2024-25 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Calgary Flames’ Top 10

Welcome back.

It’s time to kick off Daily Faceoff’s second annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.

The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Skaters over 23 years old are not included, with goaltenders needing to be 25 or under.

Today, we’re looking at the Calgary Flames.

Fresh off one of the best drafts of any team in Vegas last month, the Calgary Flames suddenly have one of the more intriguing prospect pools in the game.

GM Craig Conroy made a big splash, landing Zayne Parekh with their first pick before taking Matvei Gridin before the end of Day 1. There they had it – the CHL’s most prolific offensive defenseman and the USHL’s top point-producer. I do have some concerns on how Gridin’s game will translate to the NHL – I don’t think he’s rounded enough to be an everyday contributor if he doesn’t make it as a scorer – so I thought that was a bit early. But there’s no denying the numbers this year in Muskegon. We’ll see what happens next year now that he’s expected to play in the QMJHL, but I wouldn’t have taken him in the first round.

In all, the two-day spectacular at the Sphere was huge for the team’s pipeline. So was trading for Henry Brzustewicz, who instantly became the team’s most interesting defensive prospect. They also traded for Artyem Grushnikov, although I’m not sure he’s more than a depth guy with his current skillset at 21 years old.

Last season saw Connor Zary finally reach the status of full-time NHLer, and he was damn good. This year, Matt Coronato should challenge for a spot again, while Dustin Wolf has a realistic chance at being the team’s No. 1 goaltender before too long. The Flames are still outsiders looking to bulk up for another push at the playoffs, but they’ve got some young players who might not be far away from making an impact – and that’s exciting.

Biggest Strengths

The Flames have many puck-moving defensemen in the system, led by Parekh. They also seem to be one of the biggest teams vertically, with as many 6-foot-3 and taller players as you’ll find in any team. The big question (no pun intended) is how many of these players will become NHLers at this point. Because as it stands, there’s a clear focus on mobility and size, and less on smaller, skilled players like in the past. But if those are things you value on a winning team – like Florida and Vegas in recent years – it’s a good thing to have many at their disposal.

Biggest Weakness

Is there a game-changing forward in this group? I like Coronato, but maybe he’s more of a middle-six forward at best. Samuel Honzek is a good, strong forward, but he’s definitely not a first-liner. The Flames have a high-end blueliner in Parekh and one of the best goaltending prospects in Wolf. But forward-wise? It seems like picking midway through the first round has hurt them in that aspect.

Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Craig Conroy
Dir. Amateur Scouting: Tod Button
Dir. of Player Development: Ray Edwards
AHL Affiliate: Calgary Wranglers
ECHL Affiliate: Rapid City Rush

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

Acquired: Drafted ninth overall, first round in 2024

Parekh was a big pickup for the Flames, someone I think has real star potential. With the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Parekh is coming off the third most productive U-18 season ever by an OHL defender, and he still has at least another year to go in major junior. There’s no reason to doubt that he won’t become the fourth defender in OHL history to break the 120-point barrier next year and become just the second behind Paul Reinhart in 1978-79 to hit 50 goals. Ryan Ellis is the only player since 2000 to register at least 100 points, doing so on the heels of a 76-assist campaign in 2010-11. Heading into the season, there were questions about whether Parekh tried to do too much with the puck and whether that killed him in his own zone. But he’s got the toolkit to make everything work at both ends, starting with his skating. Parekh isn’t an explosive skater, but he moves well side-to-side and can start and stop on a dime. He’s a manipulator offensively in how he makes you think he’s doing one thing before doing another, and he’s figured out how to use that to his advantage going the other way, too.

Acquired: Drafted 214th overall, seventh round in 2019

At last, it’s time for Wolf to shine. He finally lost top goalie honors for the first time since 2018-19 (when, funny enough, he led the WHL with a .936 save percentage), but still put up a 20-12-3 record in the AHL with four shutouts and a .922 save percentage. There have been few goaltenders with a better run in their career than Wolf, who also went 7-7-1 in the NHL with the Flames. Granted, the NHL team had a season to forget and that might not be the best way of evaluating Wolf’s performance, but I do think he needed to show a bit more. Wolf is on the smaller side at six-foot, so there are concerns about whether his skill will translate to the NHL, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a top-10 goalie in the NHL by December, either. When Wolf’s on his game, few can be as dominant as he can. With Jacob Markstrom out of the picture, it’s Wolf’s moment.

3. Matt Coronato, LW, 21 (Calgary Flames)

Acquired: Drafted 13th overall, first round in 2021

After an explosive preseason put Coronato on the map early on, the winger was ultimately sent back to the AHL and finished with just nine points in 34 NHL games. Coronato had an excellent season with the Wranglers, registering 15 goals and 42 points in 41 games while bouncing around the two leagues. His time in the AHL helped him look more confident and dangerous once he got called back up to the big club, and that’s all you can ask for after jumping over from college. Coronato isn’t big, but he’s got some muscle, and he’s still learning how to use it to be more effective. It’ll be interesting to see if he makes the jump to full-time NHL duty next year because I feel like he showed enough down the stretch to warrant a closer look.

Acquired: Traded by Vancouver Canucks in 2024

Brzustewicz was, for many people, the key piece of the Elias Lindholm trade for the Flames. He was one of the OHL’s best players this season and looks ready to take on the pro ranks in 2024-25. Brzustewicz has a high-level work ethic and has shown the ability to step up in big moments, using his creativity to the point to generate high-quality chances. He’s quite evasive, using his quick hands to protect the puck, and can be incredibly deceptive with the puck. Very few defensemen move the puck like he does along the power play at his age. Think P.K. Subban during his early days – defensive issues included. He’s a decent transitional player and that can help make up for mistakes in his own zone, but despite being 190 pounds, Brustewicz doesn’t use his muscle enough for my liking. If Brzustewicz is going to thrive, it’s in an offensive role with a strong, defensive partner by his side. Brzustewicz has power-play quarterback potential, but he still needs to up his overall top speed and edgework if he’s going to be able to move well enough by NHL standards.

5. Samuel Honzek, C/LW, 19 (Calgary, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 16th overall, first round in 2023

The past two years have been difficult for Honzek, who has missed significant time due to injuries. He still had 31 points in 33 games with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, but he has only skated in 76 regular season games over the past two campaigns. That makes for a difficult development curve, but there’s still a lot to like. He had a good year with the Vancouver Giants when healthy, showing he’s a good skater for a 6-foot-3 forward and can easily handle defensive situations. Honzek isn’t going to be a high-end producer in the NHL, but he does enough things right in his game to suggest he’ll be a decent middle-six forward. Honzek just needs to stay healthy, which is easier said than done.

6. Jakob Pelletier, LW, 23 (Calgary, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 26th overall, first round in 2019

An upper-body injury limited Pelletier to just under half a season, and it was clear he was playing catch-up full-time. Pelletier had three assists in 13 games with the Flames and 12 points in 18 games in the AHL and was relatively quiet in the AHL playoffs. Overall, it was a lost year for Pelletier, who’s at the latter stages of what we consider a prospect. I really hope Pelletier has a chance to bounce back next year because he’s got a ton of skill, but he needs to have one killer of a training camp to show he’s still got a legitimate shot at being a notable NHLer. He’s versatile enough where I think he can make that happen.

7. Etienne Morin, LHD, 19 (Moncton, QMJHL)

Acquired: Drafted 48th overall, second round in 2023

It’s still not lost on me how many people considered Morin to be one of the best defensemen in the CHL in 2022-23. I didn’t agree, but you can’t deny the numbers. He had 21 goals and 72 points in his draft year before falling to 49 this season but he still showed how competitive and defensively responsible he is. Morin is more than just a point-producer; while he’s not big, he’s physical, and he uses that to win battles consistently. I fully expect him to make it to the NHL, but I’m not sure in what role just yet. I think Morin will turn heads if he’s named to Canada’s World Junior team.

8. Andrew Basha, LW, 18 (Medicine Hat, WHL)

Acquired: Drafted 41st overall, second round in 2024

Basha had a tremendous year with Medicine Hat, picking up the slack while Lindstrom was injured. He finished the regular season with 30 goals and 85 points in 63 games, building upon a campaign that saw him post one of the best goal totals of any Draft-1 players in the CHL last year. He won’t blow you away in the NHL with his skill, but he brings good energy and is strong defensively. Basha’s hockey sense will take him far, and his ability to play various roles helps, too. Basha’s lack of size and physicality is a big concern here, but I still expect him to play some big-league games.

9. Jérémie Poirier, LHD, 22 (Calgary, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 72nd overall, third round in 2020

Poirier had to deal with a brutal injury this past season, a deep cut along his right wrist. It was enough to make anyone squeamish. It dealt a deep blow to a prospect looking to build upon an excellent rookie season in the AHL. If all went well, he probably would have made his NHL debut in 2023-24. Instead, he was limited to just 13 points in 23 regular season games, and another four points in six postseason outings. He wasn’t at his full pace once he returned, but I felt like he had a very strong playoff run against Coachella Valley. Next year will be about getting back on track because the talent is definitely there to be a threat for a roster spot.

10. Henry Mews, RHD, 18 (Ottawa, OHL)

Acquired: Drafted 74th overall, third round in 2024

For what it’s worth, it was close between Mews and Gridin. I just think Mews has a better chance at playing more roles in the NHL, while Gridin’s skating concerns me. I’m a big believer in Mews, someone I’ve watched closely for about four years now. And, yes, I’m putting him ahead of players taken ahead of him in 2024. But I think Mews is a better player than he gets credit for. I would have liked to see him dominate offensively a bit more, but he fell just short of a point per game. Mews makes every team he plays on better. He’s a dynamic, two-way defenseman with some of the best pure offensive skill in this class. Mews’ rush game is incredible because he reads offensive zone plays as well as many other forwards in this game. When he pinches, he can often make a high-danger chance happen. Mews isn’t the fastest or strongest player, either, but he can meet you by outthinking opponents by the way he rotates around the ice to find an open lane. It’s when the game shifts the other way where he can fall flat, but I love guys with high upside and there’s no question about his skill.

Other notables: William Strömgren, LW (Calgary, AHL), Matvei Gridin, RW (18), Cole Schwindt, C/RW (23), Luke Misa, C (18), Trevor Hoskin, C/RW (20), Jaden Lipinski, C (19), Hunter Laing, C (18), Cade Littler, C (19), Luca Ciona, LW (21), Parker Bell, LW (21), Jacob Battaglia, RW (18), Artyom Grushnikov, LHD (21), Joni Jourmo, LHD (22), Yan Kuznetsov, LHD (22), Eric Jamieson, LHD (18), Axel Hurtig, LHD (19), Kirill Zarubin, G (18), Yegor Yegorov, G (18), Daniil Chechelev, G (23)

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