The 6th overall pick of the 2026 NHL Draft belonged to the Calgary Flames. A pick which they used to select Carson Carels, the future partner for their franchise defenceman. Carels is coming off an excellent year in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars; he also fills a need on the left side of the blue line for the Flames. There is a lot that Carels brings to the table that made Calgary jump at the chance to draft him.
Who is Carson Carels?
A 6’2″, 198 lb left-shot defenceman from Cypress River, Manitoba. He is one of the best defencemen in this draft class and is the best left-shot defenceman. A former 15th overall pick in the WHL Prospects Draft, Carels had some great development in his years. 73 points in 58 games this past season, with 20 goals, before going a point per game in the playoffs.
Internationally, Carels has represented Canada on numerous occasions. Most recently at this past World Juniors, where he had only good things to say about new teammate Zayne Parekh. He also wore the maple leaf at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and at the U17 Worlds, where he won gold and silver, respectively.
Carels’ role in Calgary
Carels is going to be a top-pairing defenceman for the Flames in the future. His connection with Zayne Parekh, Calgary’s franchise player, helps out there, along with the fact that the two of them complement each other’s games extremely well. It will also help that Calgary has a nice crop of defencemen that will be playing with him.
He will almost definitely play alongside Parekh at the pro level. As mentioned above, the two of the work cohesively together, which makes them a great pairing. Not only can Carels bring elite offensive production, but he also plays a sound game in his own zone. Not afraid to use his stature to knock players off the puck and create a breakout. Additionally, on multiple occasions in Prince George, he showcased his elite skating, in which he carried the puck up ice and eventually finished off the chance. He is well-rounded in all three ends, and that will also take some burden off Parekh in the defensive zone.
While the Flames now have many defencemen, Carels doesn’t create a logjam. There was a lack of talent on the left side, with just Bahl as a future top-4 pairing player. Carels injects some skill into the left side while also not overloading on the number of players in one position.
Carels’ fit with the young core
The selection of Carels completes the core of the blue line for the years to come. On the right side, there are Zayne Parekh and the newly acquired Simon Nemec. On the left, it’s Carels and Kevin Bahl. The Flames have built an extremely strong blue line to build from that can one day be the envy of the entire league. Firepower from many of them, with the ability to also play a strong defensive game, makes this a bright spot.
Carels won’t be joining the Flames soon; he will be heading to the University of North Dakota next season, playing alongside fellow Flames prospect Cole Reschny. Playing against the older competition will help mature his game, which will allow him to build upon the foundation that he already has from his time in Prince George. He also joins a large portion of Calgary’s prospect pool in going to the NCAA.
How long exactly will it be before he makes that jump to pro hockey? It’s hard to tell. There is always a chance that he takes the Anton Frondell route and signs a contract near the end of the season. He could sign one in the offseason, and then spend some time in the AHL with the Calgary Wranglers. The picture is going to get clearer when he is seen in action in the NCAA.