'It's anybody's guess': Flames set to pick ninth in unpredictable 2024 NHL Draft

An NHL Draft 2024 logo is displayed at the Sphere in Las Vegas (left) (Source: NHL), and Flames general manager Craig Conroy speaks with media in Las Vegas on Thursday, June 28, 2024 (right). (Source: TSN)

The Calgary Flames hold the ninth overall pick in the 2024 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft, in a year where there is not much consensus about where the top prospects will be selected.

Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini is expected to be the number one overall pick, but after that, it’s not obvious how the rest of the first round will unfold, according to Flames general manager Craig Conroy.

“We’ve always put together our list, but we felt like we knew how it was going to go,” Conroy told the media in Las Vegas on Thursday. “Maybe after (pick) one, it’s anybody’s guess.

“When we’re sitting there waiting for (pick) nine to come, it’ll be interesting for sure.”

Calgary has made a selection with the ninth overall pick two times before, drafting goalie Brent Krahn in 2000 and defenceman Dion Phaneuf in 2003.

“For us, it is best player (available),” Conroy said.

“All the meetings we talked about, get the list right, put them in order and whoever’s the best player at that time, we need to take it.”

The Flames have nine total picks in the 2024 draft – with eight of nine coming in the first four rounds.

Alongside pick nine, the team also owns pick 28, following a mid-season trade that sent forward Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks.

Conroy said there seems to be more interest this year from teams to move up or down from their picks, citing some of the trades that have already been made ahead of the draft.

On Thursday, the San Jose Sharks moved up to the 11th pick from 14, in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres. The Chicago Blackhawks also made a deal with the New York Islanders to move up to pick 18 from 20, at the end of May.

“That’s the big difference from last year, there was no movement talk,” Conroy said.

He added that he has had some conversations with teams about pick movement, but wants to see how the draft unfolds before pulling the trigger on a deal.

There may also be some opportunities to move up from the 28th overall pick.

“We do have a group of guys we really like there too, we might have to move up to get one of them,” he said.

“We’ll see how the draft’s kind of unfolding, and then if there’s an opportunity to move up, (we’ll) try to do that at 28, but we really like the players at 28 too.”

Outside of the first round, Calgary has picks in:

• Round 2: picks 41 and 62;
• Round 3: picks 74 and 84;
• Round 4: picks 106 and 107; and
• Round 6: pick 170.

Craig Button, TSN’s director of scouting, released his final draft ranking list last week, with Tij Iginla, Kelowna Rockets forward and son of Flames legend Jarome Iginla, shooting up his board to number three.

Conroy recognized that while the Flames drafting Iginla would make for a good story, it would also come with added pressure. He left the door open for Tij to be the pick if he’s the right player for Calgary when they are on the clock.

“I can see why it’s so exciting for everybody. I mean it's exciting for the city of Calgary, everybody talks about it. But until you sit down at that draft table, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” the Flames general manager said.

“If he’s on our list, in that spot then you go with it, and if not, or he’s gone before, you just don’t know how it’s going to play out.”

The first round of the draft is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. MDT at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Rounds two to seven are scheduled for Saturday, beginning at 9:30 a.m. MDT.

The Flames made a couple of splashes leading up to the draft, trading forward Andrew Mangiapane to the Washington Capitals on Thursday night and goalie Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils last week.