It was a night to remember for Prince George Cougar defenceman Carson Carels after being drafted 6th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Coming soon to the C of Red 👀 pic.twitter.com/xB2svuhHEB
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 27, 2026
Five of the top 10 picks in this year’s draft were defencemen, with Carels being the third one off the board; however, for the Flames organization, they knew he was their guy.
Amateur Scout Mike Coflin said they’ve been excited for him all year long.
“Watching him and our staff agreed as we zeroed on him as a potential target, Carson [Carels] really continued to develop right through the year.”
“We knew how well he played as a 16-year-old, but every time I went and watched him, it seemed like he was a little bit better than the previous viewing.”
Coflin said the differentiator was Carels off-ice, noting how important his family is to him, the farm, his goals, adding that it makes him a special person.
Looking at his on-ice improvement throughout the previous season, Coflin said the team has a strong belief that Carels could have a successful career.
“We thought going into the season he would, at worst, be a second-pair steady defence partner for a high-end player, but as the season went on, we believe he’s a first-pair player, he’s potentially a team captain down the road, he’s got a 10 to 15 year career ahead of him.”
One thing he’s learned from Carels is to not put any limits on him, because he’s very determined, and he’ll exceed them.
Coflin said Carels will play with the University of North Dakota, and will continue to work with him throughout his development.
In addition, the Flames also selected Prince George product and Spokane Chiefs forward Chase Harrington with the second round, 36th overall pick.
Harrington tallied 57 points (28G, 29A) in 61 games with Spokane this season, while racking up 105 penalty minutes.
Welcome to the C of Red, Chase! pic.twitter.com/veDqIYHlev
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) June 27, 2026
Meanwhile, the only other Cougar to come off the board was Kayden Lemire, picked up in the fourth round, 112th overall by the Minnesota Wild.
traded 🆙
welcome to the Wild, Kayden 🤩 pic.twitter.com/QnQpRWIlLF
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) June 27, 2026
Minnesota traded up from 121st overall to select the 6′ 4″ forward, who tallied 29 points in 68 games with the Cougars this season.
–With files from Darin Bain, My Prince George Now
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