1. Zayne Parekh - Potential star. Hardly any comparables even exist for his pre-NHL production.
2. Cole Reschny - I'm hoping for a more productive Daymond Langkow. Smart, competitive two-way player.
3. Hunter Brzustewicz - there is something I really appreciate about how he controls the puck and has patience to find plays that others don't. He's competitive defensively too. Very hopeful for a top 4 puck moving D here.
4. Matvei Gridin - has all the tools and the mentality to be a point producing winger. Scores at high rates everywhere he plays.
5. Cullen Potter - has the elite skill of speed to go along with being raised by a competitive champion level player. Challenged himself by attending ASU in his draft year and produced well in a very tough conference. For some reason I think of Maxim Afinogenov when watching his highlights.
6. Andrew Basha - I love how he plays. He's a battler who makes space for himself when he gets the puck. He's got creativity and confidence with the puck. I liked what I saw in the Memorial Cup and I thought that even on a busted ankle, he looked to be one of the prospects who belonged the most in training camp.
7. Etienne Morin - top defenseman on Moncton, playing for one of the best coaches on the planet in Gardiner Macdougall. He looks like he can be a solid two-way defenseman, who might be ideal to pair with one of the more offensive prospects on the right side.
8. Rory Kerins - an AHL all-star who has the hockey sense to contribute at the NHL level. Was challenged to become a better athlete and he came a long way. Showed management that they were way wrong about him last year at camp and hopefully this year he'll force his way onto the big team. He's been a very high-end scorer but shown a pattern that it takes him a bit longer to get used to a new level than super high end prospects. I'm excited to see what he can do.
9. Aydar Suniev - goal scorers who battle and can find space for themselves are rare and while he's got a long way to go based on his one game in LA last year, he has a skill that the Flames should nuture and give opportunity to. There seems to be no shortage of commitment from him to become an NHL player and he might end up being a middle six winger with a scoring touch.
10. Samuel Honzek - I'm pretty concerned with his inability to remain healthy, but we have seen what he can do when he puts it together. Trent Cull was very complimentary of how he learned to be a pro with the Wranglers last season and I could see him scoring a decent number of goals as a garbage man using that frame net front.
That's my list for now. I don't really remember another time as a Flames fan when there was this kind of depth. Guys like Mews or Battaglia could very well leap a half dozen guys on this list with great years. Sergeev should be in the top 10 too I feel, but I don't want to switch anyone out just yet until I see him at the pro level.
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