SWEET SIXTEEN

NASHVILLE - Gone are the days of relying solely on the eye test.

The information we have - from the freely available to club confidential - has never been this vast.

So, when Tod Button and the Flames make that historic walk to the podium on Wednesday, no stone will have gone unturned.

"We really have three departments that work on our list during the year," said Button, the Flames Director of Amateur Scouting. "Then, the strength and conditioning and skating piece comes in at the end, so it's really four or five different (touchpoints) for us."

The amateur scouting staff - led by Button, Fred Parker and Rob Sumner - remains as critical to the process as they ever have. They identify the top players at the beginning of the scouting season, compile notes, and take in as many live viewings as possible to help formulate an opinion on the players' current state and pro potential.

But nowadays, the reports are bolstered by a swath of additional intelligence, beginning with the number-crunching of VP of Data/Analytics and Assistant GM Chris Snow and his ever-evolving in-house analytics department.

"They start separate, we start separate, and then we merge in the middle," Button said. "Chris will then send me and email and say, 'Hey, we have our list of, say, 12 guys that are really popping analytically.' I'll cross-check it, see if we've had enough viewings and if we're the same, and from there, we might have to re-issue some travel schedules and send a note to our staff to focus on a certain player next time.

"The first part of the season is a lot about identifying who the top players are. The analytics then kick in from December to January. We try to keep it separate to eliminate any (bias). Then, we have our meetings and go through the whole thing. We go through the scouts, then we go through the analytics and see where it's equal and where it's not - not so we can debate whether one or the other is better, but to make sure over the next three or four months that we're out there seeing those guys.

"It doesn't stop there, either.

"Matt Brown - our Mental Performance Coach - he's involved all year. He's right there from the interview process analyzation. (Skating Coach) Danielle Fujita is a massive resource for us as well. We give her a list of about 20 guys at the start of the year and ask if we can start tracking them. She's in Calgary and knows a lot of those Western League players and even has some of them as clients.

"It's information we have access to and we would be foolish not to use it."

In what is ultimately a two-year process, we've now officially arrived at the highly anticipated 2023 NHL Draft, where the Flames currently hold five picks - including the 16th overall selection in a star-studded opening round.

Indeed, this promises to be one of the most electric drafts in recent memory, with generational talent-in-the-making Connor Bedard expected to go first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, Adam Fantilli projected to go next, and a ton of intrigue surrounding Russian phenom Matvei Michkov.

But for the Flames, it's all about that 16th pick.

The Flames held their final meetings on Tuesday and, according to Button, have put together a list of 15 players they could realistically snag in that spot.

Never before has he spoke about depth in those terms.

"Bedard, Michkov, the top group ... they're the top group. We know we're not getting them at 16," Button said. "I don't really have a rule, but say you're picking 25. Your level is that you want to get someone in your Top-18. You would want somebody in that grouping that gets to 25, which means that seven guys have to go. So, that's what you're counting down.

"In this one, there are 15 guys at 16. And it doesn't stop there, but our message to (GM Craig Conroy) and (President of Hockey Operations) Don (Maloney) was, 'We don't want to move out of that Top 15.'

"So, if a trade happens and we want to move down, we have to be guaranteed to get someone in our Top 15."

Of course, trading up is always an option, too.

And in typical draft fashion, all 32 teams are busy working the phones.