Calgary Flames are No. 13 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheelers 2025 rankings of every NHL organizations prospects .

You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here , as we count down daily from No.

32 to No.

1.

The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan.

8 to Feb.

7.

Advertisement The Flames have turned over a lot of prospects, graduating Matt Coronato , Connor Zary and Dustin Wolf and aging out Jakob Pelletier the four players who made up the core of their pool for years in the last year.

But the injection of one of the most talented young players in the sport in Zayne Parekh, plus the addition of a 10-pick 2024 class that included two selections in each of the first three rounds and some internal growth from some others has kept their pool strong.

2024 prospect pool rank: No.

15 (change: +2) GO DEEPER NHL prospect pool rankings 2025: Scott Wheeler evaluates all 32 farm systems 1.

Zayne Parekh, RHD, 18 (Saginaw Spirit) Parekh is one of the most talented prospects in the sport and has the potential to be an offensive game-changer.

He might even be in a special tier offensively.

Two seasons ago, despite playing in just 50 of Saginaws 68 games after missing three weeks due to injury from the end of February into March and another couple for the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (where he scored three goals and five points in seven games as the highest-scoring defenseman on the fourth-place-finishing Canada Black), he still broke the OHLs all-time goals record by a U17 defenseman, scoring 21 times.

An OHL Cup All-Star and first-round pick into the OHL before that, Parekh then became the most talented offensive defenseman in junior hockey last year, winning the CHLs defenseman of the year award and scoring and producing at an all-time great draft-year rate, breaking the 30-goal and 90-point mark as the leading scorer on the Memorial Cup hosts by more than 20 points.

He was extremely impactful against the three best teams in the CHL at the Memorial Cup, playing big minutes to help the Spirit to the championship.

Though he missed some playoff games due to an upper-body injury, he was still a difference-maker for Saginaw in the postseason.

He got off to a slow start this season after a very short summer due to the Memorial Cup, the draft, development camp, rookie tournament and the World Junior Summer Showcase, but he has excited again recently and is back on track for another 30-goal and 90-plus point season.

Advertisement He plays an aggressive and natural offensive style that looks to attack off the line into the slot or even the front of the net or below the goal line.

Hell also regularly involve himself in the rush, much like a winger does, driving down the wall in control to look to challenge defenders and attack into his shot or create an odd-man rush.

Hes extremely confident on offense and opening up his feet (where necessary) around the zone without going to his heel-to-heel by default.

Hes got great hands and a casual-looking skating posture (hes got excellent feet crossing over and falling onto his heels, but does lack pull-away speed in straight lines going forward), which he uses to carry pucks with a visual ease and beat the first layer of pressure to get to his spots.

When the puck arrives on his stick, it just seems to stop and glue to him through his movements a very rare quality that almost makes him look lackadaisical with the puck because its settled so easily into his pocket and upright stance.

He likes to roam, but hes also learning to pick his spots better and his head is constantly on a swivel to identify where he is in relation to his teammates.

When he plays freely, which is almost always, youre drawn to him whenever he touches the puck because hes always a threat to make something happen and he sees and identifies plays early.

He protects the puck extremely well with players leaning on him, escaping situations you wouldnt expect him to and often avoiding contact with deft little pre-planned plays (though hell also take a hit to make a play).

Hes got great footwork and edges to manipulate across the line and stop up along the boards to change directions or maintain gaps.

And I also believe he defends at a high enough level to be given free rein to go out there and be himself offensively.

Though his defense has been a common criticism among scouts at times, Id argue hes got a great stick (which is long and which he hides really well until an opportunity to be disruptive presents itself) and reads the play a high, high level in anticipation.

Ive liked what Ive seen from him on the penalty kill, and even though he definitely doesnt play a physical style and can get exposed for not being hard enough in engagements, I think hes made important progress in his own zone and hes also become a very chippy/mouthy/pest-like player (though his lack of discipline at times can get him in trouble).

There are times when his posture will look disengaged and upright, and youd like him to really get low and battle, but hes playing to win pucks with his stick and does so quite well (hes never going to be a staunch defender).

Add in that hes a very good communicator (hes constantly talking on the ice), has passes that are almost always tape-to-tape and perfectly flat, an ability to draw penalties escaping pressure as well as just about anyone in the draft class (hes never in trouble) and a want to have the puck and make a difference, and theres a very high-end package.

If he can defend at a reasonable level in the NHL (which I believe hell be able to) hes got star power.

2.

Matvei Gridin, RW/LW, 18 (Shawinigan Cataractes) Gridin got off to one of the hottest starts in North American junior hockey as an import in the USHL last season and continued to produce all year, leading the USHL in scoring as a draft-eligible with 83 points in 60 games.

Thats pretty uncommon for a draft-aged player and is usually reserved for first-round locks.

I didnt quite have him there (he ranked No.

38 on my final board) but the Flames did (they drafted him No.

28) and he then made the move from Muskegon to Shawinigan (after Val dOr dealt him there at the opening of the QMJHL season).

Though he got off to a bit of a slower start in the Q, his production has since taken off.

Hes the Cataractes leading scorer and he has driven a lot of offense himself while playing to very good on-ice results.

Advertisement Gridins got a desirable makeup, including a pro build and developing athleticism, skill on the puck and a quick, NHL look to his release.

He can play a north-south direct game and an east-west one with a little more poise.

He regularly tries and pulls off difficult plays on the ice.

He has shown he can snake his way out of trouble or play pucks through or past defenders, but he can also play off his linemates as more of a quick-strike option.

Part of that is a credit to his ability to think and adapt quickly on the ice (Ive seen him lift his head from a pass reception and make a number of instinctual, no-panic plays under immediate pressure in a split second).

Hes got good size and good enough skating.

He has also taken positive steps away from the puck to round out his game, though some question whether he has enough of a B game/brain and he can come and go.

I think hes got upside as a potential middle-six/PP2 winger who adds offense and skill to a line.

3.

Samuel Honzek, C/LW, 20 (Calgary Wranglers/Calgary Flames) Honzek was on one of the steeper ascents in the 2023 draft when he suffered a leg injury in Slovakias second game of the World Juniors which sidelined him through the middle third of it.

Then, during a promising showing at Flames camp, he suffered an abdominal injury which sidelined him until December to start his post-draft season, only to return and break his nose, requiring a full face mask.

In between, he played in his third and final World Juniors in Gothenburg and was good but not dominant.

The story was similar with the Giants in his final season of junior last season, too: he has played to about a point per game and good on-ice results on a below .500 team without putting up gaudy totals or really cementing himself as someone who could create his own offense in bulk without much help.

This season, though, his game has predictably fit better at the pro level surrounded by players who he can play off and complement, resulting in decent rookie results in the AHL and some time in the NHL.

Honzeks a big forward (he has played more wing than center but can and has played both) whose game really fit right from the get-go on North American ice, quickly establishing himself as a go-to player in all situations for the Giants en route to being named captain (he was also an alternate captain for Slovakia in Gothenburg).

He skates well for his size (6-foot-3), hes got good hands and dexterity, hes got great feel and sense for the pressures that exist on the ice and hes by all accounts a great teammate and kid who is coachable and pays attention to the details of the game.

He gets onto pucks, tracks pucks off them, wins battles, holds onto pucks along the wall, will go to the front of the net, excels on the penalty kill and has good positioning and awareness.

There are times when hes holding it with his back turned to the defender inside the offensive zone where Id like to see him keep his feet moving instead of coming to a glide with it but he still protects it really well even at a slower pace.

Advertisement Theres a lot of belief out there that hes going to be a well-rounded middle-six NHLer and while I dont think he has a high offensive ceiling I could see him becoming a really well-rounded 40-something point forward.

4.

Hunter Brzustewicz, RHD, 20 (Calgary Wranglers) Brzustewicz was a star in minor hockey growing up who really returned to that form last season after a bit of a winding road.

He spent two years at the program playing with kids from the draft class in front of him due to his birthday (though he missed almost all of his U17 year due to a shoulder injury suffered before his time there had barely started), and decommitted from the University of Michigan to play his draft year in the OHL so that he could get more game action.

That season, he led Kitcheners defense in scoring and turned me into a believer, finishing 40th on my ranking but going 75th to the Canucks .

In his post-draft season, he then found another level altogether as one of the most productive D in junior hockey last year, regularly showcasing his high-end smarts, above-average skill and high-end spatial awareness on the ice to finish with 101 points in 77 combined regular-season and playoff games.

His rookie season in the AHL this year hasnt stood out or followed the same trajectory but hes had a respectable year for a 19/20-year-old defenseman, averaging a little more than 17 minutes per game and running one of the Wranglers power-play units while holding his own at five-on-five.

Brzustewicz is a mobile and strong kid who has worked hard to fill out his frame (the lost season helped with that), defends the rush effectively and is now getting to show that he has always had more offense to his game than his production at the program (where players like Seamus Casey and Lane Hutson were awarded greater opportunities offensively after his injury) showed.

He walks the line well, hes comfortable, poised and patient in control of the puck in all three zones and he will take and execute on whats given to him.

He plays and reads the game very tactically hes one of those players who makes the right calls with the puck pretty much whenever he has it and sees and processes the game at an advanced level.

Hes also a strong athlete who impressed in testing at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, was a high-end skater coming up and has been a better skater throughout (even when he lost half a step after the injury) than I think most gave him credit for.

Advertisement He has become more and more active in transition.

He can comfortably play his off-side.

His on-ice intelligence gets high grades for how methodical and pinpoint accurate his execution is in the offensive zone.

His head is always up and hes comfortably beating the first layer of pressure to make his plays even if hes not a dynamic creator who will break multiple ankles in a sequence.

He projects as a smart, offensively inclined but defensively capable No.

4-5 in the NHL.

5.

Etienne Morin, LHD, 19 (Moncton Wildcats) Morin has been one of the best defensemen in the QMJHL over the last three seasons for the Wildcats.

That began two years ago with him leading the Wildcats in scoring with 72 points and QMJHL defensemen in goals with 21 (he also generated the third-most shots by a defenseman with 213, or 3.2 per game) before capping off his draft year with a sensational 17-in-12 playoff run where he was the driving force on the team in all areas.

It continued as a good teams No.

1 D while playing to a point per game last season.

And it has continued again this year on a Moncton team favored to win the QMJHL title.

Though he hasnt played the 28 minutes per game he played in his draft year the last two seasons as the teams blue line got deeper and that has contributed to his production plateauing around a point per game, his 23 minutes per game in each of the last two seasons has still led the Wildcats in both.

He plays a highly involved game built around good-though-not-elite skill, an NHL shot, a confidence and calm with the puck in all three zones, above-average skating (though I wouldnt call it a strength and it can look a little upright at times) and a sound understanding of when and where he can impact play.

He outlets the zone well, joins and supports the play effectively and reads and anticipates well.

Defensively, his game is also competitive enough, engaged and wont be a hindrance up levels even if its not a standout quality thats going to define him.

Though he doesnt produce his points in a super flashy way and doesnt project as a true top-end defenseman at either end, his precision, decent athleticism/frame, overall skill and shooting and execution give him top-six aspirations as an offensively inclined two-way defenseman and potential PP2 quarterback.

He should be in the mix for QMJHL defenseman of the year at seasons end and then turn pro in the AHL next year.

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Jeremie Poirier, LHD, 22 (Calgary Wranglers) An offensive defenseman in the truest sense, Poirier has been a fascinating and at times polarizing, though less so now study over the years because of the style he has played.

Two seasons ago, he had a very positive rookie year in the AHL, registering a combined 49 points in 78 regular-season and playoff games while earning enough trust from the Wranglers coaching staff to immediately get out in those offensive situations after a strong camp.

Last season, he was off to a torrid start with seven points in four games before a severe skate laceration on his arm suffered in Abbotsford in October sidelined him for months.

Before his AHL career, he was one of the most gifted defensemen in the QMJHL and finished it with a big performance in Saint Johns Memorial Cup win.

This year, after a bit of a slow start, his offense has returned in the last few months.

Poirier has had his fair share of doubters in the hockey world but has worked hard (to promising results, Id argue) to pull back on his all-offense game while still staying defiantly true to himself.

His game is always going to be defined by his brilliance in the offensive zone.

He can make good defenders look silly one-on-one, power his shot past goalies from long range, and spin off pressure to create spacing for himself and his teammates.

His aggressive approach to the position comes with its drawbacks, but those are fewer and fewer.

He has learned to cheat for his offense less.

He has learned to attack without support less.

He has learned not to try to do it all himself as often (though there are still moments where he tries to take over and either pulls a play out of his hat or tries to beat one too many guys and turns it over).

But he has still played true to himself, trying things on any stage, using his NHL wrister and booming slap shot to look to score, handling the puck a lot and beating layers of pressure with shoulder shakes.

Im a believer that not all six defensemen on an NHL team have to look or play the same way to build a competitive team, and I think theres a role for Poirier as a third-pairing guy at five-on-five and PP2 specialist.

Hes got clear NHL power-play upside today.

As he gets the rest of his game to a trustworthy enough level and continues to work on some of his tendencies, I think theres a role for him on an NHL club at some point with the right partner (a more cautious one) and the right coach.

He also doesnt have the size concerns (hes 6-foot-1 and built strong and stocky) that many other defensemen with his skill set do.

Advertisement The clock is starting to tick, though, and I did consider slotting him a little lower here.

7.

Henry Mews, RHD, 18 (Sudbury Wolves) A fourth consecutive player on the list who projects as an offensively inclined depth defenseman with PP2 value, I debated ranking Brzustewicz, Poirier, Morin and Mews in any order and itll be fascinating to see which one of them can emerge as a potential future PP2 type behind Parekh.

Mews is a player of varied opinions that scouts werent quite sure what to make of ahead of last years draft, but is someone I slotted as a late-first/second-rounder when the Flames drafted him early in the third round.

The No.

7 pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection, Mews played an important role on one of the best teams in the OHL as a rookie two seasons ago and was a top prospect coming up.

His draft year was up and down and a learning experience that included a lot of coaching, but he still finished near a point per game.

He has also been a staple of Canadas blue lines in his age group across three different events now first in a standout showing as the captain of the otherwise disappointing Canada White at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, tying for the team scoring lead with eight points in six games; then in another strong performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, again leading Canadas defense in scoring; and finally last spring as a PP quarterback and more of a contributor than a top player on a blue line that was more by-committee at U18 worlds (he did hit a couple of posts and was probably owed more on the stat sheet).

There were times last season when he looked sloppy and unsure of himself (or like he was reluctant to play his style with the 67s), though more so early on than in the second half (I actually think he made some important progress in the second half of last year).

During that, some softened their outlook on him.

This season, he has been one of the top offensive defensemen in the OHL and has really looked more like himself after a trade from Ottawa to Sudbury.

I still like how his game could translate up levels, especially with a team that involves their D, and I know there are others who agree, but hes going to have to hit some important checkpoints and prove it to people with the Wranglers and Flames along the way.

Advertisement Mews is an athletic, right-handed shot who is capable (keyword) of consistently driving and tilting play from the back end.

When hes at his best, he dictates play by regularly looking to activate into the rush or off the line to use his skill and playmaking ability from the back end.

Hes capable of defending hard, too (though sometimes I think hes working harder than he is effectively).

But he has struggled at times with his positioning and seems to get beat one-on-one or on misreads a little too often (everything, as one scout said to me, is just a little too chaotic with him at times).

Hes actually a good skater, too, so those things should be happening a little less than they do.

I love his attack and take-instead-of-give mentality offensively, and its complemented by NHL skill, an NHL shot and an ability to execute against coverage and pressure to the middle third of the ice (hes an impressive slot passer).

His business inside the offensive zone, jumping in and out of the play, will occasionally catch him in a bad spot, but can also really impact play and offense when his team needs it.

Hes still got some learning to do on how to mitigate risk and when to push or hold but he has shown more signs that hes learning how to apply his game.

His NHL projection will be determined by the consistency of his reads and choices (there are times when he can wait too long to move his decisions with the puck and others where hell move it too quickly, which speaks to immaturity in his game but also maybe confidence).

I understand the concerns some have but remain intrigued.

He has the tools and talent.

8.

Aydar Suniev, LW, 19 (UMass) A force in the BCHL two years ago, Suniev broke 50 goals and 100 points between the regular season and the playoffs with Penticton, while playing a fair chunk of the season on their second line away from would-be Hurricanes first-rounder Bradly Nadeau and his brother Josh.

He then followed that up with a really strong freshman season in which he finished second among forwards in scoring at UMass after Harvard dropped his commitment due to visa issues (which he got sorted in time to attend the scouting combine and play in college last season after being denied entry into the U.S.

when he played at SAC and in the BCHL).

He has had a really strong sophomore season this year as well, moving to above a point per game and creating more of his own looks at NCAA pace.

Outside of slowish feet, Suniev is the complete package as a player.

Hes got pro size already.

His wrister and one-timer both rip off his blade.

He handles the puck and attacks at defensemen and into the slot with confidence.

He can play on it or off coverage, complementing different types of linemates with similar effectiveness and fit.

Hes good along the wall and on the power play.

He just looks like a pro-quality player when hes out there.

Hes the real deal and a player I believe may even have middle-six upside if he can continue to get a little quicker (he has made some progress there this year).

I debated ranking him a spot or two higher and ranked him higher than where he was picked ahead of the draft (a second-rounder all day for me, but he went in the third).

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Rory Kerins , C, 22 (Calgary Wranglers/Calgary Flames) Im sure Kerins was disappointed to be in the ECHL instead of AHL in his first pro season two years ago, but it was good for him and helped set him up for the success hes had the last two years as he has emerged as a really good story for the Flames organization.

It afforded him the opportunity to find out what makes his game work at the pro level and he hasnt looked back.

He made the jump to solid top-nine AHLer smoother last year than it would have been had he played in the AHL the year prior and he really built on that this season, going from a good top-niner to a legit top player in the AHL and NHL call-up who hasnt looked the least bit of place.

Before turning pro, Kerins became a really nice story in junior as well as a hardworking, well-rounded sixth-round pick whose skill game came a long way to turn him into one of the OHLs top players.

In his last season in the OHL, he finished second only to Stars standout and first-round pick Wyatt Johnston in OHL scoring, and you dont register 118 points in an OHL campaign by accident.

As Ive written over the years, I think there were signs that Kerins rise was coming in his strong underlying results in the OHL in his draft year.

(His five-on-five primary production rates have always signaled that he was a better prospect than where he was drafted.) He has opened up his plane of sight to develop his playmaking, consistently placing pucks from the outside to the inside with the right timing and weight for his teammates to pounce.

He has learned to execute quicker and hold when spacing allows.

He has always played an effective north-south, give-and-go, opportunistic, around-the-slot game with a quick catch-and-release shot.

Though hes not the biggest, strongest, most puck-skilled or hardest-shooting kid, he makes a lot of little plays around the ice and knows how to operate and play off his linemates.

At 5-foot-10/11 and without dynamic quality there was wonder if would top out as a good AHLer but he has looked for some time now like hes going to find a way to stick around in the NHL and the last couple of weeks with the Flames have certainly pointed in that direction as well.

I thought about ranking him higher here.

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Arseni Sergeyev, G, 22 (Penn State University) Sergeyevs results across three levels in the last five years speak for themselves.

After getting drafted out of the NAHL (a league I dont tend to watch as part of my routine unless Im made aware of a player worth watching), Sergeyev won USHL goaltender of the year (stealing the net from Washington Capitals draft pick Chase Clark and never looking back) and then immediately became a good tandem goalie as a freshman in college two years ago at UConn.

After playing again in a tandem at UConn last year, the second time with undrafted goalie Ethan Haider, Sergeyev transferred to Penn State this year where he has been the starter and played to a save percentage above .920.

Hes got the size (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) and I like his control of it and athleticism (hes got some power and quickness).

I like his technical ability.

So the foundation is there.

He has also worked to get into better shape.

I dont see any real red flags in his game anymore and while hes not a sure thing/one of the leagues true top goalie prospects, hes got a chance to become a No.

2/3.

11.

William Stromgren, LW, 21 ( Calgary Wranglers ) After an excellent draft year that included success across four different levels (two junior, two pro), Stromgrens post-draft season three years ago was more of an up-and-down one that left scouts wanting more.

Two seasons ago marked a nice bounce-back, though.

After scoring a hat trick in his first game of the year with Rogles junior team, he joined Brynas SHL team and stuck as a regular before making the jump to the AHL.

As a rookie with the Wranglers last season, he played mostly in a depth role (averaging about 13 and a half minutes per game), though his role really grew as the season went on, rising from 11 minutes to 18-20 near the end of the year.

This season, that important role has continued and he has been one of the Wranglers better forwards.

Stromgrens a 6-foot-3 winger with skill that has begun to consistently reveal itself at the AHL level.

Despite his size, he doesnt play the game you might expect, either.

Hed rather play around you or shoot through you than push into you.

Hes comfortable with the puck on his stick, which helps him carry the puck over the line and make plays in transition.

I dont think hes ever going to be a driver on an NHL line, but hes got a chance to be a complementary depth scorer with continued development.

Theres an outcome where he just tops out as a top-six AHLer/call-up option rather than carving out a specific NHL role but I wouldnt be surprised by either outcome.

This year has been a really positive one.

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Andrew Basha, LW, 19 ( Medicine Hat Tigers ) Basha impressed me last season, both early on while playing on a line with Cayden Lindstrom before his injury and in the second half when he continued to manufacture offense on his own in Lindstroms absence as a real driver (though there were stretches in the second half where some felt his play tailed off, he was also dealing with a lower-body injury).

He also grew a couple of inches to get to 5-foot-10/11, which helps.

He just looked really good, very consistently.

This season, he was named an alternate captain and got off to a good but not great start with the Tigers before being sidelined indefinitely at the end of December with a lower-body injury.

Bashas a good but not great skater (his skating has come a long way in the last two-to-three years) who gets off the mark quickly and attacks in short bursts but isnt a burner.

And while he has quick hands, he doesnt hold onto the puck too long (a common problem for players with his skill set), instead using a two-touch shot or a quick handle into a deft pass back against the grain to make the majority of his plays on the puck.

His patience then becomes a utility rather than a crutch, only going to it when he needs to and relying on quick reads the rest of the time.

Hes an extremely competitive player who has a real willingness to forecheck, play through bumps and fight for positioning and possession, with skill and tenaciousness in the dirty areas.

He also plays the game with a bit of a chip on his shoulder and can get under guys skin.

He makes plays under sticks and through feet and into space, he thrives moving off the puck in and out of give-and-gos and he has good skill.

Ive really liked watching him play.

There are questions about whether hes going to top out as a good second-line AHLer rather than a complementary middle-six NHLer with some skill and drive, though, and the injuries in consecutive seasons are going to make it harder on him.

13.

Jacob Battaglia, LW/RW, 18 ( Kingston Frontenacs ) A heavy (6-foot-1, about 200 pounds), strong winger who grew on scouts as last season went on, Battaglia led the Fronts in goals with 31 and finished second in points with 65 in 67 games in his draft year to get drafted at the end of the second round.

He ranked No.

83 on my board when the Flames took him No.

62 but he was trending in that direction and it didnt come as a surprise.

He has followed it up this season by taking another step to become one of the more productive forwards in the OHL as well, showing more of the offense that made him a top player in minor hockey.

Advertisement His skating needs to improve if hes going to play in the NHL, but I know hes made it a priority in the last couple of offseasons, hes got some straight-line power once he gets going, and there is a lot else to like.

Hes a volume shooter who protects pucks really well off his hip, gets off the wall and under defenders, possesses an NHL-level hard shot that can beat goalies from distance, has good offensive instincts and plays with good feel and patience inside the offensive zone despite not being the quickest from a standstill.

If hes developed properly, he might become a secondary scorer in a third-line role.

Hes got the size and the talent/shot and I thought about ranking him a little higher here.

14.

Yan Kuznetsov, LHD, 22 (Calgary Wranglers) Kuznetsovs a player I was lower on than most in his draft year.

He then had an up-and-down couple of years post-draft, leaving college too early to turn pro, struggling in the AHL and ending up in junior with the Sea Dogs, where he won the Memorial Cup.

In time, though, he has figured it out in the AHL and become a really positive defender for the Wranglers (he has played to really strong defensive results this year in particular).

Hes a strong skater for 6-foot-5, which limits some of the challenges players his size often face in transition.

His upside is uninspiring and I question whether hes talented enough to play under pro pressures despite his pro build/some pro attribute in how he defends, but he looks like hes going to settle in as a No.

7-8 D who can step onto a third-pairing and defend well.

I like his stick and his ability to take on tougher matchups, and while I wasnt sure for a time if the skills of dexterity, touch and poise were NHL quality, theyve progressed to passable and he has learned to snuff out more plays defensively with his stick and length.

He is what he is but has made enough progress that hes probably going to get a second NHL call-up at some point.

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Luke Misa, C, 19 (Brampton Steelheads ) Misa is an excellent skater and was the Steelheads leading scorer last year and one of the leading assists men in the OHL.

He was a predictable standout in testing at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game and at the Scouting Combine last year as well.

Hes also 5-foot-10, born in November 2005 and is in his fourth season in the OHL.

Still, he has been very productive again this year despite spending much of the year playing away from the top line of Porter Martone and Carson Rehkopf in Brampton.

Misa wins races and can create with his feet, regularly beating his man wide and getting a step on defenders for partial breaks (he rounds corners particularly fast and tight).

Hes not the biggest kid, and the knocks on him in his first two years in the league were that he needed to use his speed to get to the middle third of the ice more and play with a more competitive edge.

He has made noticeable progress on both fronts in the last couple of years to score more (including a recent hat trick) and has become more of a play-driver at both ends.

He sees the ice well and processes the game quickly even at speed, which can sometimes be a problem for faster skaters.

I like the way he jumps into gaps and creates quick looks.

Hes starting to play into the guts and find his way out more, making better choices about when to go wide and when to drive into teams, push them back and make the kick-out play.

And when hes feeling it, he has the puck a lot and passes it well to the weak side of coverage.

His player type sometimes has a tougher time going from AHLer to full-time NHLer, but I like his skating-vision-sense combo enough that I felt he warranted a mention here.

The Tiers As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player or group of players to the next.

The Flames pool is divided into three tiers: 1, 2-3, 4-15+.

Also considered but not ranked were Vancouver Giants forward Jaden Lipinski, Niagara University standout freshman and reigning OJHL MVP Trevor Hoskin (who was the final cut but will be on this list next year if he keeps at it) and Wranglers defenseman Artyom Grushnikov (who lacks offense but has the length and skating to potentially become a No.

8-9 D who plays some games).

(Photo of Zayne Parekh: Michael Miller / ISI Photos / Getty Images).

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