Calgary Flames: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
Let’s take a look at the top Calgary Flames prospects entering the 2020 offseason.
Today, I will be doing another prospect breakdown, looking at the top 8 prospects in the Calgary Flames organization. After an upsetting playoff exit coming at the hands of the Dallas Stars, big changes could be in order. Players such as Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan have been talked about plenty as guys who could find themselves wering different jerseys for the 2020-21 season.
While the immediate future of the organization is up in the air, Flames fans can feel solace in the fact that they have a few very top end prospects that should be able to step in and help the team sooner rather than later. Even more exciting is that with the NHL draft coming up in the near future, they have a chance to add even more top end prospects to their organization.
As mentioned with previous top 8 prospect articles, any player who has played more NHL games than any other league in a single season, regardless of the season, will not be included. With that being said, here are the Flames top 8 prospects.
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8. Ilya Nikolayev
Perhaps the most intriguing prospect the Flames have, simply because almost nothing is known about him, is Ilya Nikolayev. The 19-year-old has spent the majority of the past two seasons playing for Loko Yaroslavl in the MHL, which is Russia’s top junior league. As a result, the youngster does not even have a Hockeydb page yet.
Related: Winnipeg Jets: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about
There is no doubt however, just how talented the young Russian is. In fact, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button had him ranked much higher on the Flames top prospects list earlier this year. The reason I have him lower is due to the leagues he has played in to this point. He is committed to Yaroslavl for one more year, and then has the option to come over to North America if he wishes. Regardless of what he decides, it will be easier to get a true reading on him during the 2021-22 season as he will likely be playing in either the KHL or in the Flames organization.
7. Dmitry Zavgorodniy
Dmitry Zavgorodniy is the first of many solid late round selections made by the Flames that you will see on this list. The 20-year-old Russian right winger was taken with the 198th overall pick at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft after his rookie season for Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. At that time, the pick seemed a bit odd given that he stands at just 5-foot-9 and posted a fairly modest 47 points in 62 games.
Since that season, Zavgorodniy has really picked up his offensive game. His second season with Rimouski saw him post nearly point per game totals, but it was this past year that really saw him take off. Despite being limited to just 40 games, he was able to post junior career highs with 29 goals and 67 points. It will be interesting to see how the talented young forward adapts to professional hockey next season.