The Flames need center depth, but I don’t love any of the options at No. 18. But Kindel is someone I think Flames fans would really grow to like. First off, he plays locally. But more importantly, he was one of the WHL’s most thrilling prospects this year. He’s equally good as a shooter and a playmaker and is the driving force of Calgary’s attack. Kindel does a great job of finding open space and exploiting it and he has a shot he can unleash from just about anywhere. I hope he improves his skating, but working with pro-level coaches will help.

Cootes continued to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with at the U-18s. For those who didn’t watch him, he showed tremendous poise and smarts in open space. The hard-nosed forward won almost every battle in the offensive zone and seemed to thrive no matter who he played with. Flames fans are going to love his work ethic and how he reads plays.