While we here at Broad Street Hockey have been ranking the top 25 players under 25 years old on the Philadelphia Flyers, The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has been looking at each NHL team’s players who are under the age of 23.
Most NHL players hit their primes in their mid-20s, so it’s a reasonable cutoff to determine which teams have the best pipelines to future success.
Pronman released eight teams per day, starting with the bottom eight pipelines, and finally reached the Flyers on the fourth and final day.
The prospect analyst ranked the Flyers as having the seventh-best pipeline in the NHL, which is the second-best in the Eastern Conference behind only the Montreal Canadiens at No. 6. Right behind the Flyers, though, are the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders, as the Metropolitan Division could soon be full of budding contenders.
Pronman ranked 13 under-23 players and prospects for the Flyers, with a few surprises in the mix. He did not group the players into tiers or anything like that, but we’ll be taking a look at a few players at a time to make things a bit easier.
1. Matvei Michkov
It’s no secret that the future of the Flyers largely hinges on Michkov and Martone. They’re the two most talented prospects that the Flyers have been able to draft in the top 10 in recent years.
Pronman lists Michkov as an “NHL All-Star” with elite puck skills, but just average skating and compete — which should be a lot higher, in my opinion.
“I did like how much he created at the net this season in the NHL for a guy his size, but ideally, he adds a bit more grind to his play,” Pronman wrote. “Even if he doesn’t, his scoring should be so good that he could be a legit star winger for a long time.”
We’ve already seen Michkov put up 63 points in 80 games while playing on one of the worst teams with one of the worst power plays in the league. The sky seems to be the limit for Michkov.
2. Porter Martone
Martone has a projection of a “bubble NHL All-star and top of the lineup player” from Pronman. He has below-average skating, but everything else is either average (hockey sense), above average (compete and shot), or high-end (puck skills).
“Martone’s skill level and creativity with the puck are elite, especially for a man his size. His reach and skill will allow him to beat a ton of NHL defenders one-on-one. He makes a lot of difficult plays and does so in traffic,” he wrote, noting that the big winger’s size and skill could overcome skating issues. “He projects as a top-line scoring winger in the NHL who could put up a ton of points and play a heavy game.”
We’ll see how Martone’s game translates to the NCAA level after dominating the OHL in his draft year. He’ll more than likely make his Flyers debut before the season is up.
3. Jack Nesbitt
The most polarizing Flyers prospect has to be Jack Nesbitt. Trading up for him was one of Briere’s most-criticized moves so far, but Pronman has always been a fan of the big center.
He’s projected as a “bubble top and middle of the lineup player” by Pronman, with poor skating overshadowing above-average puck skills and compete, and average hockey sense. But you can’t teach size.
“Nesbitt is a very skilled center with great size. He can beat players one-on-one at a high rate off the rush and shows a lot of offensive creativity inside the offensive zone. He’s smart and makes a lot of intelligent plays, showing the vision to score in the NHL,” Pronman wrote. “He’s a big man who plays heavy and is a reliable 200-foot player that Windsor kept playing more as the season went on and leaned on during important games.”
Noting Nesbitt’s skating as an obvious and glaring weakness, the rest of his game looks to be pretty solid. A second-line center role isn’t out of the realm of possibility, per Pronman.
Having Nesbitt as the Flyers’ third-best under-23 player is probably the biggest surprise on this list. A few other names are a lot closer to the NHL and have similar — if not higher — ceilings.
4. Oliver Bonk
Bonk does pretty much everything well enough to be a “bubble top and middle of the lineup player” with average skating, puck skills, and compete, as well as above-average hockey sense.
“Bonk has the NHL speed and skill to rush pucks up and make tough plays, but you won’t see him try to be a hero. He makes stops due to his length, feet and brain, although I’d like to see him be a bit harder to play against physically,” Pronman wrote. “He checks a lot of boxes you want in a two-way NHL defenseman, and he should eat up minutes at the next level.”
We’ll see if Bonk is able to maintain that steadiness as he graduates to the professional level.
5. Yegor Zavragin
It’s going to be a while before we know what Zavragin is, but Pronman thinks he can be a bubble top and middle of the lineup player. For goalies, you’d think that’s a starter or at least the main guy in a solid tandem.
“He’s a super athletic goalie who can make a lot of difficult saves. He has the lateral quickness to make NHL saves,” Pronman wrote. “He’s also an aggressive player who cuts off angles well. He can be a little over-aggressive and chaotic in net, but his reads tend to be good, and he squares up a lot of pucks.”
Zavragin had a great start to the season, getting recalled from his loan to HK Sochi to start for SKA St. Petersburg as a teenager. He saw some struggles later on, but still has all the tools and plenty of time to refine his game.
6. Jett Luchanko
Luchanko didn’t look out of place as an 18-year-old rookie in four games last season, so a middle-of-the-lineup projection seems fair from Pronman. His game is all about speed and energy, as Pronman notes, with solid marks in all categories except shot.
“The way he plays will make coaches love him,” he wrote, “but as an average-sized player who doesn’t score a ton, it’s hard to see him as more than a third-line center currently.”
Luchanko has an outside chance to make the Flyers roster this season. Hopefully, he can prove his ceiling is higher than a third-line center.
7. Jack Berglund
Berglund is another player with below-average skating, but his compete drives his game. He has the projection of a middle-of-the-lineup player along with Luchanko.
“He has strong puck skills and vision,” Pronman wrote. “I don’t think he’s going to blow you away offensively, but he makes quick decisions, is creative with the puck and can create both off the perimeter and in tight.”
Standing 6-foot-4, Berglund could very well be in the mix to be the third-line center in a few years.
8. Shane Vansaghi
Vansaghi has above-average puck skills and compete level, but below-average skating and hockey sense. He didn’t play much at Michigan State as a freshman, but he was still able to rise up draft boards.
“He’s got a very high skill level, especially for a 6-2 forward. He beats defenders one-on-one routinely and has a ton of imagination with the puck,” Pronman wrote. “He’s a big, heavy winger who drives to the net and doesn’t shy away from physical play, either.”
The big forward could be a solid middle-six winger and net-front presence if all breaks right.
9. Jack Murtagh
Murtagh was another late riser ahead of being selected by the Flyers in the second round of this year’s draft. He has an above-average shot with average marks in every other category, and is projected to play NHL games at some point in his career.
“On his best shifts when he’s beating defenders wide and attacking with his skill, he can be impactful and his shot is a legit weapon from range,” Pronman wrote of the gifted forward. “His game can be frustrating at times, though. Murtagh doesn’t see the ice very well, and his compete level can be average.”
Murtagh was worth a swing given the Flyers’ number of picks in the second round.
10. Matthew Gard
Another second-round pick projected to play NHL games in his career, Gard could be held back by his below-average skating and hockey sense. However, he stands at 6-foot-5 and could use that to his advantage.
Pronman thinks that Gard will be able to handle the NHL pace, but his hockey sense is a major issue. “I don’t see a forward who makes others better and will create a ton of chances in the pros,” he wrote.
A bottom-six winger could end up being Gard’s realistic NHL potential.
11. Alex Bump
It is quite surprising to see Bump so low. He’s been hyped up heading into training camp after a tremendous season with the Western Michigan Broncos and a strong cup of coffee with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
He has above-average shot and puck skills, but we once again have a Flyers prospect with below-average skating.
Pronman has questions about Bump translating his game to the professional level due to lacking the “quick twitch of an NHL forward, especially given his average-sized frame.” However, he notes that Bump’s talent with the puck and his shot should get him some NHL games.
12. Carson Bjarnason
Bjarnason is another prospect in the “projected to play NHL games” category.
“Bjarnason is consistently square with pucks and makes difficult stops seem easy due to how well he reads and reacts to the play. He has a lot of efficiency in his game,” Pronman wrote. “I don’t think any aspects of his game truly stand out, and he has a history of being inconsistent, but he looked like a legit backup NHL goalie this past season.”
The former Brandon Wheat Kings netminder will take his talents to Lehigh Valley this fall, quite possibly in a starting role for the Phantoms.
13. Nikita Grebenkin
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Grebenkin’s main issue is his skating. He has average puck skills and hockey sense, and above-average compete, though.
“He’s a good-sized winger with above-average puck skills and vision. He makes a lot of difficult plays with the puck from the perimeter and in traffic,” Pronman wrote. “Grebenkin works hard and endears himself to coaches with his compete level and ability to play in traffic.”
Grebenkin will be in the mix for a fourth-line role with the Flyers in training camp.
Pronman also listed five prospects under a “has a chance to play” heading.
These five are Carter Amico, Denver Barkey, Spencer Gill, Samu Tuomaala, and Max Westergaard.
Amico, Gill, and Westergard still all have plenty of time to figure out what they do, but much like Chunky from Tim Robinson’s “I Think You Should Leave,” Tuomaala really needs to figure out what he does. He had all summer to figure it out.
Barkey on this list is interesting. I wouldn’t necessarily put him above any of the 13 players listed, and it wouldn’t shock me if he’s just a great AHLer due to his size, but he has plenty of dog in him despite standing just 5-foot-10.
The Flyers may not have a ton of slam-dunk NHLers in their prospect pipeline, but the two they do have in Michkov and Martone should easily be top-six wingers at the very least.
After that, Bonk seems like a solid second-pair defenseman, and there’s a group of about a half-dozen forwards who the Flyers are hoping that a few pan out as middle-six options in the coming years.