Flames select Cole Reschny No. 18 overall in 2025 NHL Draft
A college-bound playmaker has heard his name called. The Calgary Flames selected forward Cole Reschny, 18, with the 18th overall pick Friday night at The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
The pick originally belonged to the New Jersey Devils, but the pick was moved to Calgary in the deal that saw Jacob Markstrom traded to the Devils.
Reschny entered this year’s draft following an outstanding season with the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League. NHL Central Scouting had the Macklin, Saskatchewan native listed as the 25th-best North American skater, 12th among centers behind the likes of Jack Nesbitt and Brady Martin. Daily Faceoff draft expert Steven Ellis has Reschny as the 16th overall prospect heading into the draft, 12th among forwards.
In his two full seasons with the Royals, Reschny has shown the tools of being an effective scorer at the next level. After playing a few games with the team at the end of the 2022-23 season, he caught a lot of people’s attention by notching 59 points in 61 games in his rookie campaign. This past year, Reschny was even better, setting career highs in goals (26), assists (66) and points (92). Along with leading the Royals in scoring, he finished sixth in the WHL in assists.
The North Dakota commit added another nine goals and 25 points during the playoffs, good for ninth in postseason scoring despite only playing 11 games as the Royals were eliminated in the second round by the Spokane Chiefs.
On top of a growing junior hockey resume, which featured him playing for Team CHL in the CHL USA Prospects Challenge this season, Reschny’s game has led to him having success on the international stage. He helped Canada win gold at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, as well as the 2025 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship, in which he was named one of the top three players on the Canadian roster.
While Reschny isn’t the most highly-touted prospect coming into the draft, Ellis says there’s so much to like about his offensive game.
“Reschny’s ability to produce no matter the situation makes him so intriguing,” Ellis wrote. “He’s not huge, but he makes up for it with explosive speed and elusiveness, making him a tough player to contain on the rush. He’s an outstanding playmaker, maybe one of the best in this class. Reschny’s competitive nature will take him far, and he has proven internationally he can be an offensive catalyst with other high-end prospects.”
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