2026 Draft Rundown

GM Craig Conroy's Draft Summary:

"To have as many picks as we did, we really felt we came away with a good crop of future Flames. It's exciting. 

"The one thing is that all these guys are hard working, they're high-character players that are all team-first players. They all care about the team more than themselves and that's what we're going to need. We're going to need to be a team here together and these guys are going to be growing together. When I think back to all the draft classes and how tight they become, this is a big group for us. It's going to be a special group and I'm looking forward to getting them here in a couple days for development camp."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Draft Summary:

"I have to recognize our scouts and our staff that did all the work all year for us. The extra picks, they were dug in, they were entrenched. It's a team effort. It's not just me up there, it's not just Conny. They give the guidance from up with Conny and Don (Maloney). I'm so appreciative of what the scouts do, what (Senior Goaltending Coach) Jordan Sigalet does, the part where Matt Brown helps us out with mental performance is such a key now; Danielle Fujita with the skating and Rick Davis with the sport science and of course the analytics, which give us so much supplemental information so we can make better decisions as a group. ... I'm excited. Every team in the NHL is excited after the draft, but we'll see in a couple years."

GM Craig Conroy's First-Round Summary:

"We're super excited. A right-shot centre, a left-shot D. Couldn't be more happy with what we did. And the two players that we got... The (competitiveness), the work ethic... it's all about team-first for both guys and that we're trying to build here, that culture. They're going to fit in perfectly."

Day 1 (Round 1)

1st Round, 6th Overall - Carson Carels (Defenceman, Prince George Cougars)

Player Profile:

• Recorded 20-53—73 (58 GP) for the second-highest point total in a single season by a defenseman in Prince George Cougars history. Carels finished tied for fourth in scoring among all blueliners across thE WHL, a campaign highlighted by a 17-game point streak, tied for the fourth-longest run by any player iN the WHL in 2025-26. He also recorded 1-9—10 in 10 games during the WHL playoffs.
• Named captain of Team West for the 2026 WHL Prospects Game, where he tallied four assists.
• Recorded 6-29—35 (60 GP) in 2024-25 to finish fifth in scoring among rookie defencemen across the WHL.
• Became the fifth-youngest defenseman to play for Team Canada at the 2026 World JunioR Championship, trailing Jay Bouwmeester (2000, 2001), Chris Joseph (1987), Matthew Schaefer (2025) and Scott Niedermayer (1991). He earned a bronze medal at the tournament (0-1—1 in 5 GP).
• Won gold at the 2025 Under-18 World Championship, silver at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with Team Canada Red and bronze at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
• Works on his family farm in Cypress River, Man., which has over 500 cows. Carels also grew up raising goats.

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting:

A unique, all-round defenCeman who has offensive talent and brings a physical element while playing sound defensively. Can play big minutes and is deployed in all situations with the ability to run a powerplay. An excellent puck transporter and distributor who drives offense and shows some elite offensive skill. Skates very well with excellent mobility and agility and can defend with speed. Plays with his on a swivel in the defensive zone and is good at taking away passing and shooting lanes. A potential top pair defenceman.

GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"When you watch his game, he's physical, he skates really well. He can obviously put up points, but he's so well-rounded and does everything well. But the competitive side... You saw, not many guys, most of the guys, you saw in this draft, after they did the highlight was scoring a goal, making a play. With him, there were some hits. That's part of his game. That's something, that's competitive. That's hard to play against and that's what he's going to bring. Everybody you talk to, whether it's Jim Playfair coaching him, in junior, just what type of person he is, he's always trying to get better. He always wants to be better and it's always about the team. And winning is first and foremost.

"When Carels became available for us, it's a home run for us."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"Top player. So excited to have him. He plays in every situation. Culture guy, leader, he's going to be one of those guys that is going to be here for a long time. I talked to Jimmy Playfair three or four times during the year and he kept giving me updates. He said when he first saw him as a 16-year-old, I told our guys he was going to play 8-10 years and then after I had him for a year, he said 10-12. And then he said, 'I don't know, he might play 15 now!' 

"It was an unbelievable group of defencemen at the top. The top 7-8 defencemen and I'm going deeper than what everybody said as far as 5 or 6, it was a top group. It was hard to sort out because there were so many different types, but he was a guy that we just loved. He's a winner. We were ecstatic. Really ecstatic."

1st Round, 30th Overall - Jack Hextall (Centre, Youngstown, USHL)

Player Profile:

• Posted 20-38—58 (59 GP) in 2025-26 to finish 10th in assists across the USHL and 15th in league scoring. Hextall helped the Youngstown Phantoms finish atop the league and with their highest point total in franchise history.
• Tallied 8-26—34 (53 GP) in 2024-25 to finish fourth among players age 16 or younger in points and
• second in assists across the USHL.
• Won gold with Team USA at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he finished second on the team in
• scoring (2-5—7 in 5 GP), and at the 2024 World Junior A Challenge, where he posted 1-2—3 (4 GP).
• Committed to Michigan State Univ. for the 2026-27 season.

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting:

A very tough and skilled center that can create offense for himself and his teammates. Plays a two-way game and is responsible in all three zones. He creates and finishes off scoring chances with his positioning and quick shot release. Just a good all-around player that continues to improve his game.

GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"Competitive. He does everything well. Right-shot centre, he plays hard on the inside. He does all the little things you need to do to win games. He's going to go to Michigan State, so we're excited. Good size, competitive and a kid that has skill. His work ethic and his drive is what we really like."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"He's a guy Jimmy Cummins and Mike Craig, who cover the U.S. for us. He said, 'He's a hockey player.' That's what he is: He's a hockey player. Some guys, they have more skill or they're more fancy, or their individual parts might look better, but they don't put it all together. The sum of all the parts is what Jack Hextall is. He plays centre, he can play in every situation, he's good on faceoffs... When we first started interviewing and talking to him, he had such a great command of what he was going to be. He knew what he was, he knew his path. He knew he wasn't going to go to Michigan State next year and be on the powerplay because it's a really good team. He had a (plan). 'I'm going to do this the first year, I'm going to get some penalty-killing time, I'm going there because they have a track record with their sport science department, I'm going to add strength and speed and everything.' It was really cool to have a kid that was really mature and had his own path already set out before he even talked to us."

Day 2 (Rounds 2-7)

2nd Round, 36th Overall - Chase Harrington (Left Wing, Spokane Chiefs)

Player Profile:

• Concluded the 2025-26 season with 28-29—57 (61 GP) to finish atop the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs in goals (tied) and third in points. His campaign was highlighted by six multi-goal efforts and 14 multi-point performances.
• Recorded 19-31—50 (68 GP) in 2024-25 and added 6-8—14 (20 GP) in the playoffs en route to an appearance in the championship series.
• Skated for Team Canada Red at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, where he posted 3-0-3 (7 GP).
• Works construction in the summer with his father, Daryl, who is a carpenter.

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting:

A very solid all-round winger with a strong two-way game. A coach's player that can be utilized up and down a lineup and is capable to contribute in all situations. Makes an impression on both the powerplay and penalty-kill.  The type of player that works hard, battles and will stand up for his teammates. A very good skater with speed and quickness. He is smart away from the puck in both ends and shows good attention to detail.

Flames GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"Unbelievable competitor. And he puts up points. If you throw a puck into the corner, he's coming out of it 90% of the time and that's the one thing about him. He's a relentless hard-worker that helps your team win night-in and night-out, but he's also got more offence. I think sometimes we talk about how competitive he is and all the other things, but he still had good numbers. He had 29 goals this year. ... So for us to get a player like that... Tod (Button) was really high on him all year and he fits what we're trying to do here in Calgary."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"He's a gritty, tenacious guy. He creates room for his linemates. He's got possession skill, he scores in the hard areas. He's a rebound, trench-area guy when we talk about goals - and when we go back on the analytics, goals from the hard areas with a guy draped on his back or hard on his stick, he's fearless in that way and he's really good in and around the net areas. He can play with good players. ... And he has a 'B' game. He has a 'B' game, which is physicality, tenacity and jam. He was a very attractive guy for us."

2nd Round, 42nd Overall - Tobias Trejbal (Goaltender, Youngstown Phantoms)

Player Profile:

• Posted a 30-9-3 record for the Youngstown Phantoms to lead the USHL in goals against average
  (2.12) and finish second in save percentage (.916; tied) in his first year playing in North America.
• Named USHL’s 2025-26 Goalie of the Year while receiving All-Rookie Team and First All-Star Team honors.
• Played in Czechia’s junior league in 2024-25 with HC Litvinov, posting a 18-20-0 record (2.33 GAA,.930 SV%) and went 1-3-0 in the playoffs (2.63 GAA, .920 SV%). His seven shutouts stood as the most among all goalies.
• Trejbal also made his professional hockey debut in Czechia in 2024-25, skating in one game with HC Litvinov men’s team.
• Represented his country at the 2025 Under-18 World Championship.

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting: 

A big pro presence - he has good quickness and athleticism - catches with his right hand - good intensity in his game - quick reactions and recovery skills - good positionally - he plays mostly at the top of the paint on most initial shots - he's quick to recover loose pucks - he's got a very good extended butterfly sealing the ice and far corners - while in the butterfly he keeps his body upright to protect the upper corners - good use of his gloves - good feet which helps getting around the crease quick and efficiently - he's got a well-balanced strong stance - he does well tracking pucks through traffic - very good focus - very good NHL potential.

Flames GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"Going into the morning, that was (Senior Goaltending Coach Jordan Sigalet's) No. 1 goalie and he said, 'I really want to get him,' so we decided at one point - if we could move up just to make sure we could take him - we were going to do it. He's one No. 1 on Jordan's list and I believe in what Jordan is doing. When you watch him, he's big, he can move, he tracks pucks. He's 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5... There's a lot to like. I don't get into all the things that Jordan's talking about, but I believe him."

Senior Goaltending Coach Jordan Sigalet's Take:

“Very excited. Big, athletic, and uses his frame well. “He’s built like a pro already and we like his path of going to UMass in the NCAA next year. He’s a high-character kid with a strong mental game.”

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"Jordan loves the kid. He thinks he's a No. 1 goalie."

2nd Round, 55th Overall - Alan Shaikhlislamov (Right Winger, Tolpar UFA)

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting: 

• Posted 18-17—35 in 31 GP with a plus-15 rating in 2025-26, which tied the third-most goals among draft-eligible skaters in the MHL. His season was highlighted by a 10-game point streak – he averaged two points per game through that run.
• Made his professional hockey debut in 2025-26, skating in one KHL game.
• In 2024-25, Shaikhlislamov tallied 20-13—33 in 46 GP, which was the most goals and second-most points among all players age 16 or younger in Russia’s junior league.

Scouting Report via NHL Central Scouting: 

A speedy winger who works hard. He has good pace and is hungry for scoring chances. He mainly plays as a screen cleverly in front of the net on the powerplay.

Flames GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"He's one of the youngest players in this draft. ... He's a responsible 200-foot player that we feel is going to be a really good player, given some time. He's got a little bit of runway to go, but he does everything well. That's the one thing from our guys. (Amateur scout) Denis (Grebeshkov) in Russia said if there's an opportunity to get this player, he's a guy he feels is really going to take steps. And is still so young in this draft, so that was all part of it."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"He was a guy that - and I say this a lot - Denis Grebeshkov does such a good job for us and since we haven't been able to travel into Russia, having eyes on players... We did it without a Russian scout for a while and having eyes on a guy and having a guy that played in the NHL for so long and a guy that can talk to these guys in their native language and interview them, he just liked the guy. He thought he was diligent, hard-working. He's one of those guys, Denis said, who can play more flashy and try more risk, but he doesn't. He just plays the right way all the time. Years ago, there was a guy that played the same way in London and he didn't play with flash, had maybe a point a game in his draft year, he played every situation - and I'm not comparing this guy to him, but it's the same style - and it was Robert Thomas. And Robert Thomas, we've seen what he's done. So this guy's the same way. He plays the right way. We're hoping that he can play with better players and gets to higher levels, he's going to get more offence to him, but we were really attracted to the diligence and the hard work and the two-way game that he shows. He's a thick, strong kid and he plays an honest game."

3rd Round, 65th Overall - Joe Iginla (Right Wing, Vancouver Giants)

Flames GM Craig Conroy's Take:

"If you watch him over the years, I think he's a little bit of a late bloomer. There's still room to grow and as the season went along, he had good stretches and then he broke his ribs and he tried to play through the broken ribs. So, maybe his production was down a little bit this year, but the work ethic, the person... Obviously, we know exactly everything about him and we're getting on him that he's going to continue to progress. I'm looking forward to it. 

"Once we had him where we had him on the list, that was the spot. Maybe we could've waited but we've waited at different times before and then you lose the player and you're mad at yourself. We had the picks and we were ready to go, and we took him.

"He's going to do everything in his power to become an NHL player and that's all you can ask for. The name, we can push that to the side. For sure, people are going to say it. That's usually the haters and they're the loudest ones. He's got thick skin and he'll kind of enjoy it, because his dad isn't here on a day-to-day basis. He's not a coach, he's not there. He's in the rafters every day, but there's nothing Joe can do about that and we're excited to have him with us."

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"He's got the DNA, he's got hockey sense, he's got hands. He just needs to develop physically and we know that takes time. But we also know the Iginla DNA and the work ethic, so we think at that point, for us, it was a no-brainer. He was the next guy on our list and we were happy that he was there. And to be honest, I thought we had a chance on him there because we knew where he was rated. But you never know. So that's why you work your list and you do it your way. You don't worry about what anybody else does. Central Scouting had him very low, but because of the injury and he didn't have a great start in Edmonton (with the Oil Kings of the WHL) - but picked it up in Vancouver - we think we got a good player there in the third round."

4th Round, 100th Overall - Egor Barabanov (Centre, Saginaw Spirit)

Scouting Report:

Barabanov had a breakout season with the Saginaw Spirit, recording 91 points in 68 games to finish fourth in OHL scoring while playing primarily at centre. He made an immediate impact after joining from the USHL as an undrafted free agent, starting his tenure with a four-game point streak and quickly becoming a key offensive driver. With 63 assists (second-most in the OHL) and strong chemistry alongside teammates Nikita Klepov and Dimian Zhilkin, he helped form one of the league’s most dangerous lines, combining for 36 powerplay goals.

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"He's a lighter kid. He has skill, he's got vision, he can see the ice, he makes plays. He's a little bit feisty... sneaky feisty, like he'll pop you when you're not expecting it. That was a value pick for us taking a shot at a centre-ice man first of all, but high skill."

5th Round, 132nd Overall - Simon Katolicky (Left Wing, Tappara Jr. - Finland)

Scouting Report:

The Czech winger joined Tappara’s U18 program in 2024 after standing out as the youngest player in the country's junior ranks. He also represented Czechia internationally, helping earn a bronze medal at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship while continuing to develop as one of the nation’s promising young forwards.

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"When our guys came back from the Under-17s a couple years ago, they talked about this guy as him being a good player for this draft. He went through a bad year as far as being sick, he had appendicitis, he had injuries. He also played with (broken) ribs. Our Finnish scout Lauri Tukonen thought he never really got his traction. Like, he could never really get consistent games and was always fighting it. But at that point in the fifth round, and this is a guy we were talking about in the late-first, early-second at the beginning of the year, it was again, value. He's got size, he works, he's competitive, he's a good skater. He's going to Sarnia (of the OHL), so we're all happy about that, because he's going to play a lot more than he would if he was back in Finland."

6th Round, 164th Overall - Bode Laylin (Defenceman, Tri-City, USHL)

Scouting Report:

Laylin spent the past two seasons with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL, developing into a key two-way defenceman and offensive contributor from the blueline. In 2025-26, he posted 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points in 55 games, earning USHL Third-Team All-Star honours while leading all Storm defencemen in scoring, and also captured gold with Team USA at the World Junior-A Championships. The previous season, he recorded 19 points in 59 games as a full-time rookie, ranking second among team defencemen and establishing himself as a steady presence on the back end.

Director of Amateur Scouting Tod Button's Take:

"Very cerebral, heady puck-moving defenceman. (Amateur scouts) Jimmy and Mike Craig again, USHL. They really liked him and when I talk about the team and how we work, they were really supported by the analytic group and what they said and their analysis of him. ... That's the teammate part of it, how the analytics provided them with the confidence that this was a good swing. He's undersized for sure, but a puck-mover, skater. We've got time. He's going to go to school and three, four years down the road, we'll see."