FORWARD TRAJECTORY

The Flames held three picks in the 2022 NHL Draft and opted to go with a trio of forwards with their selections.
In the second round, Finnish centre Topi Ronni heard his name called out by Calgary with the 59th-overall selection. He split time between Tappara and their U20 squad in 2021-22, playing 19 games at the professional level and scoring 11 goals and 29 points through 30 games in the junior ranks.
"He's a middle-six centre. He's really responsible positionally and we're hoping he gains a little more confidence in making plays offensively to add that to his toolkit," Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button said at the conclusion of the event. "Our (Finnish scout) lives in the same city as he plays in so we feel we knew him really well.
"He played a lot with the men's league and we saw him mostly with his national team. We like him. He has the potential to be a middle-six, 200-foot centre."

With their fifth-round pick, the Flames went with the WHL's Parker Bell. In 64 games with the Tri-City Americans, the winger put up 18 goals and 49 points.
"Our Western guys, they really like him," Button noted. "He's a big kid, really works hard. They think he's got a really huge ceiling in regards to that he hasn't really trained a lot as a young kid. They think when he gets exposed to that at a higher level and he commits to it, they think he's got a lot of room to grow."

In the seventh round, with the 219th-overall pick, Calgary went with Wenatchee Wild forward Cade Littler. In his first full season in the BCHL, the Wenatchee product posted 20 goals and 45 points in 50 regular-season games and added nine points in seven playoff skates.
"He's a big, strong, positional centre," Button said. "He's going to go to Mankato State in two years, I believe he's going to Wenatchee again next year.
"He's a long runway guy but we have time on him."