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

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Who said he was a bust?
I can't find anyone that said that. What people expressed were valid concerns about his all around game, and how he creates offense. We should be able to have those types of conversations about a prospect. And why are you assuming that people that had those concerns haven't watched him play?

I am happy to stand corrected if you can point me to a number of people who called a bust. I can't find any.

We should be able to have these debates without making it seem like the opposing views are way more extreme than they actually are.

He's on the record saying he needs to be a much better 200ft player and that he needs to bulk up and improve his conditioning and that is a great thing to hear from a young player who could easily just rest on the fact he's scoring a ton. These are all reasons he chose this program and decided not to go back to the USHL.

Is it the most competitive conference? No. But it is still very good competition compared to say Junior A, the USHL or even the CHL where he'd be playing younger, smaller players by and large. What he's doing vastly against young men, not boys, is very notable at his age. If he does put the work into the rest of his game the sky is the limit with him and we should all be excited at the prospects of him being a Flame given the need for more skill players in the system.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

He's on the record saying he needs to be a much better 200ft player and that he needs to bulk up and improve his conditioning and that is a great thing to hear from a young player who could easily just rest on the fact he's scoring a ton. These are all reasons he chose this program and decided not to go back to the USHL.

Is it the most competitive conference? No. But it is still very good competition compared to say Junior A, the USHL or even the CHL where he'd be playing younger, smaller players by and large. What he's doing vastly against young men, not boys, is very notable at his age. If he does put the work into the rest of his game the sky is the limit with him and we should all be excited at the prospects of him being a Flame given the need for more skill players in the system.

Are you talking about Wyttenbach or McKenna (I was talking about McKenna)

[Jay Random]

I think I was as critical of McKenna as anyone in the early going, but the worst I said is that he wasn't likely to be drafted first overall unless he upped his game in the second half of the season. Well, he has upped his game.

It takes some real black-and-white thinking to spin ‘may not go first overall’ as ‘he's a bust’.

[Stampede2TheCup]

Originally Posted by united

Conference is the largest one. From an NHLe perspective, over a large sample, the gap between the ECAC and Big10 is nearly as large as the gap between the AJHL and WHL. So, think of it as: how good would an AJHL player have to be for you to consider them the best player in "junior" relative to the best WHL player? (Again, not quite as the gap between ECAC-Big 10 isn't quite as large as AJHL-WHL but closest layman's comparable.)
…

Thank for the perspective and lots of great info in your post.

I think there is a more straightforward way to illustrate the difference between Big 10 and ECAC scoring using NLHe.

For 2025 I have 0.31 for Big Ten and 0.23 for ECAC. That gives us a ratio of 1.35. I think that ratio shows just how big of a difference there is between the conferences.

I think we will need to be careful with NHLe right now and a few years out because of how many leagues the NCAA changes have touched. The situation for these leagues will still evolve and settle in, and the data trends lag behind. It seems like an interesting project, maybe I should have a look at it.

[SuperMatt18]

I like to look at his play vs top 20 ranked teams (based on where they ranked when they played them)

Boston College: 0-1-1
Maine: 1-0-1
Maine: 1-0-1
Boston University: 1-1-2
Harvard: 2-0-2
Dartmouth: 0-0-0
Cornell: 1-0-0
UConn: 0-1-1
Cornell: 0-0-0

So he's still point per game and only 2 games without a point when playing the top teams in the country too.

[Robbob]

I wonder if with the new NCAA rules the gap between the the divisions will narrow.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by united

Conference is the largest one. From an NHLe perspective, over a large sample, the gap between the ECAC and Big10 is nearly as large as the gap between the AJHL and WHL. So, think of it as: how good would an AJHL player have to be for you to consider them the best player in "junior" relative to the best WHL player? (Again, not quite as the gap between ECAC-Big 10 isn't quite as large as AJHL-WHL but closest layman's comparable.)

There are some nuances, one being AJHL teams don't play games versus WHL teams whereas in the NCAA there are inter-conference games. However, as other posters have noted, this can be hard to quantify in very small samples given the gulf in quality of competition even intra-conference. Also, the recent changes in eligibility and dynamics impacting all leagues.

A problem in messaging is models like Byron Bader's just use an equivalency for the NCAA as a whole rather than granular conference-level equivalencies. I believe Bader is aware and plans to roll out a revised version at some point, but for now a reader has to be diligent in keeping the above in mind for players in the Big 10 (underrated) and ECAC (overrated) if digesting his model's outputs at face value. Are the differences huge? No. But they are material and real.

Probably sounds negative but not the intent at all! I'm pumped about the pick and his future. Accuracy and expectation is the intent. Both can be true:

- Lots of good players come out of the ECAC and the AJHL! All-Stars even. What is important is scoring at a young age, which he is. Very young, at that. Great sign and high probability NHLer at this stage and regardless of how his career goes, incredible value for a 5th-rounder. (As an aside, this is why anyone with experience with NHLe models saw nearly zero chance of Spencer Foo becoming an NHL player despite the hype. Waiting until 22 to hit point-per-game in a weak conference = minor leaguer.)
- NHLe models that don't use conference-specific equivalencies overrate ECAC production to a degree, so expectation should be tempered a little. Again if relying on those outputs exclusively.

This would matter if it was about who's going to be the best NHL prospect.

The WHL probably has a 30 time higher NHLe than the USports, but any decent USport team would beat a WHL team. A Big 10 team hasn't won the frozen four since 2007. They have the best NHL prospects, but they aren't the best teams.

[sureLoss]

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

Wyttenbach’s rise this season has not been accidental. Calgary has maintained consistent involvement in his development, and he has leaned fully into that structure.

Those conversations extend far beyond routine check-ins. Every other week, Wyttenbach meets virtually with the Flames’ head of development to review game film and detailed analytics, examining specific habits that will matter at the NHL level.

“I do video with their head of development pretty much every other week, which has been huge for my game,” he said. “Just kind of seeing the analytics of my game, and just kind of getting better each week is something that I’ve really strived to do throughout the season,” he added.

The focus is granular and performance-based rather than cosmetic. Stick positioning in defensive lanes, efficiency on zone entries, puck touches in transition, and retrieval routes are all tracked and evaluated.

“We try and look at it based on the difference from week to week and just see the changes,” he said. “Maybe one weekend, I wasn’t putting my stick in a good enough area to cause turnovers, and then maybe the next weekend, I wasn’t entering the offensive zone with the puck enough. Just little things like that,” he added.

Those incremental adjustments have contributed to the evolution of his game. Early in the season, much of his offense stemmed from skill and pace. As the months progressed, his play has grown more layered, with stronger defensive reads, more controlled zone entries, and greater composure in high-traffic areas.

“I’m pretty lucky having their kind of technology and their system,” he said. “It’s awesome to see,” he added.

For Wyttenbach, the purpose behind this process is long-term readiness rather than short-term statistics.

“Striving to get better at the little parts that I know I’m going to need when I do play in the NHL one day is just kind of building those skills now, so that when I do get there, I don’t have to worry about learning a new system,” he said.

He knows exactly where he wants this to end up, and isn’t shy about how excited he is about eventually ending up in Calgary.

Organizational timing often plays a significant role in a prospect’s opportunity, and Wyttenbach’s development curve appears to align with Calgary’s broader direction.

As the Flames commit to a youth-driven revamp, roster flexibility and offensive responsibility are increasingly available to emerging players.

“I think I got pretty lucky, to be honest,” he said. “You get drafted to a Stanley Cup-winning team, it’s pretty tough to jump into that lineup and take someone else’s spot,” he added.

Now, the pathway appears clearer.

“Them being in a rebuild right now, and trying to emphasize bringing in younger guys and playing younger guys, I think kind of jumping into the organization at this time is awesome,” he said.

He sees prospects gaining valuable NHL experience and understands the timeline that accompanies a rebuild.

“They’re trying to give them as much experience as they can so that in three or four years Calgary’s competing,” he said.

Wyttenbach also speaks about his draft class as a collective wave rather than a solo ascent, referencing fellow prospects who share the same long-term ambition.

“I know there’s a lot of other guys that were drafted in my class – like (Cole) Reschny and (Cullen) Potter – that are looking ahead to Calgary in the near future,” he said. “I think we’re all in the same mindset to where one day, when we’re all there together, I think the goal is to win a Stanley Cup,” he added.

For a player selected 144th overall, leading the entire NCAA in scoring during his freshman season represents more than a statistical outlier. It reflects preparation, development, and a clear understanding of what lies ahead.

Wyttenbach has paired elite production with intentional growth, embraced the responsibility that comes with rising expectations, and positioned himself squarely within the timeline of Calgary’s next competitive window.

The draft slot may read 144th overall, but his trajectory suggests a prospect intent on redefining what that number means.

[Robbob]

Thanks for that, it was a very interesting read of behind the scenes development.

[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.

[Roko]

I feel more and more that Ethan may go pro this year.
His media spots reek of a pro player and it feels like he sees the opportunity soon as a chance to jump into a weak offensive team.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see him and Reschny both go pro. Given our centre depth it would not surprise me for Cole at least. Potter plays another year in NCAA since he was hurt.

[Johnny Makarov]

This is by far my favorite thread in here.

Happy every time it gets bumped!

[Enoch Root]

I want to see all 4 (Wyttenbach, Potter, Reschny and McKenna ) stay in the NCAA and tear it to shreds next year, then have an epic battle in the WJCs, then all turn pro together at the end of the year.

That would be fun.

[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.

[topfiverecords]

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

[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!

[Shazam]

Maloney seething right now.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Solid piece of reportage.

Big shout-out to Ray Edwards and the Player Development staff.

[The EBUG's EBUG]

Originally Posted by Roko

I feel more and more that Ethan may go pro this year.
His media spots reek of a pro player and it feels like he sees the opportunity soon as a chance to jump into a weak offensive team.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see him and Reschny both go pro. Given our centre depth it would not surprise me for Cole at least. Potter plays another year in NCAA since he was hurt.

I've been thinking this for a couple months now. If Wyttenbach finishes the year this hot and is a Hobey Baker top 3 guy (should win but who knows), I'm not sure how much more he has to learn at this level that he couldn't in the AHL. Might actually be good for the Wranglers as well given what their group looks like next year.

Your top 8 scoring forwards this season: Kerins (RFA), Frk (Vet), Hunt (Vet), Stromgren (RFA), Morton (RFA), Gridin (Graduating), Bishop (Vet), Suniev (Needs more time).

That's a group where the door is wide open for an injection of youth and scoring and letting the kids play some meaningful minutes. If the CHL 19 year old exception gets ratified then Reschny is eligible, suddenly you could inject him, Wyttenbach, Basha into that Wranglers team next year, stagger that with Potter and hopefully Stockselius, maybe Battaglia the year after.

[Mitch]

Wyttenbach has the mindset of a future star. So excited for this guy.