June has begun, and a lot of focus in the hockey world is rightfully shifting towards the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The event takes place at the end of this month, on June 28 and 29. The Calgary Flames “earned” the ninth overall pick this year after finishing the 2023-24 season with a 38-39-5 record and missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. The pressure is on for rookie general manager Craig Conroy to start turning things around. Many fans and media members are clamouring for the franchise to select Tij Iginla, son of Jarome, should he be available after eight other choices have been made. Regardless, whoever the Flames choose at nine will have a high potential to be a difference-maker in the near future.
Related: Flames’ Draft Options if Tij Iginla Is Gone
However, being somewhat overlooked is the fact that the Flames select once more in the first round, at 28th overall. This pick came courtesy of the Vancouver Canucks as part of a return package for former Flames forward Elias Lindholm. Another first-round pick is nice, but when it comes from a contending team like the Canucks, its value and potential decrease. According to data surrounding the success of NHL draft picks, a late first-round pick is actually closer in value to a third-round pick than it is to a top-five selection. The 28th pick in particular has been relatively unsuccessful in producing NHL talent, but has recently yielded such prospects as the Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig and the Buffalo Sabres’ Jiri Kulich. The Flames have their work cut out for them, but luckily some pretty solid young players may be available to them. Here are three we think are worthy of selection.
Charlie Elick, RD, Brandon Wheat Kings
First on our list is an excellent young blueliner in Charlie Elick. Hailing from none other than Calgary, Alberta, he would most likely love nothing more than to suit up for his childhood team. Many teams will likely be interested in him as he has NHL-ready size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds despite being just 18 years of age. The fact that he is a coveted right-handed defenceman also helps boost his stock. He currently plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League (WHL), skating some nights against the aforementioned Iginla. This past season was his best yet, as he posted a career-high four goals and 27 points in 65 contests for the Wheat Kings.
Now, we know what some Flames fans are thinking, ‘another defence prospect?’ To that, we say, yes. While the 2024 Draft features top offensive rearguards such as Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, and Carter Yakemchuk, Elick is much different. He is a prototypical defensive defenceman; he thrives at shutting down the opposition’s best forwards, denying zone entries, playing many minutes on the penalty kill, blocking shots, clearing the net, and clogging up passing lanes with his length. The fact that he is adept at making solid first passes up the ice and has a great point shot are bonuses. The Flames need to find a young replacement for the departed Chris Tanev, and Elick certainly has that potential. He could complement some of the offensively-minded defence prospects that the franchise has to create a fuller, more complete Flames top six someday.
Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph Storm
Up next is one of the younger players in the draft, Jett Luchanko. The 17-year-old is a member of the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He drastically improved his draft stock with a superb 2023-24 season, scoring a career-high 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games. His point total led all Storm skaters and was in the top 30 of the OHL. He added three assists in four playoff matches as his Storm were swept in the first round of the OHL Playoffs by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. The London, Ontario native is not the flashiest centreman in the draft, rather he is highly touted for showcasing superb two-way capabilities at a young age.
Luchanko is superb without the puck, serving as a responsible centre that his coaches can count on nightly. He is tremendously quick; he never stops moving, gets on pucks with haste, and generates a lot of takeaways from unsuspecting members of the opposition. His defensive positioning and faceoff abilities are respectable and he consistently comes out on top when engaging in puck battles. He demonstrates a high defensive IQ as he can predict many D-zone plays and successfully places himself in a position to thwart them. On the offensive side, he is an underrated puck distributor with nice hands and crafty playmaking skills. He will need time to bulk up and work on his shot, but he still has two years of junior eligibility to do so. Speaking of replacements, the Flames need to start planning for the absence of 35-year-old Mikael Backlund as a defensive presence up the middle. The Flames could do no worse than to draft and develop Luchanko for this role.
Nikita Artamonov, W, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Finally, if the Flames want to select a winger, an interesting option is Russian forward Nikita Artamonov. He competes in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), arguably the top professional hockey league outside of the NHL, for Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. While his KHL counterpart Ivan Demidov is slated to go in the top three, Artamonov isn’t getting the recognition he deserves. He is just a month older than Demidov but has played in 49 more pro games (55 to 6). Sharing the ice with grown men, he put up a very respectable seven goals and 23 points in 54 games in 2023-24. This served as the sixth-highest points total in a season by an 18-year-old, just behind such NHLers as Vladimir Tarasenko and Kirill Kaprizov.
Much like Luchanko, Artamonov is lauded for his tenacious puck pursuit capabilities and for having a non-stop motor whenever he steps foot on the ice. While his offensive stats look great, his two-way game shouldn’t be ignored; he is clever without the puck, exhibiting excellent defensive positioning and unafraid to sacrifice to help make up for the mistakes of his teammates. While he isn’t the biggest player at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, his frame gives him agility and quickness to get in quick on opposing defenders, create a turnover, and swiftly bring the puck up the ice toward the offensive zone. The Flames could definitely use a player like Artamonov, as they don’t feature a lot of forward prospects who can score and defend at the present time. Artamonov could potentially be a Swiss Army knife in either the top or middle six and become a very successful draft choice at 28.
At the end of the day, we can’t see behind the scenes. Will any of these three players be discussed for the 28th pick? Probably at some point, if they haven’t been already. Much will be dependent on who the Flames choose at nine; if they get Iginla, they probably don’t need to select another winger. If they choose a defenceman, they will most likely pick a centre, and so on. Conroy and company will choose someone that they feel is right for the franchise, but we think these players must be considered first.
