2027 NHL Draft Thread

[The Original FFIV]

Not gonna lie. Not feeling it for the 2026 Draft. As was said in the 2026 Draft Thread, this will be a draft of solid NHLers, appears to lack the star quality. Hardly the reward for bottoming out and watching a season of your team lose.

2027 looks to be much stronger, especially at the top with some potential bonafide stars.

I do hope that any trades for Kadri/Coleman/Weegar or Whitecloud have 2027 firsts coming back.

Here’s who TSN have listed as the top prospects. Size and skill. Hopefully will live up to its billing and be better than 2026.

https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/article/josep...aft-lookahead/

[Kipper_3434]

Meh, 2 projected superstars has always been above average, shame they're both wingers. I think the sheer volume of quality prospects transferring to the NCAA has greatly muddled the ability to project prospects through the 3-15 range. 2027 probably is more exciting just based on our dire need for a franchise C.

[YourMother]

I am also very excited about 2027 and it seems like Craig is too, as it appears he is doing everything he can to ensure we bottom out next season.
Alexis Joseph seems like he would be a dream come true as a big #1 centre. I read someone compare Privalov to a Lindros/Ovechkin hybrid and that’s all I really needed to hear to fall in love with that guy. He is also listed as an centre elsewhere but not in the linked article. Obviously Dupont and his Calgary connection is neat but I think 2027 is the draft we get our franchise centre that we desperately need.

[Sandman]

I’m actually liking this draft more and more, at least the first two rounds- although it may not be as “sexy” as a few other drafts in year’s past. I think most people’s frustrations lie in the fact that there aren’t many truly elite centers available. It’s true, this a draft for high-end defensemen, but make no mistake- the D in the top-20 all have star potential. That doesn’t make this a bad draft, but it sure is bad timing for Flames’ fans.

Carels, Verhoeff, Rudolph, Reid, Lin, Smits, and maybe even Villeneuve all have top-pairing potential. Gustafsson and Piiparainen might be on a lower peg as far as”blue-chip” potential (for lack of a better term), but they are up there too.

There some forwards who have top-six blue-chip potential as well, in Klepov, Malhotra, Lawrence, Shilov, Morozov, Bjorck, and Nordmark, to name a few.

[D as in David]

Joseph is a late birthday (July), as is Santala (June).

[Finger Cookin]

Really happy with how this played out for the Flames, especially the first three rounds. I give this a B+, and I'm borderline A-. I think we may look back to this draft in a few years as a turning point for the team.

[ForeverFlameFan]

2027 draft is where we should be looking for our center.

I really like our options for a defenseman in 2026. Many said 2024 wasn’t that great of a draft either that year, looked how that turned out.

[Sandman]

I think our scouts are going to pluck a few more gems this summer. It’s true though, we may have to wait until next year to get our blue-chip, stud C.

[TheIronMaiden]

You know the outlook for the Flames is bleak when we are already talking about the 2027 draft.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

You know the outlook for the Flames is bleak when we are already talking about the 2027 draft.

Not really. Just the reality of re-building, which I thought everyone wanted?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

You know the outlook for the Flames is bleak when we are already talking about the 2027 draft.

Yes, because planning for the future is reserved for only the bleakest of times.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Yes, because planning for the future is reserved for only the bleakest of times.

Yeah, the Flames scouting department should always be looking to the future. No ####. But fans discussing a draft that is 500 days away is kinda bleak.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I am still very hyped for this draft. Flames will be adding a cornerstone core piece - maybe more if they find another gem or two later in the draft. They are very likely picking top 3. Top 5-7 is guaranteed in my opinion. There is going to be a really good player available there.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Sandman

I’m actually liking this draft more and more, at least the first two rounds- although it may not be as “sexy” as a few other drafts in year’s past. I think most people’s frustrations lie in the fact that there aren’t many truly elite centers available. It’s true, this a draft for high-end defensemen, but make no mistake- the D in the top-20 all have star potential. That doesn’t make this a bad draft, but it sure is bad timing for Flames’ fans.

Carels, Verhoeff, Rudolph, Reid, Lin, Smits, and maybe even Villeneuve all have top-pairing potential. Gustafsson and Piiparainen might be on a lower peg as far as”blue-chip” potential (for lack of a better term), but they are up there too.

There some forwards who have top-six blue-chip potential as well, in Klepov, Malhotra, Lawrence, Shilov, Morozov, Bjorck, and Nordmark, to name a few.

Completely agree with this take sandman. No i dont see many stars but i do see a lot of good to very good nhl’rs.

I see a lot of well he only projects to a borderline top pair guy? You mean like the guy we just traded? Seems fairly valuable to me. Well he projects to maybe a top six center? Like the top six centers we could have used for years and are currently a premium on the trade market?

Yes we need top tier talent but you also have to fill out a team. If a team pulled a good 2 defencemen or a borderline top line center by all accounts most would consider it a good draft. If we picked Malhotra and he became a lower end first line center i wouldnt complain. I think all lot of people think draft star or its a failure.

[shutout]

Flames draft

2026 - 3rd overall - RD - Keaton Verhoeff
2027 - 3rd overall - RD - Landon Dupont

An overflowing right side of defense prospects

[stemit14]

If Alexis Joseph continues to progress into what he seems to be and the flames have a chance to draft him… it would be the most significant pick of this entire rebuild IMO. Button’s profile of him basically said he’s elite at every aspect of the game while also being a massive center. What’s really encouraging about his gameplay is that he uses his size to be physical against opponents and protect the puck when needed but he’s also very elusive and quick on his edges. I think that is important for big centers to actually translate their game to the NHL. Some players with his frame depend so much on their size/strength advantage to dominate in junior and that goes away in NHL -especially in their early years. Joseph’s hockey IQ, skating ability and hands are probably his best assets - his physical size and strength are bonuses in his game that he uses but doesn’t depend on. Some scouts have said he’s the best prospect to come out of the QMJL since McKinnon.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Completely agree with this take sandman. No i dont see many stars but i do see a lot of good to very good nhl’rs.

I see a lot of well he only projects to a borderline top pair guy? You mean like the guy we just traded? Seems fairly valuable to me. Well he projects to maybe a top six center? Like the top six centers we could have used for years and are currently a premium on the trade market?

Yes we need top tier talent but you also have to fill out a team. If a team pulled a good 2 defencemen or a borderline top line center by all accounts most would consider it a good draft. If we picked Malhotra and he became a lower end first line center i wouldnt complain. I think all lot of people think draft star or its a failure.

All valid points. However, the premise for tanking is to obtain elite talent, not solid nhlers. Solid nhlers are available every draft, and most often in the first half of the first round. We’ve drafted players who project to be solid nhlers already. Elite talent isn’t often available, and when it is, it’s usually only at the top of the draft.

2025 seemed to be an off year draft wise. So there was so much hype over McKenna. Probably too much hype. But everyone is looking for the next biggest thing, and those don’t come around every year, or every other year. As we get closer to draft time, reality sets in and maybe the field isn’t as good as it first appeared.

Yes, you need defensemen who can play hard minutes but I don’t consider the d (outside of verhoeff) elite. D take longer to develop which adds to the mix. But for a fans of team bereft of offensive talent to be told to get excited about a 2 way dman who won’t fix the glaring offensive need (especially after enduring a tough season), it sucks. No other way to say it.

Hope we win the lottery or be put in a position where we walk away with McKenna/stenberg/malhotra/lawrence (and even verhoeff as he seems like he could be that game changer). Anything else, it seems like a lost season with minimal reward.

[dino7c]

You just named 5 great prospects...Flames get one of those and its a great draft