SASKATOON -- A stellar season in his final Western Hockey League campaign has seen Macklin product Cole Reschny become a first-round selection in the 2025 National Hockey League Entry Draft.
Reschny was selected 18th overall by the Calgary Flames on Friday night at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
“It sounds awesome, I can’t wait,” Reschny said when asked on Sportsnet what it sounded like to hear his name called by the organization. “It’s very exciting and playing for an organization like Calgary is very special.”
Serving as an assistant captain as a 17-year-old with the Victoria Royals this past season, the 5-foot-11, 181-pound Reschny had 26 goals and 92 points in 62 games, leading the Royals in scoring and finishing 10th overall in the WHL. He added another nine goals and 25 points in 11 playoff games, even further boosting his draft stock.
Reschny also shone on the international stage, putting up five goals and eight points in five games as Canada won gold at the World U18 Hockey Championship.
Flames president of hockey operations Don Maloney said that as prolific as Reschny was offensively, it was his off-ice demeanor that was also attractive to the organization.
“We were just talking about it, number one we value character and the person, then number two, the skill level,” Maloney said. “You watch any highlights and you see that Cole got better all year long. We’re thrilled to have him and we couldn’t be happier in Calgary.”
Offence has come easily to Reschny throughout his career, as he had 40 goals and 92 points in 25 games in the 2021-22 season with Northern Alberta Xtreme U15 Prep and also racked up 23 goals and 65 points as a 15-year-old with the Saskatoon Blazers in the 2022-23 campaign.
If he doesn’t crack the Flames roster next season, Reschny has committed to play with the NCAA’s University of North Dakota this coming season.
