General manager Craig Conroy and the Calgary Flames made eight selections at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft this weekend. Leaning more towards physicality this time around, critics are already making their opinions known. While Carels is universally deemed a safe pick, right winger Chase Harrington has drawn plenty of criticism.
With that said, it’s the draft. No one really knows how these kids will turn out. Let’s dive into who the Flames took.
D Carson Carels – 6th overall
Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL) Height: 6’2” Weight: 198lbs
A hard-nosed left defenceman with elite skating ability, Carels projects to shore up Calgary’s left side that already features Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov. The six-foot-two farm boy is committed to the University of North Dakota next season and has time to fill out as the Flames continue on their rebuild.
Take: Carels is a safe bet to both make the top-4 as well as stay in Canada as he approaches his late 20’s. He not only shores up the rebuild on defence, but provides an element of toughness that the Flames sorely lack in their development pipeline.
C Jack Hextall – 30th overall
Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) Height: 6’1” Weight: 185lbs
A two-way center with a dangerous power play presence off the half-wall, Hextall uses smart positioning to make up for a lack of high end speed. The Michigan State commit is strong at both passing and shooting.
Take: The lack of speed is an issue, but if he shores up that area: look out. Reschny or Hextall project to compete for second line center down the road, but the Flames are still missing that number one center prospect in the system. Hextall is a sound, if not a bit vanilla, late first round pick.
RW Chase Harrington – 36th overall
Team: Spokane Chiefs (WHL) Height: 6’0.75” Weight: 194lbs
Scouts are all over the place on Harrington, but it’s undeniable that the Prince George, BC product is no fun to play against. With their remaining early second round pick after the Nemec deal, the Flames took one of the better agitators in the class of ‘26.
Harrington’s offence isn’t ideal. Forwards below a point-per-game in their draft season tend to translate to the bottom-six and the right winger had 57 points in 61 games—just a seven point increase over the season prior. To Chase’s credit, he did go from 19 goals to 28 season-over-season.
Concerns aside, pests are fun to watch and Harrington is a great pest at the WHL level. If he pans out, he’ll be a fan favourite.
Neufeld’s Note: The Flames had to start drafting toughness eventually. Harrington is a long way from the NHL and his style of play carries a higher injury risk than the average player, but oh well. Pests with a good shot and who are hard to play against on the boards don’t grow on trees.
G Tobias Trejbal – 42nd overall
Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) Height: 6’4” Weight: 190lbs
The first goalie taken at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, Flames general manager Craig Conroy traded 51st and 68th overall in order to move up to #42 and scoop up Trejbal before another team could.
Scouts are high on Trejbal’s complete toolset as a goaltending prospects. Technically, the Czech does all the right things. Some have noticed that he has the odd tendency to iron out, but Tobias is viewed as the goalie to be compared to other netminders out of this draft year.
There are concerns that he wasn’t challenged enough in Youngstown. Trejbal is off to the University of Massachusetts in September.
Neufeld’s Note: Jason Muzzatti, Trevor Kidd, Mason McDonald, Tyler Parsons. What do all of those goalies have in common?
First netminder taken in their respective draft years. All Flames.
RW Alan Shaikhlislamov – 55th overall
Team: Tolpar Ufa (MHL) Height: 6’1” Weight: 187lbs
A high-end execution and one of the best shots in the draft when he’s at his best. Not much worth writing home about when he’s not. Shaikhlislamov’s challenge throughout his career will be consistency.
He also has some issues making the right choices while driving wide.
Neufeld’s Note: Players like Shaikhlislamov drive scouts nuts. He has a long way to go and a so many areas to improve upon. If he does pan out, the Flames might have grabbed a first line winger in the late second round. Big “if”.
RW Joe Iginla – 65th overall
Team: Vancouver Giants and Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) Height: 5’10” Weight: 170lbs
For years, the younger Iginla brother was projected as a top five pick in 2026. Things haven’t worked out that way.
Size is an issue. Skating is an issue. Pace is an issue. Joe still plays the stye of his brother and father in that he competes hard, finishes his checks, retrieves pucks well, and is a menace on the cycle, but those good things often come in isolation. By his draft day, Joe needs to put it all together.
Currently his production doesn’t project to a top six role in the NHL; nor does his size project to a bottom six role in the NHL.
2025-26 Production – Joe Iginla
Edmonton Oil Kings: 37 games – 11 goals – 10 assists – 21 points
Vancouver Giants: 22 games – 4 goals – 6 assists – 10 points
Neufeld’s Note: Wild how so many fans suddenly care about who the Flames take in the third round.
The Flames expect Joe to be a late bloomer. He’s an Iginla. He’s an underdog. Don’t write him off just yet.
C Egor Barabanov – 100th overall
Team: Saginaw Spirit (OHL) Height: 6’0” Weight: 181lbs
Barabanov went from 38 points in 54 USHL games to 91 points in 68 OHL games year-over-year. Scouts have had a hard time explaining it.
The word “sneaky” applies. Egor is great at stripping pucks and his hands are around the top of his draft class. His skating lacks explosiveness and his frame isn’t great, but he’s also always in good position on the ice.
Neufeld’s Note: A steal at #100. Does he ever find his way above the rest of Calgary’s centers though?
LW Simon Katolicky – 132nd
Team: Tappara U-20 (U20 SM-sarja) Height: 6’5” Weight: 205lbs
The big Czech fell to round five after a disappointing season riddled with injury. His shot was an issue and his hockey IQ is deemed as “not great”.
Still, he’s big and skates well. Katolicky is headed to Sarnia next year for a fresh start.
Neufeld’s Note: The Flames are betting that Simon gets healthy and his game finds its way back on track. May as well go for situations like that in the fifth.
D Bode Laylin – 164th overall
Team: Tri City Storm (USHL) Height: 6’0” Weight: 185lbs
An offensive defenceman, Laylin didn’t have a great supporting cast with the storm this season. Some scouts see a bottom pairing puck mover and some don’t think his nonchalant approach to puck management translates to the NHL.
Neufeld’s Note: Laylin is headed to reining WHL Champion Everett Silvertips. Steve Hamilton was just named WHL and CHL Coach of the Year. Bode’s game will likely take a bog step forward next season.
Statistics courtesy of Elite Prospects, and the National Hockey League.
Keep Reading:
Flames Acquire Simon Nemec: Breaking Down the Risk
Five Flames ’27 UFAs That May Be Moving Next Season
How Have the Flames Performed in Previous Pick-Loaded Drafts?
Flames Affiliate to Bruins First Pairing: The Rise of Jonathan Aspirot
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