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What does recent history tell us about the Flames' options with the 18th pick?
Calgary Flames fans may be hoping and praying their team gets a centre in Friday's NHL Draft.
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If recent history tells us anything, though, it's that when you're picking 18th overall, you're far more likely to get an elite defenceman than a franchise-altering centre. In the last decade, arguably the best three NHLers taken with the No. 18 pick were Thomas Chabot (2015), Thomas Harley (2019) and Lian Bichsel (2022). All of them were defencemen.
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The Flames are well-stocked with young blueliners, so it's certainly not an area of need, but they've insisted they're going to take the best player available when it's time to make their pick.
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Let's take a look back at the last 10 years of NHL Drafts and see what the players who were selected at 18th overall can tell us — and then take a quick glance at the No. 32 pick, too.
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2024 — Chicago Blackhawks take Sacha Boisvert (C)
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It's obviously way too early to be making any declarations about the pros and cons of this pick, but Blackhawks fans will be feeling optimistic about Boisvert. He scored 18 goals and added 14 assists for the University of North Dakota last season and is transferring to Boston University for next year. He's still only 19 years old, so let's not waste too much time unpacking his game, but he's a solid two-way centre who is developing at two elite NCAA programs. You'd probably be happy with getting a similar type of player on Friday if you're the Flames.
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2023 — Winnipeg Jets take Colby Barlow (LW)
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Barlow had a bit of a strange season after being traded to the Oshawa Generals. His regular season numbers were underwhelming, but he went off in the playoffs as he led the Generals to the OHL Finals, where they lost to the powerhouse London Knights. Barlow was third in the OHL in playoff scoring, with 14 goals and 19 assists in 21 games. Jets fans are thrilled about his potential, and landing a player with this sort of offensive upside at No. 18 would be a coup for the Flames.
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The Flames have talked about following the Dallas model for their retool, and they could do a whole lot worse than drafting at No. 18 the way the Stars have managed (twice) over the last decade. Bicshel is 6-foot-7, weighs in at 231 lbs. and played in 38 regular season games and 18 more in the playoffs this season. And he's still only 21 years old. The Flames are well-stocked with young defencemen but are consistent in their declarations that they'll take the best player available with the No. 18 pick. If that's a guy with any of Bichsel's attributes, you'd be crazy not to take him.
