The Unlikelies:
Alex Galchenyuk
Hey, stranger things have happened. Galchenyuk is a highly-skilled, well-rounded American center with great hands, skating, hockey sense, shooting ability, vision, and even some grit. The only reason he could possibly fall to the Flames would be either: the Flames trade up (which they've pretty much never, ever done) or if too many teams are concerned about Galchenyuk's injury. Honestly, I don't see that happening.
Teuvo Teravainen
a super-skilled, super-sneaky Finn, Teravainen wouldn't have been an Unlikely as recent as 2 months ago. Things do change, however; mostly people just abruptly caught on to the fact that he's one of the best forwards in a draft thin on forwards. That, in itself, isn't really an encouraging thing to say, but Teravainen is probably a top 10 selection in just about any draft ever. He's small, but proved he could put up points in a men's league last season.
The Realistic(ish)s:
Sebastian Collberg
Fast and skilled, Collberg is pretty much a pure sniper. He has great hands and is a quick, explosive skater, but the biggest thing about him is his elite, elite shot and lightning-quick release. In spite of his size (or, rather, lack thereof) he is adept at going to the dirty areas to score goals (though he'll need to gain a ton of strength to be even marginally effective as a pro). Scored well in international play, but laid an egg in 41 Elitserien games this season.
Pontus Aberg
Aberg was a complementary piece on a Djurgarden team that got relegated to the Allsvenskan at the end of the season. Pontus is a nearly identical player to Collberg, except for being faster with a not-as-good shot. Otherwise, they're very similar. Aberg is also a late(ish) 1993 birthdate--in fact, he is only 14 days younger than Alex Khokhlachev, who was drafted in 2011. The extra development time has to be counted against him to some extent when comparing him to Collberg. Oddly though, I like him better.
Olli Maatta
A smart, all-around defenseman from Finland playing in the OHL. His skillset is mostly oriented to defense, though he does show some offensive ability, especially in the back-door play and on the rush. He's fairly mobile in all 4 directions, though oddly his skating stride could use some work. His physical game is very good. Though he's an early August birthdate (making him one of the youngest players in the draft) he is a very advanced prospect. This has led to some speculation about how much more development he has and, thus, to questions about his ultimate upside. Still, a good building-block prospect for a system that needs them.
Zemgus Girgensons
A former linemate of current Flames prospect Johnny Gaudreau, there is a lot of controversy surrounding the Latvian forward playing in the USHL. Some scouts are convinced he has the skill to be a top 10 pick. Others doubt he'll even be a 3rd line forward in the NHL. He is very skilled, though his offensive game tends to take short vacations. His work ethic is always at 100% however, and he's always throwing his wire-thin body around. With some added muscle (seriously, he's thin as a pencil) he could be even more dominant. Or much, much slower. Time to toss the dice.
Cody Ceci
An all-around defenseman who surprised with a nearly point-per-game season with the Ottawa 67's. There are questions about his mobility and the projectability of his offensive game, but he's a big, well-rounded defenseman who manages to be fairly mobile and effective at moving the puck. There have been complaints that he doesn't use his size as much as one would expect as well. He's not likely to fall to 14th, but then again, few would have thought Nathan Beaulieu, Ryan Murphy (2011), Cam Fowler, and Brandon Gormley (2010) would fall out of the top 10 (in some cases top 5) in their respective drafts, but they ALL did. Defensemen routinely slip through the cracks, and Ceci is one the Flames have to keep an eye out for.
Griffin Reinhart
Younger brother of Flames prospect Max and older brother to top 2014 eligible Sam, Griffin is a big stay-at-home defenseman who also possesses some puck possession skill. His first pass is pretty good, and his hands are better than one would expect from a big defenseman. He's not the best skater--far from it--but he's at least decent for a player his size. He isn't as physical as most defenseman his size, but he isn't gentle either. He has some ability at clearing the front of the net due to his size. Like Ceci, he's unlikely to fall to 14th, but defenseman do fall.
Matt Finn
An average-sized all-around defenseman who's known for being almost completely without flash. He is never going to wow anyone in any of the three zones--with or without the puck--but he can do just about anything. In spite of a bit of a lack of size and strength, he plays a decent enough physical game, and even fights on occasion. There are some issues with his skating, but he has made notable improvements in that area. He's unlikely to be the most intriguing prospect available at 14th, but he's definitely one to keep an eye on, especially if the Flames decide to trade down (like they did almost every season under Darryl Sutter).
Radek Faksa
In a draft thin on forwards, Faksa is almost certainly going to be overdrafted. However, there is a chance, at least, that he'll be available when it comes time for the Flames to make their pick. Faksa is a mobile, skilled power forward who sometimes plays downright nasty. He plays both center and the wing, and seems equally adept at both (at least in Junior). There have been comparisons to Eric Staal, but that might imply more offensive potential than Faksa actually has. Still Faksa is an intriguing prospect, and if he manages to still be on the board at 14th, it's unlikely the Flames take anyone else.
Derrick Pouliot
The offensive defenseman from Portland Winterhawks has plummeted in draft rankings, but mostly due to other players like Cody Ceci, Radek Faksa, Teuvo Teravainen, and Matt Finn surpassing expectations. Pouliot remains a smart, mobile defenseman who moves the puck with crisp, tape to tape passes and labels an accurate shot on net. the jury is still out on his defensive game, where some scouts think he's quite good (underrated would be a better word) while others think he's so bad he needs to be converted to forward.
Hampus Lindholm
The Swede has shot up draft rankings in north america with a strong season with Rogle of the Allsvenskan (Elitserien as of next season, since Djurgarden got relegated and Rogle advanced). Lindholm is what's known as a "toolsy" defenseman, as he possesses many desireable qualities--speed, smarts, puck moving, shooting, vision, even grit--but has yet to truly put it all together. His defensive game, in particular, is a work in progress, as he needs to learn to read the play better. His hands, in contrast to the rest of his tools, are only average as well.
The Darkhorses:
Nick Ebert
Once upon a time, Ebert was considered a top 10 prospect in this draft. However, once the season started, he was so universally underwhelming that he's absolutely plummeted, appearing in the 3rd round in most rankings. Reportedly he still has all the potential he once did (he was believed to be a potential top pair defenseman), but questions about his desire and decision making have caused scouts to question whether he will ever come close to reaching his lofty potential. Personally, I think scouts have been a little overly harsh on him, but I guess they know better than me.
Andreas Athanasiou
Athanasiou is another faller. His decision making and overall hockey sense has been questioned ever since he was ranked as high as 15th previously. He remains a speedy (eye-poppingly so) and flashy goal scoring winger who can play either side. He also shows good vision and above-average shooting, but only some of the time. He has a lot of potential, but whether he reaches it or not is no better than a crap-shoot. Athanasiou is also one of the younger players in the draft with an early August birthdate.
Dalton Thrower
Thrower is a small-ish (the largest I've ever seen him listed is 6'0") but extremely physical defenseman who put up flabbergasting numbers last season (scored almost as many points as Derrick Pouliot). In spite of that production, his projections remain as a physical second-pair defenseman, but scouts are beginning to consider that there might be a fair bit more upside here than they originally thought.
Seth Griffith
Griffith is an odd case, a 2011 eligible who somehow fell through the cracks in spite of a nearly point-per-game season (he was only 6 points back of 1st round pick Vladislav Namestnikov). Even more mystifying, he was somehow left off CSS's final North American rankings for this draft. Griffith is a sneaky, opportunistic winger who can put up points as a complementary piece to more skilled players. Certainly not 1st round material--or even 2nd round--but he's a player who should be on the Flames' radar in the mid and late rounds (the Flames aren't shy about drafting players passed up in their first year of eligibility, such as John Ramage and Gaelan Patterson, though they were both Sutter picks).
