[News] With the 144th OA pick, the Flames select LW Ethan Wyttenbach

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Oilers management be like "wait, you guys talk to your players after you draft them?"

They're still sending out DVDs from the Edmonton Tourism Bureau.

[Knut]

I had a conversation with a former NHL player. He played in the WJC for Canada and was drafted in the 2nd round. Once he was drafted the team left it up to him to develop. Very little contact and very little help with development. That team was stuck near the bottom of the standings for years and rarely hit on any draft picks.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

It makes me wonder if Fox has that same developmental commitment from the Flames, and then still refused to sign with them.

You'd think when a team is that committed to you, that you would show some loyalty.

Mid-rounds picks who make mercurial rises in their development run the risk of "too much, too soon syndrome" and can get swelled heads. Sounds like this was the case with Fox. He could have joined a young team hitting its stride but instead looked at the bright lights of Broadway. C'est la vie.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Knut

I had a conversation with a former NHL player. He played in the WJC for Canada and was drafted in the 2nd round. Once he was drafted the team left it up to him to develop. Very little contact and very little help with development. That team was stuck near the bottom of the standings for years and rarely hit on any draft picks.

Which former Oiler was that?

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Which former Oiler was that?

If it was an Oiler its gotta be Lavoie. Only Oiler 2nd rounder that played for Team Canada in the past 20 years.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Mid-rounds picks who make mercurial rises in their development run the risk of "too much, too soon syndrome" and can get swelled heads. Sounds like this was the case with Fox. He could have joined a young team hitting its stride but instead looked at the bright lights of Broadway. C'est la vie.

I remember reading that one of the most upset people when Jimmy Vesey (round 3 66th OA 2012 entry draft) refused to sign with the Predators and became UFA to sign with the Rangers in 2016 was former Flame Scott Nichol.

Nichol has been the Director of Player Development for the Preds since 2013.
Apparently he would fly every weekend to watch Vesey play for Harvard and then meet and discuss the game afterwards with tips for improvement. Was a real shock when Vesey refused to sign.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

https://r.org/2026/02/25/its-super-s...e-with-flames/

You can see why the flames have drafted then developed pretty proficiently in the last number of years despite not drafting at the top - open and ongoing lines of communication and getting them prepared before they even make the jump to pro.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Nice find sureLoss! Very encouraging read on how the Flames are operating behind the scenes with their prospects. Also interesting to see how young players can view being drafted by a rebuilding team that hasn't had a lot of recent success as a positive, not a negative.

I think that's understandable. You want to know you have a chance.

Another example is Abram Wiebe, who seems to have elevated his level of play since the trade. He has 11 points in 8 games since being traded to the Flames. He had 14 points in 24 games before the trade. He has also been named the NCHC d-man of the week each of the last 3 weeks.

You have to think it makes a difference for a kid too see a path to the NHL ahead of him rather than a path to being buried in the AHL for years as the team that drafted you keeps going out and stocking up on veterans every season.

[CliffFletcher]

Unless they’re a blue-chip high pick, the overriding focus of a drafted prospect is making the NHL and sticking. That’s their ticket to earning millions a year playing hockey for a living, when the alternative is becoming an insurance adjuster or working at Best Buy. So yeah, an uncrowded path to playing time in the show is going to be far more important than the organization’s likelihood of winning a Cup in the next 6 years.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Then you get a guy like "Schremp" Howard, who'd rather watch Mavi and Pissy from the bench than be a meaningful contributor.

[heep223]

This guy seems like a fantasy hockey player

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by FanSince'01

I do think that with every piece that comes out regarding Ethan that if he wins the Hobey Baker this year he's 100% turning pro afterwards.

Love everything we're seeing from him and reading about him. Excited to see what he can do when he makes it to Calgary!

I don't think winning the Hobey Baker should have any impact on his decision. There will be lots of politics with voters with people voting for players from their favourite teams or conferences or whatever. Some won't want to vote for a freshman, but would rather vote for someone they have known about for longer.

Winning the award doesn't make him a better player.

He has proven he is a top NCAA player and has taken huge strides. He needs to talk to his agent, the Flames and his parents and make the decision that makes most sense. An acknowledgment from people that aren't in his inner circle shouldn't matter.

I want every NCAA prospect that we have to sign as soon as we can get them, because I don't want to run the risk of them leaving us high and dry.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by getbak

I think that's understandable. You want to know you have a chance.

Another example is Abram Wiebe, who seems to have elevated his level of play since the trade. He has 11 points in 8 games since being traded to the Flames. He had 14 points in 24 games before the trade. He has also been named the NCHC d-man of the week each of the last 3 weeks.

You have to think it makes a difference for a kid too see a path to the NHL ahead of him rather than a path to being buried in the AHL for years as the team that drafted you keeps going out and stocking up on veterans every season.

Absolutely, and especially for the guys drafted in the lower rounds, a team consistently telling you to prepare for making the NHL and showing active interest in making that happen is probably in itself a huge boost for motivation and just general confidence

It's so much easier to have faith in your abilities when someone else shows faith in you.

[InternationalVillager]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Mid-rounds picks who make mercurial rises in their development run the risk of "too much, too soon syndrome" and can get swelled heads. Sounds like this was the case with Fox. He could have joined a young team hitting its stride but instead looked at the bright lights of Broadway. C'est la vie.

That's not what happened with Adam Fox. He's from New York. Family was massive Rangers fans growing up. He just only wanted to play for one team.

[Steve Bozek]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

It makes me wonder if Fox has that same developmental commitment from the Flames, and then still refused to sign with them.

You'd think when a team is that committed to you, that you would show some loyalty.

IIRC, Fox did attend Flames’ development camps.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Which former Oiler was that?

Islander player

[FanSince'01]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

I don't think winning the Hobey Baker should have any impact on his decision. There will be lots of politics with voters with people voting for players from their favourite teams or conferences or whatever. Some won't want to vote for a freshman, but would rather vote for someone they have known about for longer.

Winning the award doesn't make him a better player.

He has proven he is a top NCAA player and has taken huge strides. He needs to talk to his agent, the Flames and his parents and make the decision that makes most sense. An acknowledgment from people that aren't in his inner circle shouldn't matter.

I want every NCAA prospect that we have to sign as soon as we can get them, because I don't want to run the risk of them leaving us high and dry.

I totally agree with you that it shouldn't factor in to his decision, I was merely commenting on the vibes I'm getting around this situation.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Eric Vail

Winning the award doesn't make him a better player.

Yep. In fact, I actually think that losing the Hobey Baker this year may be even better for a guy like Wyttenbach; just gives him another reason to train even harder and play even better to prove the naysayers wrong, which he has been doing since the USHL. There was another overlooked guy with this elite mentality to constantly get better, and ultimately he did - his name was Dustin Wolf.

[McG]

That was a great read. I’m super excited to see that the “draft and develop” is happening.

Many teams draft but development is what really matters.

Let’s keep going Flames!

[Mitch]

Originally Posted by Knut

Islander player

Jeremy Colliton?