This article appeared in our 2025 Meet the New Guys issue, and it focuses on Calgary Flames prospect Cole Reschny as he begins his NCAA career with the University of North Dakota.
Let the record show: Gavin McKenna wasn’t the first major WHL star to leave early in favor of an NCAA commitment. And while the top prospect in the 2026 NHL draft will indeed be one of the major storylines of the season when he suits up for Penn State, one of his former ‘Dub’ foes will himself play a major role at the University of North Dakota.
Cole Reschny, formerly of the WHL’s Victoria Royals, committed to the Fighting Hawks in late May, as did his Victoria teammate Keaton Verhoeff. The double-commit sent shockwaves through the development world because, at that point, most of major junior’s losses to the NCAA had been players about to exhaust their CHL eligibility or, at the least, who had already gone through the NHL draft.
Reschny, on the other hand, had just completed his draft year, positioning himself as a potential first-rounder.
“Leaving Victoria was so hard because of all the things they’ve done for me and how special it’s been there – the best two years of my life so far,” Reschny said. “I can’t thank them enough. But, at the end of the day, North Dakota was the right path for me.”
When the draft arrived in Los Angeles, it was bittersweet for Victoria. Reschny went 18th overall to the Calgary Flames, making him the first Royal ever to go in the first round. But he was now trading in the Royals’ black and blue for North Dakota green.
“That was a long process and something I didn’t take lightly,” he said. “I felt like going to North Dakota, it gives me the right time for my mind and my body to develop. Yeah, we’re playing less games than in the WHL, but I think that’s good for me. I’m not the biggest guy, so it’s more time in the gym, more time to work on my body and get the right nutrition – and recovery is huge.”
At 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, Reschny isn’t small, but he isn’t big, either. Nonetheless, he was a buzzsaw for the Royals last year, piling up 92 points in 62 games to lead the team. He kicked it up another notch in the playoffs, going off for a beguiling 25 points in 11 games. Once that was done, he headed to the world U-18s, where his five goals in five games tied him for fourth in that metric and helped Canada to a gold medal.
Also playing on that Canadian squad was Verhoeff, who could go as high as second overall in the 2026 draft behind McKenna. Reschny insists he and the young defenseman didn’t commit to North Dakota as a “package deal,” but he’s still stoked about heading to Grand Forks with one of his buddies.
“It’s great,” Reschny said. “The way he carries himself, the person he is, the player he is, it’s so special to watch him. We’re going to be living together, so it’s going to be sweet. It’s going to be a great year, and I can’t wait to watch him go through the draft process just like I did. I’ll be by his side the whole time. Anytime you have a chance to be around a player like that, you’re very lucky.”
The Flames feel pretty lucky, too. For a Calgary organization in need of high-end skill, Reschny brings exactly the kind of game the team needs more of now and in the future.
“We needed center-ice men,” said Tod Button, Calgary’s director of amateur scouting. “We talked about it a lot. But we weren’t going to reach for it. He has skill, hockey sense, compete, and he’s a winner. That’s how you describe Cole Reschny.”
The skilled teen hails from Macklin, Sask., which is near the border with Alberta and is about a three-hour drive from Edmonton. Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that the Reschnys are Edmonton Oilers fans. And while the Battle of Alberta is as hot a rivalry as you can find in sports, Reschny isn’t worried about his family cheering against him once he dons a Calgary jersey.
“I think they’re more than willing to switch,” he said with a smile. “It’s pretty crazy the way it worked out, but it’s so special.
This article appeared in our 2025 Meet the New Guys issue. The cover story for this issue features the newest Vegas Golden Knight, Mitch Marner, as he looks to shine in the desert. We also include features on new Jets forward Jonathan Toews, Canadiens D-man Noah Dobson and more. In addition, we take a look at the top 'new guys' from each NHL division.
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