2015 NHL Draft Preview – Calgary Flames
Leading up to the 2015 NHL Entry Draft on June 26th, Tyler Brenton of Frozen Futures will be evaluating the teams in the NHL’s Western Conference.
The draft is almost here. Soon we will hear Connor McDavid’s name is called by the Edmonton Oilers. For the rest of the teams, Buffalo omitted, there will be a couple surprises. Will a team reach for a player such as Timo Meier or Evgeny Svechnikov inside the top 10? How high will Lawson Crouse go? Will my team take one of those guys? Well, if you’re a fan of a team in the Western Conference, you’ve come to the right spot.
The Calgary Flames hold nine picks in this year’s NHL Draft, with six of nine being in the top 90 picks. The Flames surprised the entire league by having an extremely successful season.There’s a mix of youth and veteran players in their dressing room. While the Flames most definitely have some needs, their draft picks will likely be long-term prospects.
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Calgary Flames
2015 Draft Picks
Round 1 – Pick 15
Round 2- Pick 45
Round 2 – Pick 52
Round 2 – Pick 53
Round 3 – Pick 76
Round 3 – Pick 83
Round 5 – Pick 136
Round 6 – Pick 166
Round 7 – Pick 196
Prospects in the System
The Flames have done well in the draft recently as many of their prospects have begun to emerge in the NHL. However, they really lack a solid defensive prospect with a ton of upside. Currently in their system they have Patrick Sieloff, Keegan Kanzig and Tyler Wotherspoon. They also signed Kenney Morrison of Western Michigan University.
On the wing the Flames have Emile Poirier, Hunter Smith, Morgan Klimchuk and Kenny Agostino. Also, down the middle their system is currently weak due to Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan playing in the NHL, however Mark Jankowski is still in the NCAA.
Forwards
The Flames have a terrific group of young forwards to build onto. Johnny Gaudreau had a tremendous rookie season. Sean Monahan continued to develop after a solid rookie year. Calgary fans were also treated to Sam Bennett in the playoffs.
Jiri Hudler had a career year as he put up 76 points and won the Lady Byng award. Unfortunately Hudler is 31 and his contract expires after next season. Calgary also has an interesting group with Lance Bouma, Joe Colbourne, Mikael Backlund and David Jones just to name a few.
Defense
Calgary’s defense is quite impressive. Kris Russell proved to be a shot blocking machine. Dennis Wideman made his contract look decent. TJ Brodie has been extremely impressive.
The crown jewel of the Flames defense is Mark Giordano. When Giordano is healthy he is one of the best defensemen in the game.
The Flames also have Deryk Engelland and Ladislav Smid as decent bottom pairing options.
The problem with Calgary’s defense is that they are an aging group with very little youth. I’d expect Calgary to begin infusing the defense with some younger kids.
Goaltending
With Kari Ramo leaving as an unrestricted free agent, the Flames have one more year with Jonas Hiller between the pipes. Hopefully Joni Ortio or Jon Gillies will soon see time in the big leagues. This position is by far their weakest.
What will they look for at the draft?
While I believe that the Flames need a goaltender prospect the most out of all positions, I do not think they will end up selecting Ilya Samsonov or Mackenzie Blackwood. There Flames will definitely end up selecting a goaltender or potentially two.
With their first pick of the draft, I think the Flames cannot go wrong with selecting Yevgeni Svechnikov at 15. He’s got size and may turn into a powerful winger.
This upcoming draft has a lot of potential top four defensemen in the first three rounds. Since the Flames have six picks in the first three rounds, I think they will take a handful of defensemen.
Round 1 – Pick 15 – Yevgeni Svechnikov
Round 2- Pick 45 – Nicolas Meloche
Round 2 – Pick 52 – Callum Booth
Round 2 – Pick 53 – Ryan Pilon
Round 3 – Pick 76 – Parker Wotherspoon
Round 3 – Pick 83 – Nicolas Roy
Round 5 – Pick 136 – Tate Olson
Round 6 – Pick 166 – Cooper Marody
Round 7 – Pick 196 – Pius Suter