The Philadelphia Flyers' had some of their young players take on larger roles during an encouraging season.
They not only made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 but also eliminated their rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As the Flyers look to continue down the road to building a contender, they will hope that some of their youngsters who haven't made an impact just yet start to force their way into the lineup. They will also be looking to see their young NHLers take steps toward becoming even more effective.
Philadelphia is next up in our NHL prospect pool overview series.
In our annual series, Tony Ferrari's digging into each team's top prospects, the strengths and weaknesses of its pipeline, an overview of its latest draft class and positional depth chart, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
Aside from some exceptions, a player who no longer holds NHL rookie eligibility is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for the purposes of these exercises.
INITIAL OVERVIEW OF TOP PROSPECTS
The Flyers' young talent already in the NHL is quite intriguing. Matvei Michkov remains one of the most interesting players in hockey. Seemingly thrown in the doghouse for much of last season, the dynamic Russian sniper still has the potential to be a high-impact offensive player at the NHL level, and a little more leash will go a long way.
Denver Barkey played about half of the year in the NHL and looked genuinely fantastic at times, showcasing his dogged mentality and endless motor. His offensive tools play up because of his motor, and he should find his way up the lineup throughout this season.
It will be interesting to see whether Jett Luchanko can earn a role in the NHL after coming close each of the last two training camps. He plays with speed and excels in transition. Luchanko does a lot of the little things right.
The Flyers seem to want the two-way center in the NHL, but he hasn't forced their hand.
That leads us to the darling of the end of the year, Porter Martone. The power winger is going to be one of the leading candidates for the Calder Trophy next season after a fantastic end of the year and playoff debut. Martone started to use his heavy shot more at Michigan State last year, and that translated to the NHL when he made his arrival in the show.
A power playmaker at heart, Martone is going to be a handful for opposing teams, even as a rookie this season.
After being selected 12th overall in the 2025 NHL draft, Jack Nesbitt had a good season, but he didn't really take a step offensively as hoped. Nesbitt is a 6-foot-4 forward who can bring some physicality as well as goal-scoring ability. His skating needs some work, which should help amp up his pace.
It was a reach at 12th overall, but Nesbitt should get an ample leash because of his size and power game.
It's been tough sledding for Shane Vansaghi at Michigan State. With all the talent on that team over the last two years, he has been relegated to bottom-six duty, and his offensive numbers have been underwhelming. That's not to say Vansaghi has been bad; it's actually quite the opposite.
The physical forward has embraced his role, playing hard on the forecheck, winning battles along the wall and just finding ways to contribute to winning. He's going to be an NHLer, but it's just about whether he'll ever get the chance to show off his offensive chops or not.
Jack Murtagh had a solid freshman season at Boston University, but he plays his best in a Team USA jersey. He's always shown up when the lights are brightest, and he might be a sneaky addition to this year's world junior team who can play lower in the lineup and bring some scoring prowess around the net. Murtagh is a gamer, through and through.
The last couple of years have been weird for Alex Ciernik. The Slovak forward played well in the Swedish second level in 2024-25 before getting a taste of AHL action at the end of the year. In 2025-26, he split the season between the Liiga and the Allsvenskan, where he just never seemed to get his feet under him and look comfortable.
This year, the speedy winger is expected to play in the AHL, and that stability should help him in a big way.
Max Westergard is one of the most interesting prospects in the Flyers' system. The six-foot winger is blazing fast and plays a hard-working game at both ends of the ice. He overwhelmed his opponents at the Swedish junior level, putting up 30 points in 20 games this past year, but he's struggled to find a groove against men.
He doesn't turn 19 until September, has a chest full of tools and works hard, so there's a ton of runway for him.
Oliver Bonk is pushing to earn playing time with the Flyers after a solid rookie year in the AHL. Bonk is primarily a defensive blueliner, using his skating to mirror attackers and then engaging either with his stick or his body. He's not afraid to skate with the puck when he has it, deferring to teammates when pressure arrives.
He's got the tools to be a solid NHLer, and he'll have a chance to earn a spot in camp.
Carter Amico started the year in the NCAA with Boston University, but as with most things at BU last year, it wasn't going well. He was coming off a major knee injury the year prior, and Amico never seemed to find his footing. Amico decided to leave school and go back to the United States League with Muskegon.
The bone-crushing defender looked more confident as the season went on. Hopefully his step back to the USHL can be a reset heading into this season. He will be back at BU this fall, hoping for a better transition.
U-23 PLAYERS LIKELY TO PLAY IN THE NHL THIS SEASON
Porter Martone (RW), Jett Luchanko (C/W), Denver Barkey (LW), Matvei Michkov (RW)
2026 NHL DRAFT CLASS
Round 1, 27th overall - Maksim Sokolovskii, D, London (OHL)
Round 2, 53rd overall - Brek Liske, D, Everett (WHL)
Round 2, 62nd overall - Martin Psohlavec, G, Karlovy Vary Jr. (Cze.)
Round 4, 120th overall - Marek Sklenicka, G, Seattle (WHL)
Round 5, 136th overall - Kent Sauer, C, Andover (USHS)
Round 7, 213th overall - Max Laatikainen, D, Kiekko-Espoo Jr. (Fin.)
When draft day rolled around, prospect experts kind of knew that some team would take the chance on 6-foot-7 Russian defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii. Some had even predicted him going to the Flyers. It was fitting that Philadelphia is exactly where he ended up.
The massive blueliner is a violent player who uses his mobility and size to absolutely crush players all over the ice. His on-puck game is still a work in progress, though. At the end of the day, the Flyers chose violence with Sokolovskii.
Second-round pick Brek Liske is an interesting defenseman who was playing in the shadow of Anaheim Ducks prospect Tarin Smith and 2027 NHL draft front-runner Landon DuPont. He wasn't given the opportunity to showcase his puck-moving game until late in the year when Smith was injured in the playoffs. Liske is a bet on the upside that he flashed throughout the year as a two-way defender.
He could take a big step next year with added opportunity.
Philly went with back-to-back goalies with their next two picks, first taking Martin Psohlavec. The 6-foot-5 netminder plays even bigger than he is, getting low to seal off the ice and fanning out his upper body to take up the entirety of the net. He's quite athletic and moves well in net to stay square to shooters.
He was dominant in Czech junior hockey last year, and now he's heading to the WHL.
Marek Sklenicka and Psohlavec played for Czechia at the World Men's Under-18s this past spring. Sklenicka has good size and moves well, but he lacks the top-end athleticism that other netminders have. He is a solid technical goalie.
It was an interesting pick when Philly took Kent'KJ' Sauer, the Minnesota high schooler who plays a hyper-physical game. He's a bit of a raw offensive player who can show some really nice passing habits. Sauer is heading to the WHL before going to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
This is a long-term play in the fifth round, hoping to get a bottom-six bruiser out of it.
In the seventh round, the Flyers took Max Laatikainen, a Finnish defender who moves well and plays a calm game at both ends of the ice. His tools are average at best, and he lacks a physical element, but he always seems to impact play in a positive manner. He's a nice late-round flyer for Philadelphia who could have a bit more time to elevate his tools than others in his draft class.
He was one day from being eligible for next year's NHL draft instead of this one.
STRENGTHS
The Flyers have decent prospects all over their pipeline and some good young talent already in the NHL, but the wings are the strongest area of their pipeline.
If Ciernik can get back on track, he could be an impact player. Murtagh and Westergard are excellent options on the left side.
Martone will be one of the league's best rookies this year. Vansaghi and Cole Knuble are solid bottom six forwards.
Players listed as centers, such as Nesbitt and Matthew Gard, are likely to end up on the wing as well.
While they don't have any true stars beyond Martone, the depth on the wing is solid.
WEAKNESSES
Even with the addition of Sokolovskii, the left side of the blueline is a concern.
Sokolovskii has limited upside because of his puckhandling limitations, and beyond him, the Flyers have Ty Murchison, who is coming off a season-ending injury.
That said, the left side is easier to fill than the right side, and they have a number of interesting defenseman on the right.
HIDDEN GEM: JACK BERGLUND, LW
It's hard to believe the captain and co-leading scorer of Sweden's gold medal-winning world junior team is a hidden gem, but that's exactly what Jack Berglund is.
He's a hard-working, center-driven player who works his tail off and brings a physical edge. He's a detail-oriented player who excels on the wall and on the forecheck. He can play down the middle or on the wing.
Berglund is a versatile forward who could be an excellent piece on the third line and help a team win a championship.
NEXT MAN UP: PORTER MARTONE, RW
Get ready to hear about Martone for the Calder because the former Michigan State Spartan looked fantastic last year when he jumped to the NHL.
He embraces the physicality of pro hockey and has the skill to play in the top six.
Martone could step into a top-line role for a team that went to the second round of the playoffs. The opportunity to play in the top six right out of the gate will allow him plenty of runway to put up big rookie numbers.
PROSPECT DEPTH CHART NOTABLES
LW: Alex Ciernik, Jack Murtagh, Max Westergard, Jack Berglund
C: Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, Matthew Gard, Nathan Quinn, Ryan MacPherson, Heikki Ruohonen, Matthew Gard
RW: Porter Martone, Shane Vansaghi, Cole Knuble, Ilya Pautov, Kent Sauer
LD: Maksim Sokolovskii, Ty Murchison
RD: Oliver Bonk, Brek Liske, Carter Amico, Spencer Gill, Max Laatikainen, Luke Vlooswyk, Austin Moline
G: Yegor Zavragin, Carson Bjarnason, Aleksei Kolosov, Martin Psohlavec, Marek Sklenicka
For a deeper dive into the prospect pool with player rankings, check out the Yearbook and Future Watch editions of The Hockey News in print.