It’s mid-June and soon the time for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The Calgary Flames and new general manager Craig Conroy have been tasked with righting the proverbial ship after a disappointing 2022-23 season. Recently announced That Conroy will have the help of former teammate and legendary Flame Jarome Iginla, who will accompany him in a special advisory role. Both men will likely be looking to thrill their first big event at the helm and spend their 16th overall pick, among other things, wisely.
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The Flames have five picks in the upcoming draft: their first, second, fourth, sixth, and seventh round picks. The third-place finisher is the property of the Seattle Kraken as part of a trade for Kale Garnekrok last year, and they lost their fifth-round pick when they brought scoring leader Tyler Tofoli aboard the Montreal Canadiens. However, all eyes will be on the 16th pick. A first round pick always has the microscope and pressing focused on it, and scouting departments/teams always get the most picks for their first picks in the draft. The Flames have drafted relatively well in the recent past. Instead of looking ahead, let’s look back at the Flames’ last five first-round draft picks and how each of them triumphed as a professional hockey player.
2021: Matt Coronato, 13th overall
Because the Flames did not have a first-round pick in 2022 due to the aforementioned Toffoli trade, they were selected in the first round in 2021. They selected forward Matt Coronato 13th overall after a distinguished junior career with the Chicago Steel of the United States. hockey league. He scored 125 points in 96 games, culminating in the Clark Cup championship in 2021. He honored his commitment to play at the Harvard Crimson after he was drafted, where he continued his dominance. As a freshman, he scored 36 points in 34 games and earned a spot on the 2021-22 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team. The Crimson won the ECAC Championship after Coronato scored the overtime winner against Quinnipiac University. Coronato held his ground by following it up with another 36 points in 34 games last season, but his team, unfortunately, lost in the ECAC Finals.
After his college season ended, Coronato quickly got up He signed his entry-level contract for three years With the Flames, he fit in the last game of the season against the San Jose Sharks. He went aimless but didn’t look out of place and showed he can hang out with the big boys. His play didn’t end there as he was announced as part of Team USA’s roster for the 2023 IIHF World Championship shortly after. There he rose to the occasion, helping lead a roster of lesser-known names to fourth place and scoring 8 points in 10 games. Coronato figures will have a bigger role in store for him come 2023-24, as he can play central or winger up front and can produce in either position.
2020: Connor Zari, 24th overall
Next up is the 24th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, forward Conor Zari. The Saskatoon native was selected after a stellar junior performance with the Kamloops Blazers franchise of the Western Hockey League (WHL). During his time with the Blazers, he demonstrated his solid two-way ability by putting up tough defensive tackles every night, while still contributing on offense. In 203 WHL games, he scored 79 goals and 206 total points, helping the team win its second division championship. His best season came in 2019-20 when he scored 38 goals, and his 86 points scored second among all Blazers.
Since then, Zari has played for teams in the American Hockey League’s (AHL) affiliate, the Flames. In 2021-22 he dressed for 53 games with the then Stockton Heat and frustrated many with just 13 goals and 25 points. However, when the team moved to Calgary to become the Wranglers, he returned to his old ways last season, scoring 21 goals and totaling 58 points in all 72 games. Those numbers were good for second among all Wranglers players. Zari, at 21, is still young but has two seasons of professional hockey experience under his belt. As a powerful 200-foot forward who can both score and defend, it would be ridiculous for the Flames not to give him at least a test this next year.
2019: Jacob Pelletier, 26th overall
With their first pick in 2019, the Flames selected French-Canadian Jacob Pelletier at number 26 overall. He spent his junior days playing in the Quebec Junior Hockey League. Four seasons split between the Moncton Wildcats and Val d’Or Fourres. In that time, he’s scored an impressive 107 goals and 275 points in 210 total games. His best season saw him score 39 goals and 89 points in 65 games, both of which were second among teammates that year. Pelletier was also a confirmed playoff player with 31 points in 32 postseason games. He has been described as a skilled playmaker and his small numbers certainly show that way.
Pelletier is the first member of this list to play significant minutes in the NHL, making his debut and ending up skating in 24 contests for the Flames in 2022-23. This was even more inspiring as former coach Daryl Sutter was noted for not wanting to play youth. During his time with the big club, he scored his first career goal and ended up with three goals to go along with four assists. Regardless, he dominated the AHL level last year, scoring 37 points in 35 regular season games and proving his playoff prowess again with 10 points in nine games. Given that he’s got a taste of more than just NHL play and that the team has a new head coach in Ryan Huska, all signs point to Pelletier playing his first full season with the Flames next year.
2017: Josu Valimaki, 16th place
The Flames never again had a first rounder in the 2018 draft, nor do they Trade it with the New York Islanders For defenseman Travis Hamonic back in June of 2017. So, we have to go into 2017, where the Flames first picked up a #16 pick. There they decided to pick Finnish defenseman Juuso Valimaki, who successfully showcased his skill set with Tri-City American from the WHL. In 153 games spread over three seasons with the franchise, he scored 40 goals and 138 total points. He’s shown all the tools to be a high-quality defensive player in the NHL, doggedly thwarting opposing forwards and also providing some offense from the background.
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Valimaki took advantage of this in 84 games with the Flames from 2018-22, but he wasn’t able to stay healthy or with the big club for a full season. In his time, he scored three goals, 16 points, and 32 points in 55 AHL games. Frustration grew for both parties as the team felt they didn’t get what they penned, and Valimaki likely felt he wasn’t given the best of chances. It eventually culminated when the Flames placed him on waivers and the Arizona Coyotes claimed him in October of 2022. He got a bigger role with the Coyotes and apparently thrived, leading all of the team’s defenses in scoring with four goals and 34 points in 78 games. . At the age of 24, Valimaki will likely be a staple on the Coyotes’ blue line for the foreseeable future.
2016: Matthew Tkachuk 6th overall
we know; Gut punch. However, the fifth place on our list is 2016, when the Flames selected forward Matthew Tkachuk in the first round. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, to former NHLer Keith Tkachuk, Matthew played two years in the US National Team Development Program before electing to play one season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) instead of leading the NCAA. He suited up for the London Knights and finished with 30 tackles, as well as 77 assists for 107 points in 57 games. The Knights became OHL champions and won the 2016 Memorial Cup after Tkachuk scored the winning overtime game against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL.
The Flames gladly took him with their fifth pick and number six in franchise history (2016, 2013, 1998, 1997, 1992). The rest is history, as they say. Tkachuk has become a beloved figure in Flames lore, skating in 431 games for the team and tallying 152 goals and 382 points. Those numbers rank him 16th and 18th in franchise history, respectively.
Unfortunately, after teammate Johnny Goudreau left free agency in the summer of last year, Tkachuk decided he, too, would not sign again with the Flames. He was a restricted free agent which meant the Flames retained his signing rights, and so he needed to be traded. On July 22, 2022, he was shipped with a fourth-round squad to the Florida Panthers for Jonathan Huberdeau, McKenzie Weigar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 first-round pick. Tkachuk had the best year of his NHL career in 2022-23, scoring 109 points in 79 games. regular season, then helped lead the eight-ranked Panthers to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. They lost to the champion Vegas Golden Knights, but Tkachuk played the other world with 24 points in 20 games. He will be an integral part of the Panthers for at least the next seven seasons as his new contract with the team expires in 2029-30.
Time will tell how successful this year’s first-round pick will be. If the last five selections are any indication, the Flames should be just fine. Their scouting department remains unchanged over the past seven years although Conroy and Head of Hockey Operations Don Maloney have recently come. The talents that could be available will be evaluated in their selection. The 2023 NHL Entry Draft takes place June 28-29.