Prospect Info: 2024 CFHF Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings: #1

[Bounces R Way]

Offseason Prospect Ranking time!
Lots of intriguing names added to the pool in the last year from trades and the draft where Calgary selected 10 players.
Couple of graduates in Zary and Pospisil look to have solidified their positions on the NHL team.

First for me has to be Zayne Paretzky, still have my reservations with him but the ceiling for this kid is extremely high.
Wolf being still eligible for the Calder would be the only other possible option at this spot.

1)

will do some more adds drops in later rounds, am I forgetting anyone obvious?

Click to read more...

 

[Lunatik]

Wolf.
Nothing against Parekh, he's a close #2, but Wolf is further along in his development and was awards coming out of his ass because of his unbelievable play at the pro level.

 

[User1996]

Parekh quite easily. Not sure on the upside of Coronato, and not sold on Wolf but those are 2 & 3 for me.

 

[IharRB]

Kirill Zarubin?

 

[Janks]

Parekh pretty firmly #1 in my eyes

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Wolf

 

[Mobiandi]

Parekh. Wolf is a distant 2nd. And then there’s a sharper drop to 3rd

 

[Double Dion]

There should only be 2 prospects with any votes on this one. Next round there should only be 1. 3rd round only one. It's pretty clear that

1/2 are Wolf and Parekh
3 is Brzustewicz

After that it's more subjective.

 

[joescores]

Hunter, easy

 

[Rubi]

At this particular spot in time I think Wolf, with his solid gold resume, will have (hopefully) the biggest impact on the Flames fortunes. He's my #1.
As far as Parekh, he is only 18 and still playing Jr hockey so I don't understand how anyone can rank him as #1. I mean... its not like Parekh is a sure thing generational talent.

 

[Anglesmith]

At this particular spot in time I think Wolf, with his solid gold resume, will have (hopefully) the biggest impact on the Flames fortunes. He's my #1.
As far as Parekh, he is only 18 and still playing Jr hockey so I don't understand how anyone can rank him as #1. I mean... its not like Parekh is a sure thing generational talent.

Does a player need to be a sure thing generational talent to be a better prospect than Wolf is currently? Is that the bar that Wolf set this year? I would argue no.

I can only speak for me personally, but as Flames fans we've had a run of goalie prospects look good at various developmental levels (world class in some cases) and then hit that next level and have their potential evaporate. This past season put up some red flags for Wolf that made it seem possible that he may do the same with the NHL level.

I think Wolf deserves a ton of respect for what he has accomplished since being drafted, but there is still a lot of work to do if he is going to be a long-term #1 and not just the guy that we look to replace when we want to win again. And I find it hard to imagine a goalie fixing weaknesses from one season to the next simply because we haven't really seen it happen here in Calgary.

It may be unfair to Wolf, but yeah, a guy selected #9 overall should be a very very good prospect, and I'm more bullish on the type of growth that Parekh needs and the amount of track he has ahead of him compared to Wolf.

Both guys have things that they need to change in order to achieve their potential. We don't know if either guy will do it, but if Parekh turns out we are talking about a Norris-calibre defenceman. If Wolf turns out, I don't see Vezina, but rather just a starting goalie.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Does a player need to be a sure thing generational talent to be a better prospect than Wolf is currently? Is that the bar that Wolf set this year? I would argue no.

I can only speak for me personally, but as Flames fans we've had a run of goalie prospects look good at various developmental levels (world class in some cases) and then hit that next level and have their potential evaporate. This past season put up some red flags for Wolf that made it seem possible that he may do the same with the NHL level.

I think Wolf deserves a ton of respect for what he has accomplished since being drafted, but there is still a lot of work to do if he is going to be a long-term #1 and not just the guy that we look to replace when we want to win again. And I find it hard to imagine a goalie fixing weaknesses from one season to the next simply because we haven't really seen it happen here in Calgary.

It may be unfair to Wolf, but yeah, a guy selected #9 overall should be a very very good prospect, and I'm more bullish on the type of growth that Parekh needs and the amount of track he has ahead of him compared to Wolf.

Both guys have things that they need to change in order to achieve their potential. We don't know if either guy will do it, but if Parekh turns out we are talking about a Norris-calibre defenceman. If Wolf turns out, I don't see Vezina, but rather just a starting goalie.

Wolf finished the season .012 percentage points behind Markstrom. Markstrom played the vast majority of his games behind Hanifin, Tanev, and Lindholm. After those guys left the team defense was in shambles and Markstrom put up an .870. People around here were proclaiming Marky a vezina goalie, and for good reason.

Despite the defense being in shambles, Wolf settled in and won his last 5 games and almost half his games in total, in front of a terrible team. And got better in every game.

The criticisms he took this year were hilarious. He’s an elite goalie prospect. Behind a capable D he’ll be a vezina caliber goalie. He had one bad game, against the Sharks. Other than that he played well considering his environment

 

[Anglesmith]

Wolf finished the season .012 percentage points behind Markstrom. Markstrom played the vast majority of his games behind Hanifin, Tanev, and Lindholm. After those guys left the team defense was in shambles and Markstrom put up an .870. People around here were proclaiming Marky a vezina goalie, and for good reason.

Despite the defense being in shambles, Wolf settled in and won his last 5 games and almost half his games in total, in front of a terrible team. And got better in every game.

The criticisms he took this year were hilarious. He’s an elite goalie prospect. Behind a capable D he’ll be a vezina caliber goalie. He had one bad game, against the Sharks. Other than that he played well considering his environment

To me it's more of the types of goals that go in rather than the numbers. I've always been a guy willing to look past numbers with goalies and focus on whether the goals should be stopped or not. Wolf is a tricky one because many of his games feature a mix of really awesome saves and less-than-impressive goals where they basically just shoot around him.

I'm not saying he's had bad game after bad game, but he definitely is a goalie who I feel like NHL shooters can score on at this point, often without needing a huge defensive breakdown. And ultimately as I say, a lot of my analysis is just based on not expecting a goalie prospect to turn out simply because time after time I've had those hopes dashed.

I'm putting Wolf at #2 because I have great respect for how he transitioned to every level so far, in spite of my pessimism. I think he's brought his floor up to basically being an NHLer. I'm just not sure that he's going to be that far above league-average goaltending when all is said and done. Parekh obviously has a chance to be the type of defenceman who moves the needle a whole lot more than a decent starting goalie.

 

[JPeeper]

Parekh for me. I just can't put a goalie as the best prospect even with Dustin's accomplishments. Flames haven't drafted and developed a good starting goalie since before I was born (Vernon). I think he'll struggle this year behind this defense and I won't blame him, but Parekh gives me Johnny Hockey vibes so I got to go with him.

 

[Volica]

It's Wolf, but I can see why people would pick Parekh here. Kind of just goes to show how bare the cupboards are with top prospects in our system that a guy picked 9th in an apparently weak draft is right at the top now lol.

 

[Fig]

Wolf finished the season .012 percentage points behind Markstrom. Markstrom played the vast majority of his games behind Hanifin, Tanev, and Lindholm. After those guys left the team defense was in shambles and Markstrom put up an .870. People around here were proclaiming Marky a vezina goalie, and for good reason.

Despite the defense being in shambles, Wolf settled in and won his last 5 games and almost half his games in total, in front of a terrible team. And got better in every game.

The criticisms he took this year were hilarious. He’s an elite goalie prospect. Behind a capable D he’ll be a vezina caliber goalie. He had one bad game, against the Sharks. Other than that he played well considering his environment

The fact that Wolf is in the mix of top prospect as the 4th last pick of 2019 vs a top10 pick of that draft class is a testament to what he has accomplished. But I agree with @Anglesmith he still has stuff to work on. The same can be said of Parekh, but I think the difference between Dmen and Goalies is that one is much easier to project than goalies, hence why I can see how Wolf isn't considered the top prospect by default. It depends on how high some posters project him.

It's far easier to perceive Parekh as a strong contributor to a top pairing D. Wolf has to be lights out on his own as a goalie.

TBH, we are lucky to have both.

 

[Yepthatsme]

It's Wolf, but I can see why people would pick Parekh here. Kind of just goes to show how bare the cupboards are with top prospects in our system that a guy picked 9th in an apparently weak draft is right at the top now lol.

This was known as a strong draft for defenseman at the top, and a good 1st overall, but brutal depth and centre options which made it a weak draft. Parekh just had an offensive season we haven’t seen in the CHL in well over a decade. In no world is that an indicator of our pool, which is already in the top 1/3 in the league.

Parekh here. Wolf hits his potential and he’s a top 10 goalie in the league. Park hits his and he’s a top 3 offensive defenseman in the league. That’s a much larger difference maker.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Parekh.

New is always better.

 

[Lunatik]

As already stated, I picked Wolf... but what I can't grasp is people citing that either Wolf or Parekh is way ahead of the other... no matter how you slice it, it's close.

or the lone vote for Bruiser... in no fathomable world is Bruiser ahead of Parekh. Parekh is 2 years younger, outproduced Bruiser, and unlike Bruiser, Parekh actually scored a decent number of goals.

 

[Fig]

As already stated, I picked Wolf... but what I can't grasp is people citing that either Wolf or Parekh is way ahead of the other... no matter how you slice it, it's close.

or the lone vote for Bruiser... in no fathomable world is Bruiser ahead of Parekh. Parekh is 2 years younger, outproduced Bruiser, and unlike Bruiser, Parekh actually scored a decent number of goals.

Whoever picked Brewski might be defining who is closest to graduating in a top 4, top 6 or starter role. Or it's a Brewski family member with heavy bias.

I'm glad we don't have as many major positional holes in our prospect pipeline now. Brewski isn't top 1/2 for me, but he definitely is a huge part of the group that makes sure our pipeline is really, really good.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

It's Wolf, but I can see why people would pick Parekh here. Kind of just goes to show how bare the cupboards are with top prospects in our system that a guy picked 9th in an apparently weak draft is right at the top now lol.

It wasn't a "weak" draft in the traditional sense. Celebrini was as good as any, it was more so that there were probably more guys that would be in the 5-10 slot in most years, and less in the slam dunk 2-4 range.

I think the top 15 in this draft has the potential to be really good in hindsight in a few years. Maybe not as many "franchise" level guys, but a ridiculous amount of top line wingers/legit great 2nd liners, and top2/3 D.

 

[Lunatik]

Whoever picked Brewski might be defining who is closest to graduating in a top 4, top 6 or starter role. Or it's a Brewski family member with heavy bias.

I'm glad we don't have as many major positional holes in our prospect pipeline now. Brewski isn't top 1/2 for me, but he definitely is a huge part of the group that makes sure our pipeline is really, really good.

Bruiser isn't even top 2 d for me. Solo is #2 for me, I honestly believe he can be a Belarusian Tanev.

@Bounces R Way is there a reason Solovyov was left off your list?

These are the guys I'd have on the list..

Basha, Andrew	LW	18​
Battaglia, Jacob	RW	18​
Bell, Parker	LW	20​
Boltmann, Jake	RD	22​
Brzustewicz, Hunter	RD	19​
Chechelev, Daniil	G	23​
Ciona, Lucas	LW	21​
Coronato, Matt	RW	21​
Gridin, Matvei	RW	18​
Grushnikov, Artem	LD	21​
Honzek, Samuel	LW	19​
Hoskin, Trevor	C	20​
Hurtig, Axel	LD	19​
Ignatjew, Waltteri	G	24​
Jamieson, Eric	LD	19​
Jurmo, Joni	LD	22​
Kerins, Rory	C	22​
Klapka, Adam	RW, C	23​
Koumontzis, Demetrios	LW	24​
Kuznetsov, Yan	LD	22​
Laing, Hunter	C	18​
Lipinski, Jaden	C	19​
Littler, Cade	C	20​
Mews, Henry	RD	18​
Misa, Luke	C	18​
Morin, Etienne	LD	19​
Morton, Sam	LW	24​
Nikolaev, Ilya	C	23​
Parekh, Zayne	RD	18​
Pelletier, Jakob	LW	23​
Poirier, Jeremie	LD	22​
Schwindt, Cole		23​
Sergeev, Arsenii	G	21​
Solovyov, Ilya	LD	23​
Stromgren, William	LW	21​
Suniev, Aydar	LW	19​
Tuulola, Eetu	RW	26​
Yegorov, Yegor	G	18​
Zarubin, Kirill	G	18​

 

[Volica]

It wasn't a "weak" draft in the traditional sense. Celebrini was as good as any, it was more so that there were probably more guys that would be in the 5-10 slot in most years, and less in the slam dunk 2-4 range.

I think the top 15 in this draft has the potential to be really good in hindsight in a few years. Maybe not as many "franchise" level guys, but a ridiculous amount of top line wingers/legit great 2nd liners, and top2/3 D.

I'm thinking this draft ends up looking like 18 or 19 draft to be honest.
A few picks in the top 5 you look back and go 'woof'; and some really good players in that top 15. That said, lots of D, lots of variables there. I don't think there's been this heavy D type draft since 2012; here's hoping that the results are better for everyone involved vs 2012.

My point still stands. Our pool is pretty void of real top end talent, so a guy taken 9th shooting up to number 1 is normally a bit of a flag for me. If Parekh was like a top 3 prospect we'd be laughing; which I think is the idea going into the 2025.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I'm thinking this draft ends up looking like 18 or 19 draft to be honest.
A few picks in the top 5 you look back and go 'woof'; and some really good players in that top 15. That said, lots of D, lots of variables there. I don't think there's been this heavy D type draft since 2012; here's hoping that the results are better for everyone involved vs 2012.

My point still stands. Our pool is pretty void of real top end talent, so a guy taken 9th shooting up to number 1 is normally a bit of a flag for me. If Parekh was like a top 3 prospect we'd be laughing; which I think is the idea going into the 2025.

Sure but I think nobody would have blinked too hard if Parekh went 3-9 range this year.

 

[Fig]

I'm thinking this draft ends up looking like 18 or 19 draft to be honest.
A few picks in the top 5 you look back and go 'woof'; and some really good players in that top 15. That said, lots of D, lots of variables there. I don't think there's been this heavy D type draft since 2012; here's hoping that the results are better for everyone involved vs 2012.

My point still stands. Our pool is pretty void of real top end talent, so a guy taken 9th shooting up to number 1 is normally a bit of a flag for me. If Parekh was like a top 3 prospect we'd be laughing; which I think is the idea going into the 2025.

Before the draft, I was thinking more 2017. Lots of flawed guys who might surprise as time goes on.