The Calgary Flames made their second selection at the 2026 NHL Draft, picking right-handed center Jack Hextall at 30th overall.

Considering the Flames have had a need for a bona fide center for quite some time, it is surprisingly that General Manager Craig Conroy went off the board by taking Hextall in the first round. 

According to his Elite Prospects, only The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari was the only one to rank Hextall above 30, placing him 19th in his prospects list. Meanwhile, three other scouts ranked the 18-year-old as old as 46th, 54th, and 64th. 

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Hextall has the chance to be one of the bigger centers to join the Flames organization. 

As franchise legend Lanny McDonald pointed out before calling out Hextall's name, the native of Rolling Meadows, IL, US, played the last two seasons in the USHL with the Youngstown Phantoms, scoring a combined 28 goals and 92 points in 112 games. Now, Hextall will play for Michigan State University in the NCAA. 

While representing the United States internationally, he's won a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and another gold at the WJAC-19 tournament. 

In the Elite Prospects Draft Guide, they describe the Flames' newest prospect as "a versatile player, Hextall presents himself as an option below the goal line, at the half-wall, and high in the zone. Teammates can bounce passes off of him, and when the play breaks down, Hextall has enough of a shot to finish on his own."

Interestingly, Jack comes from the Hextall hockey family. His father is Cory Hextall, who played for four years in the NCAA in the 1990s. His grand-uncle is Bryan Hextall Sr., a Stanley Cup winner and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Of course, his sons were Dennis Hextall and Bryan Hextall, Jr., whose son was Philadelphia Flyers' legendary goalie Ron Hextall.