My rankings
Last year's:
https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...7&postcount=77
1 Valimaki, He's done anything anyone could have asked of him this year. Played big minutes in the WHL and for the national team. He will be a good top 4 defenseman soon.
2 Mangiapane, he demolished the AHL this year and is a top 9 NHL forward as of today in my books, it's just a matter of if the Flames will actually use him properly. He should end up as a decent top 6 winger in his prime.
3 Kylington, he's only getting better as he grows older and gains more experience, he'll be on someone's middle pair for a long time.
4 Andersson, I am as high as most people are on Andersson, but I'm just higher on the three guys above him. He had a great year in Stockton and didn't look out of place in the NHL this year, but I think his mobility will hold him back from being a real threat from the back end long term.
5 Dube, A good year in junior and a solid WJC's makes me up my projection from bottom six to middle six. I don't think he has the upside that Mangiapane does but he should be a good contributor to an NHL team when he makes it.
I will be surprised if any of these 5 don't have a 200+ game NHL career.
6 Parsons, He had an off year in his first as a pro but the junior hype will not die for me yet. Hopefully he can sill be the future, this year will go a long way to seeing if the hopes should be pinned on him or if he will need more time.
7 Foo, He looked really good in late season NHL action, and his best qualities aren't ones that pop on the stat sheet, which is probably why I'm underrating him at 7. He battles hard but I don't know if he would make a team that didn't have the worst RW depth in the league. Still, he's the 3rd best forward prospect in the system, which sort of scares me.
8 Gillies, He had a solid year and holds his rank. Hopefully the Flames can get 30 starts between him and Rittich to keep Smith fresh this year.
9 Klimchuk, I don't really see a long term place for him in Calgary, but he had a decent year in Stockton and nobody is really making a case to jump ahead. Could be some solid depth this year.
10 Tuulola, He always looks great when wearing Flames colours, but his league play isn't anything to write home about. However, he will play NHL games at some point in the future and that's more confidence than I have in anyone left (aside from maybe Lomberg)
11 Phillips, The tiny puckwizard jumps way up from my rankings last year. He was great for the Royals and he makes you sit up in your seat when he gets going with the puck. Dogged forechecker will have a big transition to pro but he's got the skill to fit if he can make it.
12 Joly, Quietly had a great year in the Q, and I'm hopig he can get on Canada's radar with another strong season.
13 Pospisil, My favorite pick of the Flames' 2018 draft, Pospisil can beat you in many ways, with his hockey skill and great vision or with his aggressive stickwork and in your face play. People look at his PIM totals and see goon, but his scoring numbers are real solid in the USHL. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to the NCAA game.
14 Gawdin, I like his play in SC but his numbers are a little inflated due to playing with Heponiemi. Still, there's plenty of development room in Stockton for a guy like him.
15 Shinkaruk, His career has gone straight backwards since he was acquired by the Flames but he's got enough skill to make it, probably for another team though.
16 Pettersson, The Youtube sensation who's been a long time Flames fan is my favorite depth prospect in the org. I'm hoping for a big year from him. He was excellent at the dev camp scrimmage and could find himself in the top 10 pretty easily next season.
17 Ruzicka, He's got talent and had a good season in the OHL, but the attitude questions are going to be there until he proves they shouldn't be. Still, I can't ignore the talent and production.
18 Zavgorodniy, A great pick in the 7th round, the Russian will hopefully stay in NA unlike the last few. He's not quite the same level of player Phillips was at the same age but he's a little taller and a lot thicker. Plus he's going to be playing his junior career alongside 2020 1OA Lafreniere if nothing changes so he should develop well.
19 Roman, I watched a few Giants games this season and Roman never stood out, but he seems like a solid guy and at the very worst, he's a better bet than everyone left on the list.
Everyone past this point would be someone that would seriously surprise me if they were to play more than 200 NHL games
20 Rafikov, The best of the question marks, he could probably come over and play big minutes in the A or even be pressbox fodder but why would you do that when you're making a decent living in the KHL?
21 Koumontzis, He may have some good qualities but he's got an awful hockey name, I wish the best for him though.
22 Healey, There will always be a place for a guy who is physical at every opportunity. Sadly you still have to be able to play good hockey when you're not wrecking guys, and Healey doesn't seem to be on track to do so. Maybe some big minutes in Stockton this year will help.
23 Fischer, Still baffled by this pick, but knowing the Flames he'll probably suit up at least once. Should be entertaining to watch in the AHL this year at least.
24 Sveningsson, I want to like him but he just seems like a guy to me. He did have a great season in SuperElit this year but usually future NHLers are making at least some impact in the SHL by now.
25 Karnaukhov, He'll probably be a better player than Sveningsson but his development seems to be flatlining already, plus he's in Russia. Biggest dropper for me this year.
26 Lindstrom, He will have a long career in Sweden but he doesn't have the offensive touch to make the NHL. He is marvelous to watch defensively, very poised, but that doesn't get you an NHL deal.
27 Ehliz, Hopefully the German can make an impact but I'm not expecting anything more than AHL depth with what I've seen out of him so far.
28 Pollock, The most frustrating prospect in the Flames system, Pollock is like a worse Colborne. I do forget how young he is, but for every time he displays his tremendous hands, puck control and vision, especially for a big guy, he goes and does something equally stupid the same shift. Good Pollock is really good, but bad Pollock happens way too often.
29 McDonald, goalies are voodoo but it will take a miracle for McDonald to get on an NHL track within the Flames org. Too much competition and not enough development spots to spend one on him.
30 Schneider, He faces many of the same problems as McDonald, but lacks the pedigree and any real history of great performance.
31 Mattson, As much as I shake my head at the Fischer pick, this one was worse. How did Craig Button have this guy in his top 50?