Calgary Flames: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about

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Dmitry Zavgorodniy #89 of the Rimouski Oceanic (Photo by Mathieu Belanger/Getty Images) /

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.

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.

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.

Adam Ruzicka #83 of the Sudbury Wolves (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

6. Adam Ruzicka

21-year-old Adam Ruzicka saw himself shoot up the Flames top prospects list at the end of the 2018-19 season, and for good reason. While he started that season posting a mediocre 11 goals and 37 points in 35 games for the Sarnia Sting, a trade to the Sudbury Wolves seemed to spark him as he put up 24 goals in just 30 games with his new club.

After that very hot stint, many were excited to see how the 2017 fourth-round (109 overall) would produce during his first season as a pro. He spent the entire season with the Stockton Heat of the AHL, and while it wasn’t a complete disappointment, it certainly wasn’t what many had hoped for.

In 54 games, the 6-foot-4 centerman was only able to put up 10 goals and 17 assists. Hopefully for both himself and the Flames, he is able to improve on those numbers in a big way for the upcoming season. If not, he may slide right off this list.

5. Glenn Gadwin

The St. Louis Blues electing not to sign draft pick Glenn Gadwin appears as though it could be a blessing in disguise for the Flames. After being taken in the fourth-round (116 overall) at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Blues, he did not impress them enough over his next two seasons with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL to be given a contract. As a result, he played one final season with the Broncos as a 20-year-old, and put up an incredible 56 goals and 125 points in just 67 games.

After that offensive outburst, the Flames signed the now 23-year-old Gadwin to an entry-level contract, a decision they surely don’t regret. After posting 38 goals in 64 games during his first season with the Stockton Heat, he easily surpassed those numbers in the 2019-20 season with 16 goals and 47 points in 53 games. He will have an opportunity to make the Flames roster for the upcoming 2020-21 season with a strong camp.

Matthew Phillips #11 (Photo by Marissa Baecker/Getty Images) /

4. Matthew Phillips

2016 sixth round (166 overall) pick Matthew Phillips sometimes gets forgotten about when discussing Flames top end prospects due to the fact he is older than others on the list. It almost seems surprising realizing he is still just 22-years-old. At the time of being drafted, he was coming off of his rookie season in the WHL with the Victoria Royals where he had posted an impressive 37 goals and 76 points in 72 games.

After being drafted, Phillips continued to put up big numbers, capping it off with a junior career high 112 points in 71 games. He has now spent the last two seasons with the Stockton Heat, and improved massively this past season.

After an okay rookie campaign where he had 38 points in 65 games, Phillips nearly matched that total this season with 33 points despite playing in 27 less games. While he likely won’t make the team out of camp this coming season, a strong early showing with the Heat could earn him his first ever NHL call up.

3. Emilio Pettersen

Yet another solid late round selection from the Flames came during the 2018 NHL Entry Draft when they selected Emilio Pettersen in the sixth-round (167 overall). Known as the ‘Norwegian Gretzky’, Pettersen has gotten better and better from the second he was drafted. At the time, he was playing for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL and had posted 14 goals and 46 points in 60 games. Not bad numbers, but certainly nothing that jumps off the page.

Since then, Pettersen has spent the last two seasons playing for the University of Denver, where he has given the Flames organization a real reason to get excited. This past season he was able to put up nearly a point per game season with 13 goals and 22 assists in 36 games. What makes this even more impressive is that he did it at just 19-years-old. If he keeps improving like he has to this point, he could soon enough be contributing to the Flames roster.

Dustin Wolf (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /

2. Dustin Wolf

Have I mentioned yet this article that the Flames have made some very good late round picks as of late? The best of them all appear to be when they selected goaltender Dustin Wolf with the seventh-round (214 overall) pick at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

The 19-year-old goaltender won the WHL Goaltender of the Year award this season with the Everett Silvertips after posting incredible numbers with a 1.88 goals against average (GAA), a .935 save percentage (SV%), and a 34-10-2 record.

Even crazier was that these numbers were actually a tad worse from the 1.69 GAA and .936 SV% he had put up the season prior. Although it is still too early to tell, it looks like the Flames may have the steal of the 2019 draft on their hands.

1. Jakob Pelletier

Get excited, Flames fans. The Flames elected to go select left winger Jakob Pelletier with the 26th pick at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and early on it looks to be a very good call. The Moncton Wildcats forward has played in three seasons for the team, posting a combined 232 points in just 182 games. This season also saw him record an incredible plus/minus of +57 in 57 games played.

There are still a few questions regarding Pelletier, one being his size. He is currently listed at just 5-foot-9, 167 lbs. However, he is also just 19-years-old and will at the very least be able to gain more weight.

Related Story. 2020 NHL Mock Draft. light

As current Flame Johnny Gaudreau has proven over the years, small players can compete at a high level in the NHL. He will likely have one more year of junior hockey left, and has a good chance at cracking the Canadian World Junior roster if that is the case.

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