As most of the hockey world watches the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, many in the industry are gearing up for the NHL Draft, which will take place on June 26-27 in Buffalo, NY. Despite decent odds of winning the NHL Lottery Draft last month, the Calgary Flames [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames] find themselves drafting sixth overall, a spot the franchise is familiar with, having selected Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk in that spot. This year, aside from the top two prospects, Gavin McKenna [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/576982/gavin-mckenna] (Penn State) and Ivar Stenberg [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/689912/ivar-stenberg] (Frölunda HC), the rest of the draft class is a toss-up. On June 4, The Daily Faceoff's top prospect writer, Steve Ellis, released his latest Mock Draft, [https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2026-nhl-mock-draft-june-top-32-leafs-mckenna-stenberg-reid-verhoeff-malhotra] picking right-handed defenseman Keaton Verhoeff from the University of North Dakota with the sixth overall pick. According to his Elite Prospects [https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/878326/keaton-verhoeff]profile, Verheoff, who is from Fort Saskatchewan, AB, ranges from #3 all the way down to #12 in pre-draft rankings, with a handful of outlets listing him at #1 and #2. After tallying 47 points in 75 games in the WHL with the Victoria Royals, Vernhoeff jumped to the NCAA last season, racking up 20 points in 36 games with the University of North Dakota as a freshman. Meanwhile, he was Canada's U18 captain and had four assists at the latest World Juniors, where Canada won bronze. Vernhoeff will turn 18 on June 19, and if the Flames select him, he'll become the youngest defenseman on the organization's depth chart, taking the spot from Alex Hurtig, the only 20-year-old signed to a deal [https://puckpedia.com/team/calgary-flames]. If Calgary drafts him and doesn't ink him to an entry-level deal, Vernhoeff would join Mace'o Phillips (19) and Jakob Leander (19) as the only under-20 defenders in the system, but not under contract. Which Former Flames Are Playing in the Stanley Cup Final? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/670d78a1-8ae1-44a4-bf15-b5eb3e96d136.jpeg] Which Former Flames Are Playing in the Stanley Cup Final? The 2026 Stanley Cup Final is upon us, which means fans of the Calgary Flames still have former players to cheer for. Who are they? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/players/which-former-flames-are-playing-in-the-stanley-cup-final] Despite the many mock drafts that have the Flames staying at sixth overall, many insiders wonder if General Manager Craig Conroy will make a deal to move up [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/calgary-flames/latest-news/2026-nhl-draft-is-it-possible-for-calgary-to-trade-up-to-second-overall] in the draft. However, if that doesn't happen, and Calgary stays the course, Vernhoeff may not be the only intriguing option at sixth overall.
