Gruul

@nickiacoban What do you see Carels being at the next level? I just have a hard time putting him ahead of Dmen that have a much higher ceiling but lower floor. I have a hard time coming up points that I wouldn’t also get with a Malte Gustafsson, who could be had quite a bit later in the draft

Here are my updated draft rankings for May! These see some significant changes to both the model and scout side due to fixed NHLe values and shifted opinions. I've also changed the graphic a bit to include info on all the top 20. The top four remain the same, but Nikita Klepov and Caleb Malhotra are two new faces to the first six. Klepov has been a model favorite all year and deserves to go a lot earlier than he likely will next month. Malhotra had a decent regular season, but his incredible playoff run has resulted in both the model and scouts now seeing him as one of this class's best, and he will go high as the best available center. Daxon Rudolph and Viggo Björk also jump into the top ten, pushing Alberts Smits, Ryan Lin, and Keaton Verhoeff to the late lottery range. #NHLDraft2026

@ColtonBaxter17 Preston and Villeneuve are two big ones.

Curious to know everyone’s guy they are higher on then consensus in the 2026 draft class

@Scottos_ @TheLineBlender Only thing I’ll say is that 1st’s might be really valuable. Not trying to be a certified hater, but I’d be very interested in owning the Oilers ‘27 and 28’ pick especially. Other contenders who throw in their 1sts will be comparatively worth little. Agree on the total value tho

@TheLineBlender Tbh other teams easily beat this out for thomas Oilers don't have a good prospect to dangle

This is the worst thing I've ever seen That package might get you Thomas

@MatchsticksCGY Plus it looks like there’s a 25%+ chance that we net another 1st from Vegas assuming they win the cup. The Andersson trade is a good lesson in not overreacting in the moment. Especially with how he’s performed (not that he’s been bad or anything) we definitely won that trade.

Craig Conroy is going to look really smart when the Andersson “rental” ends up netting the Flames a solid NHL defender, a decent prospect defensemen who has played NHL games already, and two first round picks.

@BumfOnline @ColtonBaxter17 I’m already on board, but I’d be even more confident if our draft board this year had a similar bias towards talent/high upside picks like we’ve done the past couple years.

@ColtonBaxter17 💯 they have lots of assets. They all have to be in play for a first-line player, especially a centre

I would do this from #Flames perspective. U need stenberg or Malhotra a player with 1st line projection up front. Conroy has shown he can draft value not worried about picking later in the 2nd

@Pete___Hughes @Scottos_ Absolutely, but that goes for the CHL as well. Critically in those leagues has gone down and the best players have left to the NCAA. For that reason league strength is relative imo.

@Scottos_ @Gruul1 The Finnish league is really not what it once was. It’s not a big ask at all. Good NCAA Teams could compete with them. Easily. They showed that at the Spangler Cup.

Right play BTW Calling him the biggest bust potential is so silly considering he has a pro level defensive game Already There is a reason he is trusted on pro teams It's because he knows what he has to do and is incredibly coachable

@Scottos_ @Pete___Hughes No disrespect, but it’s also a bit of a hand wave. Saying that they can succeed at a higher level but choose not to is an assumption that doesn’t replace proving it against harder, faster hockey.

@Pete___Hughes @Gruul1 thats an incredibly big ask considering how big of a step that is and how much faster the game is

@Pete___Hughes @Scottos_ I think that’s an unfair way to frame it. When we draft a player from the NCAA, SHL or Liga, etc., we’re drafting a 17-year-old who has proven that they can hang at a professional level hockey against fully developed men. It’s the same argument for why Bjorck can succeed.

@Scottos_ He was alright in the Finnish League, a League whose fourth leading scorer couldn’t crack a PPG until he was 20 in the WHL.

@Pete___Hughes How much tape have you watched of him in Liga? Saying that he doesn’t think the game well/fast enough has not been my experience watching him at all.

This is all Smits does, should have tried to drive the net there or look for an outlet out front, but just throws it in the corner, brain doesn’t process fast enough with feet. Outstanding speed in neutral zone and wastes it. Biggest bust potential of anyone in this Draft.

My man.

@TakeThatClouds @ElviraHaycraft Dang my home province makes an appearance on TTC’s feed 😓

“I live in a no flight path” Guess all these pilots must be lost then @ElviraHaycraft? Why are chemtrailers such terrible liars?

@Pete___Hughes @NHLFlames Carels doesn’t look like he has some of the same raw talent/tools as some of the other top D in the class. If I wanted size I’d probably wait to take someone like Malte Gustafsson- might even be able to grab him with VGK’s pick. Bjorck is definitely going to be special though.

@NHLFlames Carels or Björck please

Sixth pick is ours!

@PunishedErik I’d love to see Crimson fists repped though. They have some of the best lore, books, and one of the best paint schemes too IMO.

@PunishedErik I almost exclusively paint up lesser known chapters so I agree with you there. Regardless of how they’re painted, or what the lore is for the given box, having plain sculpts is still helpful so that the rest of us who don’t want to play the box art guys still can grab it.

oh my god finally an ork with a bit of SAUCE this thing looks awesome

@PunishedErik I’ve played Warhammer since I was seven, and I always wish they had different armies, but I just think it’s a lot harder to sell if it’s Orks vs Eldar etc. You’re right though, and it would lower space marine fatigue- not that it affects the bottom line or anything for GW

@Gruul1 Yeah it's definitely a new thing. And I admit it's just me being sick and tired of how GW handles them. Yet I can't help it, just the sight of them makes me roll my eyes. I'd rather have literally anything else

@PunishedErik Saw your other comments about marines being lame, and I agree in the way that we see armies sanitized, but if you go back through older codexes they used to be sweet (the way GW would portray them). Literally every other army has them so not sure why GW can’t bring them back

@Gruul1 I didn't get much excited for it because I already have boyz and a warboss and whatever. The two vehicles look awesome but don't really fit my army so I don't think I'll be getting any of these models tac squads are not coming back y'all have to let it go lmao

@Fan960Steinberg @RyanNPike Can’t think of someone more deserving than Barbs to single just one guy out, but the whole group definitely earned the re-up. Coaching has clearly been a huge strength even in the midst of a rebuild.

One of the big messages from players, publicly and privately, coming out of exit meetings was positivity across the board about the coaching staff. While the whole staff (outside of Ryan Huska) needed new deals, it felt like a no-brainer to keep the staff together. #Flames

@MikeBartner Mike there’s a better way to drive engagement! You don’t have to do this to yourself- weakly rage baiting day in and day out. Your long form really isn’t that bad!

McDavid's 2x12.5M is actually holding back the team, not helping.

@summoningsalt Unless I’m missing something isn’t there no implied danger to anyone apart from tying yourself to the track? It’s coming down the track towards what?

A train is coming down a track. Everyone on Earth has the choice to either tie themselves to the track, or not. If more than 50% of people choose to tie themselves to the track, the train turns around and doesn't run them over. Yes or no - do you tie yourself to the track?