Some of the league's best little players have made their way through the Flames organization over the years. Thereon Fleury, Martin St. Louis and now Johnny Gaudreau have all donned the flaming C and all of them were acquired late in the draft (ninth round and fourth round picks for Fleury and Gaudreau) or for nothing at all (St. Louis signed as a free agent).
So there's a notable tradition of giving the little guy a chance in Calgary. That may be why the team was drawn to the diminutive Matthew Phillips in the sixth round this past June.