The spotlight will be firmly fixed on the Calgary Flames when they step to the podium with the sixth overall selection at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday night at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
It’s a franchise-defining opportunity. A player chosen in the top 10 is expected to become a foundational piece, and Calgary is hoping its first selection helps accelerate the organization’s ongoing development.
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But inside the Flames’ draft room, the focus extends far beyond the opening round.
With 10 selections through the first three rounds, Calgary enters the draft with a rare opportunity to reshape the organization’s prospect pool. While the sixth-overall pick will generate the headlines, history has shown that some of the franchise’s most impactful players have come long after the television cameras have moved on from the first round.
General manager Craig Conroy knows as well as anyone that every selection carries value, regardless of where it falls.
“You just never know,” said Conroy. “We got Johnny Gaudreau in the fourth round… Dustin Wolf in the seventh. Each pick is important.”
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For Calgary’s scouting staff, those success stories serve as reminders that the draft isn’t won solely on Day 1. Countless hours are spent evaluating players, debating projections and searching for overlooked talent that could develop into NHL contributors years down the road.
Conroy emphasized that every prospect selected should represent more than simply adding another name to the system.
“You want to put that Flaming ‘C’ jersey on them and be proud of that,” he told FlamesTV.
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Few examples illustrate that philosophy better than Johnny Gaudreau.
Selected 104th overall in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Draft, Gaudreau was considered too small by many teams despite his elite offensive skill. The Flames looked beyond his size and bet on his talent, a decision that paid off in spectacular fashion.
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Gaudreau went on to become one of the most electrifying players in franchise history, recording 210 goals and 609 points in 602 games with Calgary while establishing himself as one of the NHL’s premier playmakers.
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More recently, Calgary struck gold again with Dustin Wolf.
Taken 214th overall in the seventh round of the 2019 draft, Wolf faced many of the same concerns that followed Gaudreau throughout his draft year. Questions about his size caused teams to pass, but his production and competitiveness told a different story.
Since then, Wolf has developed into one of the NHL’s top young goaltenders. After dominating at every level, he has emerged as both the Flames’ goaltender of the future and an integral part of the club’s present, validating Calgary’s willingness to trust its scouting staff over conventional wisdom.
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Those two success stories are reminders that draft position doesn’t always determine NHL impact.
Every year, stars emerge from unexpected places. For organizations that scout well and remain committed to their evaluations, the later rounds can be just as important as the first.
That’s why Calgary’s draft table will remain just as engaged when the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds begin.
The player selected sixth overall may ultimately become the face of the franchise’s next era. But if history is any indication, one of the Flames’ biggest victories from the 2026 NHL Draft could come from a name called much later, one that today few fans are talking about, but years from now could become another draft-day steal.
