2021 Flames Top 25 Under 25: #8- Jakob Pelletier

#8- Jakob Pelletier

Position: Left Wing

Age: 20 (as of August 1 2021)

2020-21 Team: Val D’Or Foreurs (QMJHL)

Stats: 13 Goals, 30 Assists, 43 Points in 28 Games Played

Drafted in the 1st Round, 26th Overall in the 2019 NHL Draft

2020 Ranking: #10 (+2)

Pelletier, the Flames first pick in the 2019 draft, put the final touches on a successful junior career in 2020-21. He won’t be basking in those stats too long though, as the 20 year old enters training camp with the Stockton Heat.

Pelletier looked fairly comfortable at the NHL level for the few early pre-season games he found his way into, and his ability to forecheck hard and his tenacity for puck tracking was evident. However, his lack of offensive chances and defensive play was clearly not quite ready for the big jump. Darryl Sutter gave very dismissive reviews of Pelletier’s game, citing his youth as an unsaid cause of some issues he saw.

Nevertheless, Pelletier’s developmental path had a high probability of him spending some needed time in the AHL before making the jump. He joins a still very young, but more seasoned Heat squad in 2021-22 after posting 43 points in his final QMJHL season captaining the Val D’Or Foreurs. He was also a difference maker in the 2021 World Juniors for Canada, as he posted 7 points in 7 games despite the gold medal game loss.

With some very questionable veteran signings currently patrolling the bottom 6 wings, it would not come as a surprise to see Pelletier with the Flames at some point this season.