Flames’ Targets With Late 1st-Round Pick in 2026 NHL Draft

The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is fast approaching, and the Calgary Flames are loaded with eight picks in the first three rounds of the draft.

Over the next few days, we’ll look at some prospects the Flames should target with each of their selections. Recently, we went over who they should target with the sixth overall pick. Now, we’ll look at players they should prioritize with their second first-round pick acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights (which will be 31st or 32nd pending the result of the Stanley Cup Final).

Rather than just naming prospects throughout this series, I’ve split them into categories. The first is the Stop the Fall group, which will include players who are unlikely to be left on the board when the Flames’ pick comes around, but are must-drafts if available. Then I will have the Prime Suspects, the most likely options and potential reaches as well.

Stop the Fall: Elton Hermansson

There are mixed opinions about Elton Hermansson. Many have him just outside the top 10 – Jordan Oath and Andrew Forbes both have him ranked 13th in their most recent rankings here on The Hockey Writers – but Craig Button of TSN has him at 49th.

Why should the Flames target him with the 31st or 32nd pick? Well, in our annual THW mock draft, Hermansson went unselected in the first round. I managed three teams in that mock draft (which will be published in early June) and passed on him with all three picks. But he is the type of high-ceiling offensive player the Flames need in their organization.

At the World Junior Championships, he recorded 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in seven games en route to Sweden’s gold medal victory. He is a dynamic offensive threat, a great shooter along with great playmaking upside. But there have been questions about his defence and intensity.

But there is another dynamic Swedish player who had the same questions about him before he was drafted: William Nylander, now a perennial 40-goal scorer. It’s not quite a fair comparison, since Nylander was selected 8th overall.

Elton Hermansson – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Prime Suspects: Marcus Nordmark & Liam Ruck

Again teasing the THW Writers Mock Draft, Dayton Reimer, armchair GM of the Flames and an incredibly sharp mind for scouting prospects, selected another Swedish forward, Marcus Nordmark, with the Flames’ second pick in the first round.

Similar to Hermansson, Nordmark has prolific offensive talent as both a playmaker and a shooter. He put up 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 25 games at the top junior level in Sweden, and also contributed three goals and an assist in six games at the 2026 World Junior Championship.

The concerns are also similar: his defensive game needs work, and there are some questions about his motor. Still, the Flames are desperate for offensive talent, and if these concerns cause Nordmark to drop, Calgary needs to capitalize on one of the best offensive players in the draft and take the risk that the rest of his game will improve.

If that doesn’t work out, the Flames should also have Liam Ruck on their list. At 6 feet, the British Columbia native helped lead the Medicine Hat Tigers, alongside his twin brother Markus, to the second-best record in the Western Hockey League (WHL), totalling 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) this season.

His success isn’t predicated on skill alone, but more so on his high hockey IQ. He understands spacing on the ice, how to manipulate defenders with the puck and where he needs to go to manipulate coverages when he doesn’t have it.

His offensive skills are there – it goes without saying after scoring 45 goals and crossing the 100-point plateau in the WHL. The concerns, again, are defensive ability and intensity, which are understandable if the goal is to draft a middle-six winger, which is probably the most likely outcome with Ruck. However, the offensive upside and Ruck’s boom-or-bust potential are well worth the risk, given the Flames already have a very strong prospect pool.

Marcus Nordmark – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile | Liam Ruck — 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

A Small Reach: William Håkansson

We’ve been discussing high-upside offensive players, the boom-or-bust type we often see late in the first round. I think it’s the route the Flames should take, as they have plenty of prospects drafted in recent years who are expected to become NHLers. With the 31st or 32nd overall pick, the Flames can afford to take a risk.

However, to play devil’s advocate, William Håkansson, the 6-foot-4, 207-pound defenseman out of Solna, Sweden, would be a perfect fit if the Flames draft a forward with the sixth-overall pick. Håkansson’s numbers don’t pop off the page. He had six points across 38 games split between Sweden’s two top professional leagues this season. But they’re not drafting him for his offensive production. He projects to be a top-four shutdown defender who is mobile for his size and moves pucks quickly.

I like the left side of the Flames’ blue line, with Kevin Bahl and Yan Kuznetsov. However, Jason Bukala of Sportsnet made a suggestion I just can’t shake. He said, “[Håkansson]’s the kind of defenceman who complements a more active offensive partner. For example, pairing Hakansson with a player like No. 12-ranked Ryan Lin from my list makes sense.” Sounds like the perfect future partner for their 2024 ninth-overall pick, Zayne Parekh.

William Håkansson- 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

Outside of the players mentioned here, there are plenty of talented prospects expected to be drafted late in the first round. Even if it’s not one of the three I suggested, the Flames should be hunting another Matvei Gridin-type player, who they drafted 28th overall last year and had huge offensive upside but questions about other parts of his game.

The Flames’ biggest priority must be offence, but it’s understandable if they want to go with a lower-ceiling, higher-floor type of player, as I suggested with Håkansson. We’ll find out what general manager Craig Conroy is thinking on night one of the draft on June 26.