The Flames came into the 2016 draft with a pile of draft picks. At the trade deadline, GM Treliving made sure to move expiring contracts to stockpile picks for the future. Here's a bit of a look at who they added. 

Matthew Tkachuk, LW/RW, 6th Overall  

If you were following closely, GM Treliving was having conversations with everyone under the sun about the potential of trading up or down in this draft including EDM and CBJ. It was pretty clear that Calgary wanted a bigger body (6'2, 200) to play in the top-6, and if five forwards were taken with the first five picks, Flames would have a tough choice. After the smoke cleared, Matthew Tkachuk was available and Calgary is happy to have him.  

Matthew Tkachuk is the son of former NHL player, Keith Tkachuk and put up 107 points in 57 games in the regular season for the London Knights. He collected a bronze medal at the WJC and scored the game winning goal in the Memorial Cup, while playing along side a smattering of future NHL players. While some scouts have reservations of his inflated stats from playing with top players, others see it as a wonderful gift. He has soft hands, drive the net hard, and can score goals from tipping in pucks, snipe goals in close, or cash in on rebounds. He has outstanding vision though as well which might make him more of a playmaker if anything. Tkachuk is a gritty, well balanced, power forward who works incredibly hard and seems to have fallen into the laps of Calgary. This is almost identical to how they got Sam Bennett.  

Things to watch for: 

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Tyler Parsons, G, 54th Overall. (pick acquired from Florida for Jiri Hudler) 

When you look at the Memorial Cup Champion, London Knights, it's tough to see Parsons among all that future NHL talent. When you do focus on him, you see his athleticism, his strong pushes post to post, his ability to take away high scoring chances, and how well he has continued to improve his rebound control throughout the year. He still has plenty to improve and refine, but his season was a great one (37-9-3, 2.33 GAA, .921) and playoffs were even better (16-1-1, 2.15 GAA, .925).  

Things to watch for: 

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Dillon Dube, C, 56th Overall (pick acquired from Dallas for Kris Russell) 

This undersized (5'11, 182) C has no off button when it comes to relentless forechecking and battling around the net. Dube has a high hockey IQ and great vision which would make him a natural playmaker. The problem is, he loves to shoot the puck. Wait… no this isn't a problem. He has a heavy shot and has the ability to absolutely snipe goals. If his consistency can improve, this will be a fantastic selection for the Flames as he could line up as a 2nd or 3rd line future forward. 

Things to watch for: 

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Adam Fox, D, 66th Overall Pick 

Who holds the record for single-season points by a defenceman for the NTDP (59 in 64)? It's fairly easy to guess. Fox also managed to lead all D in scoring during the IIHF U18 tournament which led to him being named the tournaments best defenceman. His offensive potential is sky high, but he has a lot of work to do in the defensive zone. Take a deep breath, Fox will be attending Harvard and Flames shouldn't have any reason to rush his development. He is still average sized (5'10, 185), but his fantasy value potential is sky high due to his ability to quarter-back a PP.  

Things to watch for: 

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Linus Lindstrom, C, 96th Overall Pick 

Notice the trend for skill among the Flames picks this season. Lindstrom gathered 44 points in 40 games for Skelleftea J20 and was called up for four games to play against men. He is still considered a small forward (5'11, 164) but has a well developing all around game. His strengths include his vision and playmaking abilities, especially from the half-wall on the PP, as well as the accuracy of his wrist shot. His already very defensively responsible game should continue to develop as he adds strength and north-south skating ability.  

Things to watch for: 

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Mitchell Mattson, C, 126th Overall Pick 

Mattson is a big (6'4, 186) C, who is considered a true prospect. His high-scoring, high-school abilities had him on the radar for Mr. Hockey award, but his inconsistent play and raw body-type had scouts dropping him down their lists. If he can continue to use his puck-possession skills down low along side his puck creativity, he would be a steal of a prospect at this point due to him already having a strong ability two-ways.  

Things to watch for: 

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Eetu Tuuola, RW, 156th Overall Pick 

This big-bodied (6'2, 227) right-handed shot is tough to play against because he plays a heavy game. His fore-checking abilities and deceptive snapshot made him very effective on the third line for Finland at the U18s. He really needs to work on his first few steps but he does have fantasy potential as a third-line NHLer who racks up the hits and contributes offensively.  

Things to watch for: 

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Matthew Phillips, C, 166th Overall (pick received from David Jones trade) 

A late-round selection from the Flames purely based on size (5'7, 145). If I never mentioned how small he was, you'd wonder how Calgary got the WHL Rookie of the Year (76 points in 72 games) so late in the draft. He still has plenty of obstacles to overcome and as a fantasy asset, consider him a long-shot. A high reward, long-shot.  

Things to watch for: 

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Stepan Falkovsky, D, 186th Overall Pick 

There are way too many potential puns. Big skater. Large Improvements. The usual concerns for players of his size (6'7, 224) have to do with skating, but he has vastly improved. He should continue to develop his physical edge but has shown growth in defensive positioning and using his stick effectively. While he still needs to work on all areas, it was a solid rookie season in NA. He could potentially become a bottom-pairing NHL defenseman who keeps pace and adds offence.  

Things to watch for: 

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Question of the day: How often do Tod Button (Flames Director of Scouting) and Craig Button talk? 

Here are Craig's Final 100 rankings compared to the Flames selections.  

Flames drafted five players in his Top-38.  

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Development Camp invites: 

Braydon Burke, Justin Doucette, Sheldon Rempal; who are playing among the Top 3 teams for camp.  

Team 4 is made up entirely of invites with the exception of G, Tyler Parsons. 

Roster includes: Thomas Aldworth, Brad Bowles, Spencer Foo, Dennis Kravchenko, Mathieu Sevigny, Josh Healy, and Jared Wilson.  

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Off-season changes: 

This could be it's own article. 

Flames have decided to part ways with the "depth" they made a priority to acquire a few years ago. They are still looking to add depth at the RW position as well as drafting C was clearly a need they addressed. After Stockton missed the playoffs, they wanted to give new pros and second year players time to grow and shine. This will mean more opportunity for past first-round forwards like Poirier, Klimchuk, and Jankowski.  

As of July 7th. 

Out: Grant, Elson, Agostino, Arnold, Shore, Poulin, Van Brabant, Jooris, Colborne, Ortio, Sieloff, Nakladal,  

In: Vey, Brouwer, Chiasson, Johnson. Pribyl 

Flames are expecting a number of prospects to turn pro full-time this season which could include Jankowski, Mangiapane, Pollock, Kanzig, McDonald, Andersson, and other options include recent draft picks Tkachuk, Lindstrom, and Tuuola. 

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Thanks for reading. Currently, the Calgary Flames have made lots of changes and Stockton's dynamics will be very different.  

Happy Watching! 

Cheers,  

Joel Henderson @dathockeydoe