Overview
- The Calgary Flames selected Carson Carels sixth overall in the 2026 NHL Draft on Friday night and he learned of the pick while watching from his family’s cattle farm in Cypress River, Manitoba.
- Carels is an 18-year-old, left-shot defenseman who scored 73 points in 58 WHL games in 2025–26 and represented Canada at the World Junior Championship as an underage player.
- Scouts and outlets describe him as a mobile, two-way, physical shutdown defender with top-pairing potential and an improving offensive game.
- Carels is committed to the University of North Dakota for 2026–27 and the Flames expect him to spend roughly one to two years in college to add strength and polish before he contends for NHL minutes.
- His selection capped a notable night for North Dakota, which had three first-round picks, and gives Calgary a left-shot complement to its already deep pool of young defense prospects.