next are the division winners that didn't make the conference finals</li>
 	<li>29th &amp; 30th: The two teams that lost in the conference finals</li>
 	<li>31st: Stanley Cup loser</li>
 	<li>32nd: Stanley Cup winner</li>
</ul>
New Jersey's: If the season ended today the Devils' pick would yield the 18th overall selection – they're the playoff team with the second-fewest points.

They're one point ahead of Montreal with three games remaining, so they could still drop down a spot in the overall standings. This pick should land in the 17th to 19th overall range.

Florida's: If the season ended today the Panthers' pick would yield the 22nd overall selection, but this pick is less entrenched than Jersey's.

The Panthers are a point within the two teams ahead of them, meaning they could leapfrog and their selection could slide back a few spots. That said, it's safe to assume it will end up somewhere from pick 21 to 25.
<h2>Team needs</h2>
Centre - This one's pretty easy, at this point, everyone and their aunt knows that the Flames have lacked a franchise centreman since Joe Nieuwendyk donned the Flaming C.

And while it may be tough to find elite centreman in the back of the first, I doubt that will deter management from trying.

The centre position is even thin below the NHL level, with their most intriguing prospect at that position being Luke Misa who, although a great prospect, was a fifth-round pick last year.

Who might be available? - Right-handed centreman Ben Kindel. Despite his rather small frame of 5'10" and 175 pounds, Kindle welcomes contact and often engages opponents physically. But it's his offensive skillset that makes him a high-end prospect, posting 99 points in 65 games this season with the Calgary Hitmen. Needless to say, Kindel can read the play like a book!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ben Kindel is just too FAST.<a href="https://twitter.com/WHLHitmen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHLHitmen</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WHLPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WHLPlayoffs</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FeedingTheFuture?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FeedingTheFuture</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/m5MIhXzZNj">pic.twitter.com/m5MIhXzZNj</a>
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWHL/status/1907258641411092810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
Similar to Zayne Parekh last year, Kindel's skill with the puck seems to be slightly overlooked by his shaky play without it, resulting in NHL Central Scouting ranking him as the 20th North American skater.

He should be available at either of Calgary's first-round picks, and the upside on this player is massive if his game can translate to the NHL.

Defensively minded left-shot defenceman - Though the pipeline is already defenceman-laden, most of the Flames' defensive prospects are of a similar ilk. Arguably their three best prospects on the blue line Zayne Parekh, Henry Mews and Hunter Brzustewicz are each right-handed offensive defenceman.

Not to mention MacKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson are also right-handed and at least somewhat offensively minded. It's imperative that Calgary counter this with some defencemen who are more 'stay-at-home' than the current crop, and who can play the left side.

Who might be available? - Enter Kashawn Aitcheson of the Barrie Colts. A 6'1" 198-pound left-shot blueliner, who is a true unicorn in every sense of the word. Aitcheson mans the back-end with a rare combination of power, grit and skill, and has mastered the lost art of striking fear into your opponent.

His Barrie Colts ended the regular season as the second seed of the Ontario Hockey League's Eastern Conference, and he led them in goals and points as a defenceman, posting 26 tallies and 59 points in 64 games. But it's his ability to wear out the opposition physically that makes him such a throwback prospect.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We heard there's a Kash Money train 🚂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GiddyUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GiddyUp</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHLDraft?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/l1KLoCS2jr">pic.twitter.com/l1KLoCS2jr</a>
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) <a href="https://twitter.com/OHLBarrieColts/status/1906862375203938456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></blockquote>
Central Scouting currently has him ranked 15th amongst North American skaters, so theoretically he should be there at the Devils pick, but don't be surprised if a team falls in love and jumps on him in the top 15.

A goal scorer of any position - Nobody would be upset with the Flames if they completely disregarded position and team fit to simply draft the best available goal scorer.

It's no secret that what Calgary lacks more than anything else is offence, and more specifically players who specialize in putting the puck in the back of the net. The emergence of Matt Coronato was nice and the Flames have some limited scoring talent outside of the NHL in Matvei Gridin, but not nearly enough to rest easy.

Who might be available? - Ryker Lee, a 5'11" 180-pound right winger, is one of the very few true snipers in this draft. He is a reach if taken in the round one considering Central Scouting's ranking of 40 amongst North American skaters. Calgary may be able to get away with using their second or even third-round pick on him.

Lee is hailed for his powerful shot that netted him 30 goals in 56 USHL games this season, playing for the Madison Capitols. Both his wrist shot and one-timer are remarkably explosive and accurate.

The Flames have drafted two snipers out of the USHL (Gridin &amp; Coronato) in recent years and both have taken major steps forward following their draft year. With Lee committed to Michigan State next season, he could be a steal if he takes another step there.

Also worth mentioning is 6'1" 195 pound Nathan Behm, centreman for the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. More of a power forward than a sniper, Behm posted 31 goals and 66 points in 59 WHL contests this season.

Behm's game is more likely to gain traction at the pro level and he's therefore a safer prospect than Lee. This of course means Calgary would more than likely have to burn a first to acquire him, but it could be worth it considering he plays a position of need and possesses size and power, something their current prospect pool lacks.
<h1 dir="ltr">This article is a presentation of HNA Calgary</h1>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-140577" src="https://publish.flamesnation.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2099/08/image0-1.jpeg" alt="" width="400" height="382" />
Since 1988, Hockey North America is Calgary's best run adult recreational hockey league.  Now is the time to get in for summer registration.  Mention "Barn Burner" to get $100 off your team registration.  14 games plus for the summer in women's, co-ed and men's divisions.  For more information, <a href="https://admin.esportsdesk.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID=5757&amp;clientID=6813&amp;pageID=1292" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://admin.esportsdesk.com/leagues/custom_page.cfm?leagueID%3D5757%26clientID%3D6813%26pageID%3D1292&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1741300335995000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1SpRRNjIoZ_eEzGfcIr7cA">click here.</a>

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