News Flyers Team Notes

Flyperblog: Lesser-known Flyers prospects to watch at training camp

It is extremely important to note that absolutely none of the below is real. This is an entirely fake work of satire by an individual who could and should probably put his brainpower to better use. Thanks for reading!

Labor Day has passed and hockey season is almost upon us. Training camp is around the corner and the Philadelphia Flyers have some intriguing young players that are going to battle for a spot on the roster. We all know the big names, like Alex Bump, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bjarnason. However, there are many more exciting names that have a potential to make an impact for the orange and black this coming season. Here are six guys that have an outside shot of making the 2025-26 Flyers.

Mobley Stanjerging​


Age: 22
Position: Center
Nationality: Scandinavian???

Stanjerging has a high motor, but his skating is garbage. He looks like he learned how to skate just last month. He has smooth hands from years of playing competitive table shuffleboard. His shot has been described as “fine” and “okay”. Despite the lack of upside, Stanjerging is a locker room favorite, often putting together playlists and doing close-up magic for the team. He blindly does anything a coach asks him to do. He doesn’t have the talent, but he’s the man.

Jaxcksyn Carter​


Age: 19
Position: Defense
Nationality: Canadian

Carter grew up on the mean streets of Calgary. He plays with an edge that reflects his history. Carter is a big hitter who leads by example. His ceiling is very low. If he’s lucky, Carter will have a career like Zac Rinaldo. He has put up 9 points over 3 seasons in the Q. But, oh man, can Carter hit. He was smashing guys against the boards in practice to the degree that the coaching staff had to issue him a cease and desist and suspend him for multiple practices. The important thing is that he hits. People love hits.

Aleksandr Raspinagainoff​


Age: 21
Position: Left wing
Nationality: Russian

Raspinagainoff is a risky prospect, known for his fiery personality and tendency to break off from a play entirely to do whatever interests him at a given moment. He was 7th in the KHL in scoring last year and lauded for his creativity. He was benched for long stretches of the season, however, due to showboating and hogging the puck. There were entire power plays where Raspinagainoff would shoot, collect his own rebound, and then shoot again. Raspinagainoff is a high-risk, high-reward prospect.

Filip Btylll​


Age: 20
Position: Left wing
Nationality: Czech

Btylll is one of the fastest prospects I have ever seen. He glides along the ice effortlessly, leaving opposing defenders in the dust. He doesn’t take advantage of his speed. In fact, he is hesitant to handle the puck at all, skating full laps of the rink and causing a number of offsides penalties. Scouts have questioned if Btylll understands that he’s playing ice hockey and not in a speed skating competition. If he can figure out what he’s doing out there, he could be a tremendous resource for a hockey team.

Émile Croquembouche​


Age: 20
Position: Left wing
Nationality: Canadian

A sweet and savory defenseman, Croquembouche stacks up the points, but does not provide much as far as actual defense goes. His hesitancy to backcheck is a major red flag. His juniors team experimented with Croquembouche at wing last season, but he kept dropping back to the blue line to line up slap shots.

Ctephen Anderssen​


Age: 23
Position: Goaltender
Nationality: Danish

Anderssen is an intriguing goaltending prospect. He had spent his entire life without having deflected anything until he was pelted with snowballs as a 16-year-old nerd. Anderssen stopped all of them.

Anderssen’s body type is a challenge, he’s what doctors call “over 50% legs”, meaning his legs make up most of his height. He’s great in butterfly but his recovery time is what one scout described as “glacial”.

Wayne-Allyson.jpg

© Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Wayne Allyson​


Age: “None of your business”
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Canadian

Wayne Allyson seems familiar. Where do I know him from? He’s got jet black hair that doesn’t seem natural for this skin complexion. He’s playing a fun, reckless style, but he seems to really be getting hurt quite a bit. I like him, but he doesn’t seem like a player that you can ultimately rely on.

Where do I know this guy from?

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...n-flyers-prospects-to-watch-at-training-camp/
 
Getting to know all 18 defensemen at Flyers training camp

The Flyers’ training camp roster is certainly a robust one, and while we’ve just spent some time working our way through the most crowded section of the roster at the forward position, we’re back now to dive into the defense group, which is robust in its own right and primed to feature some equally exciting battles.

The locks​


There’s a little more that’s up in the air about the defense group and how it will be constructed coming out of camp, but there is still some certainty here, and we can at least consider these five to be locks to make the roster, even if not the everyday lineup:

Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York, and Egor Zamula

Even though Zamula was left off the initial camp roster — just a clerical oversight and not some drama brewing — his regular lineup spot is the most in question. He had John Tortorella’s trust, but his play was definitely imperfect last season, and he’ll have a slight uphill battle to prove himself and lock in a consistent place in the lineup with the new coaching staff.

The lineup hopefuls​


But away from that group, we can still envision two spots up for grabs (as it looks like Rasmus Ristolainen is still set to miss a good chunk of time to start the season), and it’s going to be a tight battle for them, and interesting to see what sort of thematic direction the organization takes in filling in them.

Emil Andrae: Given the time he spent with the Flyers last season and the flash that he showed he could bring — though struggled to find on a consistent basis — Andrae’s going to be given a real shot at earning a place with the big club to start the season. But he’s going to need to show them more — Briere said as much in his availability yesterday — and get closer to the player he was when he was at his best for them. It’s a tall task, but the door is still well open for him.

Dennis Gilbert: But if the Flyers wanted to go the direction of experience in making a stopgap until Ristolainen is able to return, Gilbert would be towards the top of the list. With parts of three NHL seasons under his belt, his game will be a little more mature, and he could play a reasonably dependable role at the bottom of the Flyers’ lineup until they’re either healthier or ready to cycle a prospect up into that role.

Helge Grans: This time last year, we might not have expected to be having Grans in this conversation, but the level he was able to take his game to last season and the flash he showed in a short call-up stint with the Flyers, he’s comfortably put himself in the mix for one of those spots out of camp. And, as a right-shooter, he has the leg up as a player who could a little more seamlessly slide right into the vacancy Ristolainen left.

Noah Juulsen: Like Gilbert, Juulsen was brought in to offer a bit of support as an AHL-NHL flex player. He’s played in the NHL full time for the last two seasons, and has the added benefit of familiarity to Rick Tocchet, having spent that time playing for him in Vancouver. Will that be enough to elevate his stock enough over some of these developing prospects and earn him a spot in the lineup out of camp? That will be the big question.

AHL-bound​


Some of those hopefuls will eventually find themselves down with the Phantoms to start the season, and they’ll be joining an interesting mix of young players to fill out that lineup.

Oliver Bonk: This time last year, Bonk was able to force a long look for himself in training camp, but combined with his uncertain health situation — he has something lingering which kept him out for last weekend’s rookie games, and had him downgraded to a non-contact jersey in practice yesterday — and it’s hard to imagine he’ll be able to put together that same kind of camp this time around. All the same, he’s poised for a big season with the Phantoms, and a big chance to keep growing his game as he graduates up to a new level of competition.

Adam Ginning: Ginning has the experience, both at the professional level and with the age and maturity factor, where he should in theory be in the lineup hopeful group, but the fact that he was several times passed over for call-ups last season suggests that his window may have passed him by, and he’s out of the organization’s long-term plan. All the same, he’s established himself as a dependable veteran at the AHL level, and he’ll be leaned upon in a big way for that stability this season.

Hunter McDonald: McDonald has made it clear through this camp that he’s going to make his biggest push for a spot with the Flyers to start this season, but given some of the polishing that still needs to go into his game — and some discipline issues that we saw crop up in the games last weekend that he clearly still needs to continue to work through — it’s a safer bet that he’ll be starting the season down with the Phantoms, where he can continue working to get his game where it needs to be.

Ty Murchison: It’s going to be a crowded defense group down at the AHL level this season, and as a newcomer — having only gotten in for a pair of games at the end of last season after signing his ELC — and as a player with not quite the same pedigree as a fellow newcomer like Bonk, Murchison’s battle is going to be more for a regular lineup spot with the Phantoms. Sure, it benefits him to make a good impression in the NHL camp as well, but the focus for him will be impressing the Phantoms’ coaching staff, and then going from there.

Ethan Samson: Samson has been putting in some good work to grow and round out his game at the AHL level, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done to get him to a point where he’s best maximizing his raw skillset while still playing with awareness and not skating himself into trouble. It’s work that he and the coaching staff in the AHL are targeting this season, and with some positive returns, he can get himself into the conversation for a later season call-up, that being the more realistic goal.

Junior-bound​


Spencer Gill: Gill has made some positive strides over the past season, and with a strong — albeit limited — showing at last month’s World Junior Summer Showcase under his belt, he’s coming into this camp with a good bit of momentum. That said, though he has the momentum and a lot to like about him as a prospect in his profile, he’s still pretty raw and a ways away from legitimately competing for a roster spot. We’ll see what he’s able to do here in camp, but he’ll end it by heading back to the QMJHL for his final season.

Austin Moline: With Moline, it’s even more of the same story — committed to play one more season in the USHL before presumably making the jump to college hockey next season, he’s still very raw and early in his development, and it seems all but a certainty that his camp stint will be a short one. He’ll get some notes from the development staff based on what he was able to do in his single rookie game showing, and whatever he gets in for during main camp, and then he’ll be on his way.

Andre Mondoux: And then for Mondoux, who’s been an invite for both development camp as well as rookie and now training camps, he’s not in a battle for an NHL roster spot, but he is in a battle for an NHL contract. Given his age (just 18 years old), he’ll be heading back to the OHL whenever his camp stint is closed, but if he’s able to make a positive impression, he might well put himself on the map to be offered an AHL contract when he comes of age, if not an entry level deal with the Flyers outright.

Luke Vlooswyk: Vlooswyk is another one who’s probably not going to be around for a terribly long run through this camp. Just drafted this summer, and still with a lot to work on in his game, he’s expected to play through two more full seasons in the WHL before he gets a sniff at professional hockey. He’ll learn what he can in this short stint, but he’ll likely be one of the earlier cuts, so he can make it back to Red Deer in time for the start of their training camp, which will be an even more important one for him.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/getting-to-know-all-18-defensemen-at-flyers-training-camp/
 
Top contenders to replace injured Rasmus Ristolainen on Flyers’ blue line

In a press conference this week, Flyers general manager Danny Briere said that right-shot defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will not be ready to start the 2025-26 NHL season. To recap: Ristolainen played his final game of the season on March 11, just after the trade deadline, and about a month later underwent surgery to repair his triceps tendon. After the surgery, he was given a six month recovery timeline, which would have him returning to NHL action at some point in October at the earliest.

Briere said Ristolainen will meet up with the team in six to eight weeks into the season, so the good news is that Ristolainen is more or less on pace with the initial recovery timeline, if you add a few weeks to the initial six months for him to get into game shape after an offseason of recovery. The bad news is that, once again, he will be missing the start of the regular season.

On the bright side, that leaves a very obvious hole on the right side of the Flyers’ blue line–and there’s no shortage of players within the organization who could take on that role. Let’s break down who the favorites are and why they’ve got a shot.

The NHL Veteran Options​


Noah Juulsen

We’ll start with the boring choice. Signed by Briere at the onset of free agency during the summer, Juulsen may be the favorite to replace Ristolainen in the lineup for myriad reasons. Firstly, he’s a right-shot, so there’d be no need to juggle the pairs; secondly, he’s a veteran player with over 150 NHL games; third, Rick Tocchet coached Juulsen while he was the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. There’s also the fact that Juulsen is 6-foot-2 and over 200 pounds, so he mostly replaces the size of Ristolainen, too. If none of the prospects (who we’ll get to in a moment) step up in camp and claim the job, then it sort of falls to Juulsen by default.

Dennis Gilbert

Another one of Briere’s offseason additions, Gilbert could make a run at a roster spot. Like Juulsen, he brings size and some veteran experience but, unlike Juulsen, he’s the wrong handedness and wasn’t coached by Tocchet. While we understand why the Flyers would want to carry seven defensemen on their opening night roster (injuries do happen, after all), it sort of feels like all of the prospects would have to absolutely bomb in the preseason for Gilbert to win a spot. Gilbert’s a long shot, but we can’t rule him out entirely.

The AHL Prospects​


Helge Grans

Now, we get into the prospects who could replace Ristolainen, and none has as clear a path as Helge Grans. Grans and Ristolainen are both 6-foot-4, 200-plus pound, right shot defensemen–on paper, they have a lot of physical similarities, and adding Grans changes little of the physical makeup of the defense. What gives Grans a better chance than, say, Emil Andrae (sit tight, Andrae fans), is his contract: he signed a two-year extension with the Flyers and is no longer waivers exempt. Is it likely Grans would pass through waivers without issue? Probably; there was worry about one Ronald Attard not clearing waivers, and those concerns were unfounded; every team is sending their own version of Grans through waivers as they make roster cuts. Still, at 23 years old, now’s as good a time as any to see what Grans can do with an extended look in the NHL, and Ristolainen’s absence could be quite the opportunity.

Emil Andrae

Now we come to the most interesting option on the list: Emil Andrae. Andrae played 42 NHL games last year, which is more than any of the other prospects combined and, especially early on, showed he could handle it–so why isn’t he the favorite? Three things could keep him in the AHL: size, handedness, and waivers exemption. Sure, the Flyers could rejigger their defense pairs to put Andrae in a prime position, moving one of Nick Seeler or Egor Zamula to the right side, but why do that when there are other options available? With Cam York and Jamie Drysdale, both undersized defensemen, already in the lineup, perhaps the Flyers are unwilling to add a third smallish defenseman. Add in waivers exemption other players do not have, and the deck is somewhat stacked against Andrae. That all said, Andrae could put together a stellar preseason and knock the socks off the coaching staff; if he does that, they will surely find a way to fit him on the main roster.

Adam Ginning

Over the last three seasons, Ginning has played 11 NHL games with the Flyers–and he didn’t look too bad in them! At 25 years old, however, he’s likely been supplanted by younger prospects in the pecking order. It’s the last year of his contract and, like Grans, is not waivers exempt, which could give him an edge, but we’d be surprised if he makes it. Like Andrae, Ginning is a lefty and would require the Flyers to reorganize their pairings–but Andrae clearly has the higher upside and would make such an endeavor more worth the Flyers’ while. Ginning would have to have one of the most memorable training camps of all time to make the team, so we’re not holding our breath.

Hunter McDonald

Considering how long the organization has been hyping up Hunter McDonald, it’s strange to realize he’s only 23 years old. Like Ginning and Andrae, he’s a left shot, which could make the pairings a bit wonky, but he does bring the size and meanness the Flyers so crave in their blueliners. McDonald has yet to play a game in the NHL and, entering the final year of his Entry Level Contract, the 2025-26 season would be a good time for the Flyers to see what they have in him. Replacing the physicality of Ristolainen isn’t easy, and McDonald may be the meanest player on this list–it’s just that he might not be as ready to play in the NHL as a few other candidates.

The Wildcard​


Oliver Bonk

Now we’re talking real outside shots. Oliver Bonk has the draft pedigree that many of the other prospects lack, but he’s also only 20 years old–quite early in his development curve. Yes, he’s the correct handedness, and yes, he’s big, and yes, the organization is high on him–but it would still be quite a surprise to see him make the Flyers out of camp. There’s also the injury concern that’s popped up, which means he may not even be ready for the start of the season if it’s serious. He’s labeled as day-to-day, but every day he misses makes it less likely he can crack the main roster. Bonk would have to have quite a camp in the days that remain to make the team and, even then, it would probably only be for a handful of games before being loaned back to the Phantoms.

There are, of course, other defensemen in the Flyers’ pipeline that would be options on the backend–but we would be gob smacked if any of Ty Murchison, Ethan Samson, or Spencer Gill actually became roster regulars in Ristolainen’s absence. Maybe one of them would get a game or two as a pat on the head for a good camp, but playing out the full six to eight weeks would be highly unlikely. The prospects on the cusp or the veterans will probably fill Ristolainen’s shoes in his absence, and the coaching staff will work with what they’ve got in the interim.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...jured-rasmus-ristolainen-on-flyers-blue-line/
 
Friday Morning Fly By: The battles will continue

*We covered the forwards and defensemen on Wednesday, and yesterday we made sure to introduce you to all SEVEN goaltenders participating in this year’s camp. [BSH]

*The roster battles are underway and it seems like the Flyers’ brass want to give a couple of specific guys every opportunity possible to make the team. [BSH]

*One guy that regrettably probably won’t be getting that opportunity in this camp (due to injury) is Oliver Bonk. Which is a real bummer! [BSH]

*And now that we’re fully underway, what questions need answering? More than a few, of course, and these are some of the Big Ones. [Inquirer]

*You’ll be shocked to learn that this year’s training camp, the first since the Flyers moved on from John Tortorella, is much different than the ones run by the old coach. [The Athletic]

*So yeah, there are going to be some real battles for the few open spots available on this year’s roster. A lot of competition from both rookies AND veterans. Think any of the kids will be able to make the jump? [BSH]

*While Tyson Foerster has been participating at camp and will likely be ready to go when the season starts, it’s hard not to wonder if he might suffer a little bit of a setback as a result of the injury that hampered him this summer. [BSH]

*And finally, we’re nearing the end of the 25 Under 25 and up at 4th overall is the new guy we are all most excited to see on the ice this season. You’re definitely excited about it. [BSH]

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-the-battles-will-continue/
 
Matvei Michkov is bullying players at Flyers training camp

The Philadelphia Flyers might not be trying to be the modern-day Broad Street Bullies, but their most exciting player certainly is.

On the second day of training camp, as roles started to get settled into and the keen prospects still hanging around, Matvei Michkov decided to show up and put on a display of dominance. All day long, according to those who were there to witness the 20-year-old Russian winger, he was making sure every single person knew that he is not going to suffer any sophomore slump.

Beyond scoring goals and showing off some dazzling skill, Michkov was in the offensive zone, working hard, and simply bullying poor blueliners who had the job to defend him.

During a 2-on-2 box-out drill, the duo of Michkov and Grebenkin were up against the young defense duo of 2025 fifth-round pick Luke Vlooswyk and 22-year-old Ty Murchison. And, well, Michkov decided to toss some dudes around and make someone embarrassed.


Rick Tocchet talked about noticing Matvei Michkov’s competitiveness and you can see it here.

He takes a couple of crosschecks, outmuscles Ty Murchison and then sets up a goal. pic.twitter.com/0OatpSNYEk

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 19, 2025​
Click to expand...

That is just one little instance of Michkov being able to bend the game to his will. It was not an easy drill and up against two defenders who have more size to him, but still, the winger decided throw some body around.

In the clip provided by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall, we see Murchison give Michkov a slight crosscheck as the winger tries to receive the puck. Possession escapes him and instead of taking his time to get his sight back on the puck, Michkov just absolutely levels Murchison down on his rear end towards the boards, and swiftly gets the puck right back and scores a goal all by himself.

That’s the type of play that just makes you sit back and think about his upcoming season and just what we could really expect. Even if it was up against two defensemen with zero NHL experience and the one that got knocked down just signed his first professional contract a few months ago, and the other is a string-bean WHL defensemen that just legally became an adult, it was something. Murchison is officially listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and Michkov just made him look like a little bit of a fool.

Michkov’s new head coach noticed his drive right away.

“Early on, I was watching him and very competitive,” Rick Tocchet said after the first day of training camp Thursday. “We did a 2-on-2 box-out drill and he’s trying to get to the net. Like, I love that. I was told that he loves to be around the net. It’s a tough drill — you’re boxing out, you have to spin off and he wasn’t shy about that. The kid loves to score goals and if you look at the great goalscorers around the league, they score around the net and I think he knows that.”

It is slightly funny that Tocchet touches on the exact same drill that he ran on the first day, noting Michkov’s competitiveness, and then on the second day of camp with the same drill, he increases the intensity and shows even more physicality than he did the previous day. Just think about what he’s going to do on the third day. Maybe he’ll drop the gloves.

We might be in for a treat if Michkov decides to bring this new level of tenacity to the regular season.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/matvei-michkov-is-bullying-players-at-flyers-training-camp/
 
Rick Tocchet opens door for Cam York’s resurgence

There’s no question that for the Flyers to be able to take the next step in their rebuild — and actually make it stick — there’s a lot that needs to improve in their on-ice product, and their power play is close to the top of the list. That power play — the third worst in the league last season, converting at a 14.5 percent rate, and which was somehow still an improvement from the season before when all they could manage was a 12.2 percent efficiency rate — has long been a sore spot for the team, but increasingly over the last season moved into the space of something that defied logic in its construction and decision processing, but the Flyers are hoping that, with a whole new coaching staff at the helm this season, they can begin to chance things.

It’s going to take a strong collective effort, to be sure, but one key to unlocking a more effective power play, they’re coming to suggest, is working Cam York into the unit at the top (something the Tortorella-run Flyers categorically refused to do, last season). Introductions are still getting underway with Tocchet and his staff and their new set of roster players, but he seems already to understand what he has in front of him with York.

“I’m not gonna change his personality,” Tocchet acknowledged to media at practice on Friday, “I just want him to understand that we need him as a leader on the team back there, and I think he’s just gotta be aggressive back there and… I really liked his blue line, his offense up on the blue line. I think there’s something there, I saw it at the World Juniors, I think he ran the power play at the top. Is there a spot where maybe he could play the top on the power play? Maybe. Because I want to see that.”

The Flyers’ refusal to use York on the power play, even as it reached terrible lows last season, was particularly head scratching when laid against the context of him having success running a power play at every level before this — Tocchet alluded to him quarterbacking the US’s power play on that gold medal winning World Junior team, but he found a lot of success doing it with the National Team Development Program, at one of the top programs in college hockey at the University of Michigan, and right from the jump in his graduation to professional hockey with the Phantoms. York’s skillset, in his since-refined shot, his crisp and decisive playmaking ability, and his smooth skating at the blue line, make him (at least on paper) well-suited to the role of running a power play at the top level as well, and the nod also feels a just reward for the work he’s put in to round out his game at even strength, to boot.

As for the Flyers’ vision for their new power play, that’s still coming into focus, but that focus is shifting towards and approach which is at once smarter in its areas of emphasis, but mindful of walking the line between setting expectations and boxing their most skilled players in with them.

“We’re not about plays, we’re about concepts,” Tocchet went on, “and I think when you have guys like Konecny, and Michkov, and Foerster could be a good power play [guy]… You gotta be careful, you don’t want to make these guys robotic, you know, sometimes power plays are robotic. It’s like… if the PK does this, your concept is, what is your concept from that. I don’t want to bore you guys and go too far but I think we gotta let these guys be carefree, but there’s also concepts. You beat pressure, we have to attack the interior, and I didn’t see that much last year. You gotta be able to take those shots from the middle of the point to open up power plays, you gotta take that shot too, so we gotta make sure that whoever’s up there is gonna bomb away if that’s what the team’s gonna give us. Whatever the team gives you, and it’s a Grade-A, you take it. We’re not looking for tick-tack-toes — if they’re there, take it, but I think to me, being aggressive, taking… the best power plays are the ones that break pressure and attack, so that’s what we’re gonna do.”

The Flyers, all told, intend to attack the problem which is their power play from a number of angles, both from polishing out their process into something that plays a little more focused and a little less forced, while also raising their floor by changing their personnel and adding a bit more raw skill into their mix, and York fits that bill for them.

This all comes with an understanding that York, for all of his potential, could use a bit of a reset from how things deteriorated under his last coaching staff, as well as a patience to let him be what he is and do what he does, to get where he needs to be. If there’s been a lingering feeling that York has been playing, of late, at a level short of his full potential, this move to get him into the mix on the power play could well help him draw nearer to it again.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/rick-tocchet-opens-door-for-cam-yorks-resurgence/
 
Flyers 2025-26 Season Preview: Time for young defense core to prove themselves

The 2025-26 NHL season is nearly upon us, and the Flyers’ next generation of defenders is beginning to take shape–today, we’ll look at two of the most important. One defenseman, Cam York, signed a sparkling new contract over the summer with an Annual Average Value (AAV) of $5.15 million and a five-year term; the other, his good buddy Jamie Drysdale, is in the last year of a bridge deal he originally signed with the Anaheim Ducks.

Both have something to prove this year: York that he was worth the contract extension, and Drysdale that he’s deserving of a new contract with the Flyers at all. Let’s get into it.

Jamie Drysdale​


What did we see from Drysdale last season?

We’ve harped on this a lot before, but it truly was a tale of two seasons for Drysdale: pre-injury and post-injury. Before he missed time, Drysdale struggled mightily, posting a 40.89 Corsi-for percentage and 38.22 expected Goals-for percentage, per Natural Stat Trick–not great! Upon coming back, he saw his underlying metrics steadily improve and, by the time the season wrapped up, everyone was talking about his strong second half (which really began in December). When the Flyers played their final game of 2024-25, Drysdale had seven goals and 20 points in 70 games and averaged nearly 20 minutes per night.

It was Drysdale’s first full season with the Flyers, so some growing pains were expected. Drysdale wasn’t able to replicate the point production he’d had in Anaheim, though it wasn’t for lack of power play time: with the Flyers, Drysdale played 152 minutes on the power play–the second most of his career, behind the 2021-22 season where he had nearly 168 minutes.

Regardless of the box scores, there were improvements under the hood, with Drysdale posting a 51.02 xGF% when all was said and done–the first time that full-season metric’s been positive in his career. Progress is progress, no matter how small.

What type of role do we expect Drysdale to play this season?

There’s a lot of flux on the Flyers’ blue line heading into the season, and Drysdale’s role may be the most up in the air. With Rasmus Ristolainen out, there is an opening in the top four for a right-shot defenseman, and Drysdale makes the most sense. However, we can’t predict whether the coaching staff will trust him in those sorts of minutes, or decide to shelter him in a third-pair role with someone like Nick Seeler. Maybe Rick Tocchet likes what he sees in Drysdale and decides to play him up the lineup; Tocchet has worked his magic with undersized offensive defensemen before, and maybe a bit of that carries over to Philadelphia.

For special teams, we’d be surprised if Drysdale got significant penalty kill time. Maybe the coaching staff uses the PK as a way to teach Drysdale how to be better defensively but, with so many steadier options, that’s difficult to envision. Whether Drysdale ends up on the top power play unit or not is the more intriguing question.

Drysdale led Flyers defensemen in power play time last year and, in our eyes, is the favorite once again; there aren’t exactly any other defensemen banging down the door to run the power play (though York has a chance–more on that in a minute). The smooth skating, offensive upside of Drysdale makes him a natural choice to quarterback the top unit, and maybe the addition of his buddy Trevor Zegras revitalizes the whole power play.

We’d like to see Drysdale be a permanent top-four defenseman this year, and maybe we can expect that with Ristolainen out–but extending that expectation across a full season may be foolish if the right side depth chart is, ultimately, Sanheim, Ristolainen, and finally Drysdale. That said, we do expect Drysdale to be the go-to option on the power play, and we hope he can really make that unit his own. It’s a contract year for Drysdale and he needs to prove he belongs with the Flyers long term in some capacity, and becoming a high-end power play quarterback would go a long way in that regard.

Cam York​


What did we see from York last season?

This is a tricky one. York didn’t produce the sort of points we would’ve liked, despite having a 52.53 xGF%; the play driving was there but the finish was not, as shown by his actual Goals-for percentage of 43.69, per Natural Stat Trick, through 66 games. His average time on ice of 20:47 was second highest of Flyers skaters, behind only Travis Sanheim, which shows a level of trust from the coaching staff that he could handle the minutes.

That “trust” doesn’t exactly track with how things ended between York and then-head coach John Tortorella, though. If you’ll recall, York was healthy scratched the game after Tortorella was fired for crossing a line, though in perhaps the strangest manner possible: the Flyers couldn’t recall any replacement defensemen post-trade deadline, so York dressed for the game and sat on the bench the entire time. This is the Flyers, after all, so nothing is ever normal.

The rift between York and Tortorella may explain some (or much) of why York seemed to stagnate in 2024-25–it’s hard to play at your best when the coach isn’t communicating with you, and we can’t separate York’s final results from that internal strife. Still, the Flyers front office believed in York enough to choose him over Tortorella, then hand him a five-year contract with a $5.15-million AAV. Tortorella may not have believed in York, but the Flyers sure seem to.

What type of role do we expect York to play this season?

A big one. It’s a new coaching staff and the absence of Rasmus Ristolainen will complicate the structure of the Flyers’ blue line, but we expect York to be, at the very least, deployed in a top-four role. Beyond that, all options are on the table–and there are many.

If Rick Tocchet and the rest of the new coaching staff are happy with the top pairing of York and Sanheim, then there’s the Flyers’ de facto top pair for the 2025-26 season. However, with Ristolainen out of the lineup, maybe the Flyers move York to the second pair to play with, say, Helge Grans, and move Jamie Drysdale up to the top pair with Sanheim. Perhaps the Flyers like the idea of two long term friends on the same pair, and play York and Drysdale together. There are myriad combinations within the top four, mostly dependent on who steps up in camp and replaces Ristolainen, but we’re quite confident York will be one of those four.

Special teams opportunity, however, is quite another matter. York played fewer than 10 minutes on the power play last year, after spending 171 minutes on the man advantage in 2023-24–that’s a dramatic drop in ice time. A new coaching staff, though, presents a chance for York to establish himself as a go-to power play quarterback. We suspect the favorite is Drysdale, but York will likely get opportunities as well; how that labor is divided between the first and second unit will be one of the main storylines to watch throughout camp and into the start of the regular season.

As for penalty kill minutes, York will probably maintain a primary role for the Flyers when down a man; his 123:42 of time on the PK was second only to, once again, Sanheim. There’s less competition for penalty kill, considering there are generally four defensemen split between two units, as opposed to power play units which usually only have one blueliner each. It would be odd to see any significant drop in York’s penalty kill responsibilities, so we expect him to remain a go-to option for the new coaching staff.

If the Flyers are to improve in the standings after last year’s bottom-of-the-division finish, their young blueliners are going to have to step up and provide consistent, solid play. York and Drysdale both have different things to prove this season, at different points in their careers, but it’s a transitionary time as they both prepare to eventually (we hope) take over the Flyers’ defense group from the current veterans–turning in a solid 2025-26 season would show that they’re well on their way.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...r-the-young-defense-core-to-prove-themselves/
 
Flyers legend Bernie Parent dies at age 80

The Flyers exhibition season begins tonight but hearts will be heavy with the news that former Flyers goaltending legend Bernie Parent died. He was 80. The cause of death is unknown. The Flyers made the announcement on Sunday.

The Flyers and Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Bernie Parent, a true legend, one of the most famous and beloved players, and most popular figures in the history of the organization and city of Philadelphia. https://t.co/Od28lVQHK8 pic.twitter.com/4o3VQZFO1t

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 21, 2025
Click to expand...

Born in Montreal, Parent started his hockey career playing two seasons with the Niagara Falls Flyers of the Ontario Hockey League beginning in 1963-64. From there Parent spent parts of two seasons with Boston before the Bruins left him unprotected in the NHL expansion draft in 1967. On June 6 of that year, the Flyers claimed Parent.

Parent played four seasons with the Flyers beginning with their inaugural season (1967-68), playing 38 games and ending up with a save percentage of .926. He played 58 and 62 games in the subsequent seasons and sported save percentages of .925 and .921. His first stint with the Flyers concluded during the 1970-71 season when he was traded to Toronto along with a second-round pick for Bruce Gamble, Mike Walton and Toronto’s first round pick in 1971.

After two seasons with the Leafs, Parent was without a contract and decided to try his luck in the World Hockey Association for the 1972-73 season. A deal with Miami fell through, leaving Parent to sign with the Philadelphia Blazers. Toronto traded Parent back to the Flyers on May 15, 1973 and a second-round pick in 1973 for a player to be named later (and future considerations) along with the Flyers first-round pick in 1973. Doug Favell was either the player to be named later or future considerations as Philadelphia traded him to Toronto to complete the deal in July of that year.

After his one year in the WHA, Parent returned to begin his second stint with the Flyers. And what a stint it was. In 1973-74, Parent played 73 games, going 47-13-12 with a miniscule 1.89 goals-against average and a ridiculous .932 save percentage. That playoff season he had a 2.02 goals against average and a .933 save percentage as the Flyers defeated the Bruins to win their first Stanley Cup. As mean and as rough as the Flyers were in that era, no Stanley Cup victories would’ve came without the stellar goaltending Parent gave Philadelphia. Throughout that playoff year, Parent came up with huge saves.

The following year, Parent reduced his workload, only appearing in 68 of the team’s games and going 44-14-10 with a .918 save percentage. Parent again was integral in the Flyers winning their second of back-to-back Stanley Cups as they defeated the Sabres in six games. Unfortunately, Parent was essentially absent the following season, playing just 11 games after sustaining a neck injury before the start of the 1975-76 season.

Parent went on to play a few more seasons with the Flyers, but his last few seasons were more in a tandem role with Flyers goaltender Wayne Stephenson. The goaltender sustained an eye injury in a game against the Rangers in February 1979 which effectively ended his career as he couldn’t regain his sight to the level an NHL goaltender would need to play. He was just 34 when he retired.

Parent spent 10 seasons with the Flyers, playing 486 regular season games, going 231-141-102 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average. He is second in games played for a Flyers goaltender in the regular season next to Ron Hextall (who played 489 games). He currently sits third in save percentage and fourth in goals-against average for the franchise.

Following his playing days, Parent had his jersey retired by the Flyers on Oct. 11, 1979. In 1984 he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and was part of the inaugural class of the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1988. He remained close to the Flyers organization and suited up for some of the alumni games, his last being in 2012 as part of the Winter Classic between the Flyers and the Penguins. And in 2022 he alongside other Philadelphia sports greats tossed out the first pitch during one of the games of the World Series between the Phillies and the Houston Astros.

He was one of the best to have ever worn the Flyers jersey. He will be missed. He’s survived by his wife Gini and family.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-legend-bernie-parent-dies-at-age-80/
 
Trevor Zegras was as advertised in first Flyers preseason game

While it didn’t reach the heights of the undying anticipation to see Matvei Michkov take the ice while wearing the Orange and Black for the first time, Trevor Zegras earned some pre-emptive buzz for just how he would perform during his first quasi competitive appearance as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. And, we can confidently say that he met expectations.

For the very first game of the Flyers’ preseason, Zegras and his new teammates traveled to Long Island to face an Islanders team stacked with some freshly drafted talent and other actual regular, full-time NHL hockey players. For the first instance of the 24-year-old center’s time as a Flyer since being acquired by Philadelphia a few months ago, Zegras was slotted comfortably in the middle of superstar-in-the-making Matvei Michkov and another recently acquired young forward in Nikita Grebenkin.

While we shouldn’t cement any opinion of anything that truly goes in the preseason, the highly talented trio looked like the most cohesive unit of any line or pairings for the Flyers on Sunday night. In the offensive zone, they looked like they had more than just a couple practice’s worth of time on the same team and more than literally zero time as a line throughout a training camp. Zegras has been paired mainly with Travis Konecny as his primary winger but with the Flyers veteran not making the trip, new head coach Rick Tocchet decided to load up the skill on the top line.

It wasn’t just at even strength that this Zegras-Michkov connection was forming, but the new center was able to become well-acquainted with the budding star on the power play. And, that’s where some of the real magic happened for this duo on Sunday night.


Loved this PP sequence from Zegras and his unit. That cross-ice pass right onto Michkov's tape was insane. Can't wait to see that all season.#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/pKVZDczHJZ

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) September 22, 2025​
Click to expand...

In this quick little sequence on the man advantage, Zegras spawns the zone entry for Michkov to actually cross over the blue line on the right side and after some scrambling of the puck deeper in the zone and it being eventually glided out to Jamie Drysdale at the point, Zegras receives the puck from his former and current teammate and absolutely wires it across the zone to Michkov. We’re not talking about something casual or a pass that has a goal to just continue the play — this is a pass with the full intention to put an end to it and hit some twine at the end of it. It didn’t end that way, but just the way that Zegras was able to send the puck across to an open teammate with such ease and being so casual about it — there should be much more of that to come.

When it comes to actually putting the puck in the net himself, the top-line center got so close to scoring his first (exhibition) goal as a Flyer when he rung one off the post in the third period, but was held without a tally for the full 65 minutes.

As for some numbers, because we all want to just rattle some statistics off for how Zegras performed in his first somewhat official game as a Flyer, only Michkov played more minutes than his centerman at 23:09 TOI. And in those minutes, Zegras had four shots on goal, two hits, and was 4-for-9 from the faceoff dot. Diving in even deeper — if we truly want to get into the muck for one single preseason appearance — Zegras led all Flyers with 10 shot attempts, seven individual scoring chances, and three high-danger chances, as well. And while Zegras was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Flyers were outshot 13-7, lost the shot attempt battle 22-18; and while he managed to get three high-danger chances himself, there were four for the Islanders while he was out there.

All in all, in that jumbled mess of numbers, it’s basically as advertised. There are moments where the 24-year-old center will wow you with his dazzling skill (typically on the power play) and he can generate loads of offense for himself and for his teammates, but when it comes to the overall impact on the game it feels like the goal is to just break even in every underlying category.

And to add just a sprinkle of negativity, there were moments where Bedford, NY native looked physically overmatched. It doesn’t help that the only physical player on his line has barely played in the NHL before and is still just trying to earn a spot, but it showed that there are still some things that Zegras brings alongside the overwhelming amount of skill. Some baggage, let’s call it.

Maybe as the season goes on, there will be a more perfect line combination that Zegras finds himself on and any negative aspects of his game can be covered up — just for him to go out there and do what he does best. But, with just one game of Flyers hockey in the Trevor Zegras Era, we are satisfied but understand some people’s concerns. Exactly as advertised.


Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...as-advertised-in-first-flyers-preseason-game/
 
Flyers 2025-26 Season Preview: Can the Flyers continue to maximize their defensive depth?

For our season preview series, we now turn to another area of the team – the defensive depth – as an important storyline to discuss as we get closer to opening night. Under John Tortorella and Brad Shaw, the Flyers were able to maximize the talents of quite a few defensemen, including the likes of Nick Seeler and Rasmus Ristolainen. As the team switches to Rick Tocchet and Todd Rierden, continuing to get the most out of the back half of the defense is essential to this team making a step.

Rasmus Ristolainen​


What did we see from Ristolainen last season?

Ristolainen’s time in Orange and Black has been hampered due to injuries, and last season was no different. After appearing in only 31 games in 2023-24, Ristolainen appeared in 63 games in 2024-25, but missed the final 19 games of the season after a triceps injury in March. It’s an injury that is going to hold him out of training camp and the first couple months of the season.

When he was on the ice, Ristolainen remained a really effective defenseman for the role that he was in, registering 4 goals and 15 assists and averaging 20:31 TOI. He was the mean, play-killing presence on the Flyers’ second pairing, and he essentially broke even from a play-driving standpoint. There was also a thought that Ristolainen rebuilt his trade value enough to be dealt at last year’s deadline. That never came to fruition – and the injury-riddled Ristolainen likely tanked his trade value by suffering yet another major injury. In reality, we are probably looking at Ristolainen playing out the remainder of his contract in the Orange and Black, as it’s going to be hard to find a suitor for a player that is injured as often as Ristolainen is.

What type of role do we expect Ristolainen to play this season?

Once Ristolainen fully recovers from his triceps injury, we certainly expect Ristolainen to slot into the Flyers’ second or third pair. As one of the main success stories under Brad Shaw, it’ll be really interesting to watch Ristolainen under new coaching, to see if he can keep up the legitimately solid second-pair work from the Shaw seasons.

But, with Ristolainen slated to be out for a few months, the Flyers are going to likely roll with a Sanheim-York-Drysdale-Seeler top four. As we’ll get to in a moment, Seeler will likely have an extended chance to develop chemistry with Drysdale while Ristolainen’s out. If that pair hits, we might see Ristolainen slot right into a third pair role when he is healthy, alongside a player like Egor Zamula, Emil Andrae, or Noah Juulsen.

Nick Seeler​


What did we see from Seeler last season?

Last season, Nick Seeler began his 4-year extension with the Flyers doing the same kind of things that warranted the contract in the first place. While he didn’t produce the same strong underlying statistics as he has in previous seasons, Seeler remained a steady presence on the backend in all the ways we’d expect. In 2024-25, Seeler blocked 200 shots and continued to be a leading “culture” guy for the team, while only putting up 3 goals and 17 assists across 77 games. Really, Seeler continued to be a passable second/third pairing player for the Flyers, as he was rarely the guy making key mistakes for the Flyers. Just solid, consistent work from a defenseman that the team relies on for 15-17 minutes a night.

What type of role do we expect Seeler to play this season?

We really expect more of the same from Seeler, a shot-blocking machine that sets the tone for how the Flyers play in their defensive zone. For the first part of the year without Ristolainen, we can probably expect Seeler to slot in on the second pair with Jamie Drysdale. That’s a pair that the Flyers have tried before, and one that showed flashes at various points last year, so we’d expect Tocchet to start with Sanheim-York and Seeler-Drysdale for the top-4. So, look for Seeler to be a stable defensive presence on a pair with the offensively-oriented Drysdale, and we’ll see if Seeler’s underlying metrics improve back to 2023-24 levels (~47 CF%). How the Seeler-Drysdale pair performs in the early goings is going to be a quick litmus test for the growth of Drysdale, because if it doesn’t work, the Flyers might not have two functional pairs without Ristolainen.

Egor Zamula​


What did we see from Zamula last season?

Zamula had an alright season in 2024-25, but the flaws that we witnessed in previous seasons remained. Zamula’s pace of play continued to be a sore spot, and his overall hockey IQ and decision making in all three zones was suspect. Zamula registered 3 goals and 12 assists across 63 games, and even with extended looks on the power play units, Zamula didn’t consistently show the offensive poise that he flashed in 2023-24. His underlying metrics were alright though, registering a 49.9 CF% and standing out as one of the best defenseman at denying the opposition entry into the zone and stopping transition rushes. The problem is, Zamula’s performance didn’t grade out well in almost any other way, as his ability to create offense and move the puck up ice to teammates was consistently bad. There just is a lot of question marks that Zamula left unanswered with his play last season, and it’s left his roster spot in a relatively questionable place in 2025-26.

What type of role do we expect Zamula to play this season?

Zamula is going to have another chance to be a de facto third pair player to start the season. With the injury to Ristolainen, the Flyers’ realistic third pair options on opening night go something like this: Zamula, Juulsen, Helge Grans, Emil Andrae. Zamula, with the most games in the Orange and Black out of that group, is essentially a shoe-in for opening night barring a total disaster. However, if he continues to struggle while Grans or Andrae are thriving in the AHL? We’d expect Zamula’s leash to be pretty short, as the Flyers will be really trying to figure out their eventual third pair when Ristolainen returns. He has to improve on his pace of play with the puck, as well as his decision-making, or we’ll be looking towards other options for the third pairing.

Noah Juulsen​


What did we see from Juulsen last season?

Juulsen is the “Tocchet guy” that was a fixture of the Vancouver Canucks as a No. 6 or No. 7 defenseman during his tenure. Juulsen was the subject of a lot of ire in Vancouver, where fans frequently lamented about Tocchet’s use of Juulsen on the Canucks’ third-pair. In his 35 games with the Canucks last year, Juulsen had zero points across an average of 16:17 TOI. His underlying stats were not very good, operating on a 43.57 Corsi-for percentage and a 41.12 expected-goals percentage. He’s a pretty physical player, but Juulsen hasn’t been much more than that in his NHL career thus far.

What type of role do we expect Juulsen to play this season?

We’d expect Juulsen to play a role similar to one he played in Vancouver, but perhaps he’s the odd man out of the lineup more times than he’s not as the No. 7. He will likely get a longer look with Rasmus Ristolainen out of the lineup for a month or two, but Juulsen is certainly below Seeler and Zamula on the depth chart. So, Juulsen is probably the No. 6 to start the season, but he’ll have a pretty short leash if things continue to go as poorly as it has to start the preseason. If poor play continues, it wouldn’t be shocking to see either one of Helge Grans or Emil Andrae called up to the big club.

Noah Juulsen looks just as rough tonight as he did yesterday in the scrimmage.

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) September 22, 2025
Click to expand...

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...s-continue-to-maximize-their-defensive-depth/
 
Can Jack Nesbitt impress enough to make Flyers’ roster?

As Philadelphia Flyers training camp ramps up and the battles for roster spots begin, there are a few new names to consider in contention for some early season NHL minutes. Could we a surprise?

Nikita Grebenkin, for one, has quickly made an impression both on and off the ice during his first Flyers camp. But the absence of Porter Martone, the Flyers marquee sixth overall selection in this past year’s draft who will play this season at Michigan State, has left this camp process without the organization’s new shiny prospect.

There was talk that Martone was possibly going to compete for a full-time NHL roster spot heading into the season, but as long as he has a commitment to an NCAA program, that’s not going to happen just yet. While Martone won’t get the chance to do anything drastic right away, how about the Flyers other first round pick?

The 12th overall pick in that draft, Jack Nesbitt, comes to Flyers camp with a man’s frame, at 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, and the defensive instincts and compete level to look impressive in drills and games against weakened opposition, right away. And while there really isn’t a chance that Nesbitt sticks in the NHL for a full 82 games, there is a chance that the big centerman shows enough promise that the organization allows him the opportunity to play some early season games, and see how well he can acclimate himself to NHL pace.

Nesbitt got right to business making his case to stick around early on in the Flyers’ first preseason game against the Islanders, when he picked off a stray neutral zone pass and dished out wide to Rodrigo Abols, who beat the goalie low glove and opened the Flyers account for 2025-26.

RODRIGO ABOLS!!! BEAUTIFUL PLAY BY JACK NESBITT, INTERCEPTING SCHAEFER'S PASS AND SLIDING IT OFF TO ABOLS, WHO SNIPES IT HOME. 1-0!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/dlAAihzskv

— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) September 21, 2025
Click to expand...

Even if Nesbitt was able to make such an impression that the Flyers do deem him worthy of a roster spot, it’s not as if he’ll really ever be a candidate to stay past nine games. As we saw last season with Jett Luchanko, even if coaches fall in love with certain players, the chances that they stay past the nine game mark, and burn a year of their entry level deals in the process, are exceedingly low. But while Nesbitt’s puck skills and offensive game aren’t anywhere near fully developed, he doesn’t seem like someone who would get overwhelmed by the league’s physicality and be unable to even play a depth role.

While the Flyers’ brass probably won’t be pushing for him to play a fourth line role for an extended period, a quick taste of the NHL life in order to reward a prospect’s hard work is never out of the question. It remains to be seen what kind of impression Nesbitt leaves, but the door is open for him to make the most of his first preseason opportunities.


Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/can-jack-nesbitt-impress-enough-to-make-flyers-roster/
 
Philadelphia Flyers 2025 Top 25 Under 25, No. 1: Matvei Michkov

Welcome to Broad Street Hockey’s Summer 2025 Top Under 25! The series is back, and with the Philadelphia Flyers focusing so much on the future, it’s more important than ever. Join us as we rank the 25 best players under the age of 25.

No. 1: Matvei Michkov

2024-25 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2024-25 Statistics: 26 G, 37 A in 80 GP
Age as of 9/15/2025: 20 (12/9/2004)
Acquired Via: 2023 NHL Entry Draft — Round 1, Pick 7

Only three things in life are certain — death, taxes, and Matvei Michkov earning the top spot on Broad Street Hockey’s Top 25 Under 25 ranking.

Michkov was a shoe-in to regularly top the list from the moment the Flyers selected him seventh overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and for good reason. He possesses skill unseen in the Flyers organization since perhaps the days of Eric Lindros, and as the club moves onward into its “New Era of Orange,” he is already emerging as the undisputed face of the franchise.

How did Michkov’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

Michkov had a lot on his plate going into his rookie campaign. Not only was he joining a new team in a new league that plays on a sheet of ice with different dimensions than what he was used to, but he was also coming to a completely different country that speaks a completely different language. The life transition Michkov made as a 19-year-old was enormous, and it would’ve been completely understandable for him to struggle as a first-year NHLer.

But he didn’t. Instead, he was nothing short of sensational.

Michkov logged 63 points last season, tying San Jose Sharks youngster Macklin Celebrini for the league lead in points scored by a rookie. He not only led all NHL rookies in goals with 26, but he also led the Flyers in that category, besting the likes of Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett in the process. He was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise miserable Flyers power play, posting 17 power-play points on the campaign to lead the team alongside Konecny, and he was just as effective with both teams at full strength, logging 40 points at 5-on-5 on the season. On most nights, Michkov stood out every time he stepped onto the ice. Whether it was due to his impressive puck skills, his laser of a shot, or his superhuman vision, he was nearly impossible to miss on any given shift.

That’s not to say he didn’t have some rough stretches, though. Michkov suffered multiple moderately sized scoring droughts throughout the season and was even scratched for a couple of games. But more often than not, when Michkov was on the ice, he made a significant impact.

What are we expecting from Michkov this season? What should we be looking for from him?

Despite bewilderingly not being named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, Michkov was one of the best rookies in the entire NHL last season. And going into the 2025-26 campaign, fans should expect to see a smarter, stronger, more confident version of Michkov.

And that’s scary (for opposing teams, that is).

Fans have already gotten a glimpse of Year 2 Michkov this preseason, and he didn’t disappoint. In the Flyers’ preseason opener against the New York Islanders on Sunday, he tied the game off a rebound late in the third period with the goalie pulled to force overtime. Later on in the shootout, he deked Parker Gahagen out of his skates to add yet another nasty dangle to his highlight reel.

Matvei Michkov shootout goals are still a joy to watch 🤩 pic.twitter.com/D0ZR8JS9JO

— NHL (@NHL) September 22, 2025
Click to expand...

Michkov is expected to continue skating on the Flyers’ top line this season, and with a full year of NHL experience now under his belt, he’ll likely see a considerable uptick in ice time. He’s still very young, so it would be reasonable for fans to temper expectations going into his second season. But given his immense talent, paired with increased usage, it wouldn’t be even remotely surprising to see him surpass his rookie scoring total with relative ease.

How does Michkov fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?

To put it simply, Michkov basically is the Flyers’ rebuild. Sure, Travis Konecny is already an established franchise favorite, and Porter Martone also figures to be a longtime cornerstone once he makes the leap to the NHL, but the Flyers’ rebuild virtually began with the addition of Michkov in 2023. He is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the Flyers’ future, and when the club is eventually ready to start competing for a Stanley Cup again, it will likely be him making the biggest plays in the biggest games.

What do we think Michkov’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Michkov is already one of the most electrifying young players in hockey, and it’s possible that he could one day develop into one of the top players in the world. He’s that good.

Michkov’s skill alone is enough to make him a household name, but what makes him truly special is his approach to the game. He is supremely competitive and possesses an unwavering desire to win. Not just fill the back of the net with rubber (although he clearly loves scoring goals, too). But even if he doesn’t reach a meteoric level of stardom, he is already on pace to develop into a no-doubt-about-it top-line winger capable of scoring 30 goals on a yearly basis.

And that’s just his likely floor.

Without question, Michkov has the potential to be a bona fide superstar, and he’s already well on his way to achieving that status.

Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:


Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/philadelphia-flyers-2025-top-25-under-25-no-1-matvei-michkov/
 
Takeaways: Goaltending drama headlines Flyers 4-2 loss to Canadiens

The Flyers made a quick trip up to Montreal this evening for the second of their preseason games, getting into the mix just about the rest of their big names who had not yet been able to debut. It was a difficult day on the whole and a choppy game which ensued, and while the Flyers were admirably able to rally part of the way back from the deficit they fell into, they found themselves outmatched in this one, and fell to the Habs by a 4-2 margin.

The Basics​


First period: 0:53- Cole Caufield (Hutson, Suzuki), 9:58- Florian Xhekaj (Thorpe, Tuch)
Second period: 11:11- Anthony Richard (Gilbert), 16:05- Nick Suzuki (Slafkovsky, Caufield), 17:35- Owen Tippett (Dvorak, Sanheim)PPG
Third period: 19:46- Arber Xhekaj (unassisted)SHG,EN
SOG: 21 (PHI) – 23 (MTL)

Some Takeaways​


Rust, matchup imbalance showing

This was a game that was, in truth, stacked against the Flyers from the start. With an off day scheduled for Monday, the Flyers schedule for today included a morning skate for the game group at the practice rink in Voorhees, a longer lingering around so that Rick Tocchet and the rest of the coaching staff could run the second larger session with the non-game group which carried them into the afternoon, and only after that did they jump on their flight to Montreal. Add into that the fact that this was a roster overwhelmingly comprised of players making their preseason debut and with a much less significant group of NHL veteran players going up against just about the full strength of the Canadiens’ NHL squad, and this was always going to be a tough one for the Flyers.

And, all in all, this team looked every bit the rusty and travel weary, often outmatched group that we expected. And while things did improve as the game went on (more on that later), the first period in particular was a lower energy, disjointed affair, as the Flyers struggled mightily to keep pace and connect with each other enough to get much going in the way of offense. Now, it’s only preseason and a slow start therein isn’t necessarily something worth overly reading into, but it was still a tough one to watch unfold, all the same.

Alex Bump settles in

This game was, without a doubt, something of a strange one for Bump. One of the players most anticipated to make an impression as camp goes on and he presses on in his push for an NHL roster spot, Bump had to work his way through a bit of an uneven showing. And he was put in a difficult position from the start — playing on a line with Jett Luchanko, who he had some mixed results with in the Phantoms’ postseason, but even more notably, with Nic Deslauriers, who offered nothing in the way of speed matching or offensive support, he was part of a trio that just wasn’t working from the start, and he looked a little stifled for it. But as the game went on (and after Deslauriers was taken off the ice for five minutes after a fight) and Bump was moved off of that line, things started to come for him a little bit more — his play seemed a little more active on the whole, and he was able to create a pair of excellent chances for himself. It wasn’t a perfect showing, as he also had a couple of instances where he was pushed off the puck a bit more easily than he likely would have liked, but he was able to get things trending up by game’s end, and he’s in a better position heading into his next opportunity, whenever that might be.

Goalie drama emerges already

It wouldn’t be a Flyers season without some kind of drama surrounding the Flyers’ goaltending situation, and that came up in a big way early in this one. At his post-practice availability this afternoon, Rick Tocchet said that Sam Ersson would be getting the start in this one, and was intended to play through the full game, as the team seemed committed to giving him a chance to knock off all of his offseason rust all at once. This, though, went out the window when Ersson let in two sort of soft goals to put the team in a hole early, and ultimately found himself pulled from the game at the first intermission.

Now, it’s been reported that the plan was always to have Ersson play one period only in this game and there was some miscommunication which led to the suggestion that he would play the whole game — though the suggestion seemed pretty clear from the room after practice, when Tocchet was asked directly if Ersson would play the whole game, and he said “yeah.” But maybe that’s still not what he meant to say, or perhaps that was the plan as of this morning and the plan changed at some point in the meantime. At the very least, it was not a great way to kick things off optically, nor the best chance to allow Ersson to find his footing.

Kolosov time again

The early removal of Ersson meant that Aleksei Kolosov was again called upon to play a pair of periods
(after getting the first two in their preseason opener), and stepped up nicely in this more or less relief showing. Kolosov made a handful of impressive saves, showcasing his post to post quickest and able to track shots and take away space laterally, and it was an effort which amounted to him being nearly perfect in this showing, as he stopped 12 of the 13 shots he faced — though we’ll place a bit of extra emphasis on that nearly perfect label, as the goal he did allow, though not the easiest shot to face (as it effectively came as being shot through two Flyers skaters in front), was one that Kolosov might have worked a little harder to square up for. But, all told, this was a positive showing for Kolosov, one where he was able to flex what he might be able to bring when he’s at his best, even if it came wrapped up in a reminder that he’s still a little raw in the end.

Anthony Richard steps up as a game breaker

While the Flyers seemingly struggled to get their offensive game going in the first, but the Flyers got a big play from Richard to break open their scoring for them, at last. Using his ability to cut through traffic and his separation burst to create more space for himself, Richard was able to come up with a huge play to pull away from a quickly gapping up Montreal defense and create a breakaway chance for himself, on which he was able to crash the net and beat the Canadiens’ goaltender one-on-one. It was a great little play, a reward for a speed game which had been working well pretty much all game, and a clutch moment not unlike those that Richard has come to be reliable in providing for the Phantoms.

Richard’s chance at making the Flyers’ roster right out of camp remains something of a long shot, but he certainly made it clear what his skillset can offer in bursts, at the very least, at this level, and how he got to be a dominant player at the AHL level as well.

Rodrigo Abols stands out

If there was one skater who consistently stood out for the Flyers across the whole of the game, it would be Abols, who built really nicely on his somewhat uneven showing in Sunday’s game on Long Island. He might not have ended up on the scoresheet in this one, but he did remain much more engaged from start to finish, using his frame and mobility to create a bit of chaos, and saw his offensive game popping even more — he led the team in shots on goal with three, and set up a couple of good looks for his linemates on top of that.

And this positive impression feels particularly notable, as it would seem that Abols has turned the heads of the coaching staff — Tocchet said as much after today’s skates, acknowledging that he wanted to get Abols in for another game right away after Sunday’s showing to see what he can do with a chance to play a handful of games in a row, if he can keep his game consistent beyond where adrenaline might carry him. There’s still a long way to go before any roster spots are claimed, but Abols is doing well to keep himself in that mix.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...drama-headlines-flyers-4-2-loss-to-canadiens/
 
Egor Zamula’s days as a Flyer could be numbered

It’s two games into the exhibition season for the Philadelphia Flyers. Of the 12 defensemen combined that have dressed, Egor Zamula is second only to Travis Sanheim in terms of ice time. Sanheim had 25:50 TOI in the Flyers 4-2 loss to Montreal Tuesday night while Zamula saw 25:29 in the exhibition season opener against the Islanders (a lengthy 3-2 shootout win). He also had an assist, was plus-1 for the night, and had five blocked shots. All in all a decent effort for the first of seven meaningless games.

Yet Zamula is probably looking over both shoulders as the Flyers beefed up the back end over the summer. Flyers general manager Danny Briere signed Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen in free agency, both on the cheap and both on one-year deals. Low-risk acquisitions that could do the trick this year, helping the club throughout the highly-concentrated schedule. However, to Zamula, they are competition. Players who could perhaps shine in training camp and make an argument for them to be the sixth or seventh defenseman. As well, Helge Grans and Emil Andrae are also looking to make a strong statement to avoid the initial rounds of cuts. Suddenly, the solid footing Zamula thought he had last season is rather shaky ground in heading into the 2025-26 season.

Rick Tocchet mentioned how strong Gilbert has been in camp. He has also given kudos to both Andrae and Grans for trying to stand out, particularly Andrae given how smaller he is compared to the other blueliners. So Zamula probably doesn’t need a translator to tell him he needs to do everything possible to keep his spot on the third pairing. Otherwise, he might find himself playing far less than the 63 games he appeared in last season. Or possibly playing elsewhere. But first, let’s look at the bigger picture.

What we know​


What we know is Travis Sanheim and Cam York will be here for a while. Sanheim has a no-trade-clause and six years remaining on his deal while York (who has no such protection) signed a five-year deal in the summer. Ryan Ellis is on the roster and taking up cap space. But he’s never playing again, so that still makes two defensemen. Rasmus Ristolainen is presently injured but on the mend, and Briere expects the blueliner back with the club a month or six weeks into the season. That makes three. Nick Seeler is a steadying presence on the middle pair or bottom pair. That makes four. And Jamie Drysdale hopes to take a big step forward this year with his play, possibly becoming a keeper on the power play’s top unit and making a case to sign an extension with the Flyers. So that’s five spots it would seem to be spoken for once Ristolainen returns to full health.

That leaves the sixth spot with Zamula, Andrae, Grans, Juulsen, and Gilbert possibly vying for that position on the third pairing. Last season Zamula was sixth on the Flyers in terms of ice time for defensemen in all situations (1040:55). Andrae was seventh (728:28) while Grans was essentially called up for a cup of coffee (86:45). Meanwhile while in Vancouver, Juulsen saw just 570:10 as he missed the last three months due to a sports hernia surgery. Gilbert, who played 29 games, split his time in Buffalo (251:43) and Ottawa (52:06). Simply put, Gilbert’s usage was similar to what Erik Johnson had in Philadelphia before he was traded to Colorado: a spare that could be used if injuries flared up.

In the summer we looked at the underlying metrics between Zamula, Gilbert and Juulsen. Zamula led in a few categories but was second to Gilbert when it came to Goals For Percentage (GF%) and High Danger Goals For Percentage (HDCF%). Perhaps the one thing however that puts Zamula behind both Juulsen and Gilbert is Tocchet. Juulsen played for Tocchet and the physical defenseman was a pet favorite in Vancouver, and Tocchet has recently praised Gilbert so there is some level of desire there. He doesn’t know what Zamula can do outside of the small sample size in training camp and what he may have seen on tape. And if coaches are known for anything, it’s often leaning on the side of what they know versus what they don’t know.

Juulsen’s hit, Andrae, and Tocchet’s willingness factor​


The first big check of the Flyers preseason was thanks to Noah Juulsen. And although it was pre-season against an up-and-coming prospect, Juulsen levelled first-round Islanders pick Kashawn Aitcheson with a hard, heavy, open-ice hit. And the optics couldn’t have worked better for Juulsen.


Here is the hit on Kashawn Aitcheson that knocked him out of the game pic.twitter.com/E9X1S3gGV2

— Rob Taub (@RTaub_) September 22, 2025​
Click to expand...

It’s a hit that doesn’t mean a lot for anyone not named Kashawn Aitcheson. Yet it does look great not just to Tocchet but Flyers’ president of hockey operations Keith Jones, who loves having big, mean players who play with an edge. A hit like that could do wonders for Juulsen this exhibition season. In the two seasons Zamula has played for the Flyers, it’s hard to remember him delivering something remotely similar on the opposition. Zamula is big but uses his size to separate the player from the puck, not to attempt to separate the player’s upper torso from his lower body. It’s a part of the game Zamula doesn’t really have or use much in his toolbox.

As far as Andrae goes, let’s see what Andrae did last season (granted a smaller sample size) compared to Zamula at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick.

CF%GF%xGF%HDGF%
Emil Andrae51.8547.2755.1051.43
Egor Zamula50.0943.5354.0437.78

Andrae marginally edges out Zamula in the share of shot attempts (CF%) and also expected goals percentage. However he’s ahead of Zamula a bit more in the share of actual goals scored, and markedly ahead of him in the share of high-danger goals while on the ice. While small, Andrae seems to have more of an offensive flair to his game than Zamula. That could be the difference in seeing Andrae sticking around and Zamula on the outside looking in. Physically, Zamula has the advantage. But offensively, he’s behind Andrae.

When asked Tuesday morning about Andrae and if his spot could be the sixth spot or somewhere higher in the pairings, Tocchet said he was “in the mix.” “Every practice, every game he’s got to try to separate himself the way he plays,” the coach said. “You don’t always have to be a big guy to defend. You defend with your brain or you have the puck on your stick all night. Quinn Hughes has the puck on his stick all night so he doesn’t have to defend.

“He (Andrae) has his attributes and he’s good with the puck. Now he’s just got to understand the next play. He’s got to be careful not to throw pucks away or try too much. So that’s the balance for a kid like him. Yeah we want him to move the puck, we want him to join the rush. I want him to make plays at the blueline. If he wants to dance a guy, go for it. But be a little calculated. You got to be careful you don’t throw pucks away or make those ill-advised passes in the middle of the ice. So that’s the sweet spot he’s going to have to find.”

As well — and perhaps crucial to this discussion — Tocchet also said that players on the bubble during training camp are all capable of making a play. But for him it came down to “what are you willing to do?” “I have to see that, what are willing to do?” he said. “Are you willing to play aggressive? Are you willing to box out? Are you willing to block a shot? Are you willing to help out your teammate? Those are the intangibles.” Juulsen has made a case just from the Aitcheson hit alone what he’s willing to do. Zamula? Well we’re still waiting for some great defensive play, a strong rush up ice, or simply flattening somebody.

The Ristolainen dilemma​


Probably the main saving grace for Zamula that could keep him here is the situation with Ristolainen. Although he has two years left on his deal ($5.1 million AAV), it’s highly unlikely a team is going to take a chance trading for a soon to be 31-year-old oft-injured defenseman. Not without the Flyers eating part of the cap hit or adding a draft pick to sweeten the deal. Ristolainen isn’t in Ellis territory yet, but another injury to the same area in his upper body could be enough to end his season, if not his career. Knowing Ristolainen is somewhat damaged goods may be all Briere needs to keep Zamula around a little while longer. Zamula sliding up to the fifth defenseman would enable one of Juulsen, Gilbert or Andrae to play. A Ristolainen injury after a Zamula trade certainly throws more newcomers into the realm. Does Briere risk having two of Andrae, Grans, Gilbert or Juulsen in the lineup throughout most of the season due to a Zamula trade and a long-term Ristolainen injury?

On the other side of the coin, from a salary cap perspective, it might make the most sense to find a buyer for Zamula at some point soon. Both Juulsen and Gilbert combined make $75,000 more than Zamula’s final year of his contract ($1.7 million AAV). And both are basically one-year trials, seeing if there’s anything significantly there to warrant another short-term extension. Grans, 23, has two years left on his contract ($787,500 AAV) and remains a restricted free agent. Andrae has a year left ($903,333 AAV) with the Flyers still retaining his rights. Again, Zamula isn’t breaking the bank, but he could be in the way of a younger, cheaper (for now) and higher skilled defenseman on the horizon. And the team acquiring him would still retain his rights.

One only has to look back to earlier this month to realize Briere can clear up a personnel logjam quickly. The goaltending mess heading into training camp was resolved a bit more when Ivan Fedotov was sent to Columbus. That left the same number of spots with the Flyers and Lehigh Valley for the same number of goaltenders, a rather novel concept after the circus that was last season. Taking that into account, Briere could do the same thing on the blueline, simply clearing up a spot for a guy the Flyers think is better suited than Zamula.

Egor Zamula has done enough to keep himself as a third pairing blueliner on what has been at best a team seeking a wildcard spot. On a contender or Stanley Cup champion it’s doubtful he sees any action at all. Or is maybe a decent seventh or eighth on the depth chart. If Zamula, using Tocchet’s words, is unable or unwilling to do something that makes him a cut above his competition, it might be time for the Flyers to cut ties. He still has time to make a case to stick around. But time seems to be running out as Oct. 9 and a date with the Panthers approaches.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...or-zamulas-days-as-a-flyer-could-be-numbered/
 
Flyers reduce training camp roster by three players

With just under a week of training camp now in the books and a pair of games under their belts, the Flyers’ evaluation process is ever-proceeding, and they’ve continued in their pattern of decisiveness, delivering another early round of cuts this morning, as half of the team returns from Montreal after a tough loss on the road.

The Flyers announced that they’ve assigned all of Matthew Gard, Luke Vlooswyk, and Andre Mondoux to their junior teams — with Gard and Vlooswyk returning to Red Deer of the WHL and Mondoux (the last of their camp invites) heading back to Kingston and released officially from his ATO — which has brought their training camp roster down to 52 players in total.

And here, as with the first small round of cuts, there also aren’t any big surprises. As the CHL seasons have already gotten underway, and as there isn’t anyone in this group of players who had a significant chance at making a run at an NHL roster spot — especially with two players just drafted this summer and one camp invite in that mix — perhaps it makes more sense not to draw out this waiting game, and instead rip that metaphorical bandaid off early, and get these players back to their teams sooner, so that they can sooner get themselves settled back in, and begin towards tinkering with and growing their games in the contexts where that meaningful work is going to unfold this season anyway. Notably, though, the Flyers do still have three junior players — Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, and Spencer Gill — sticking around for a while longer.

This move, too, will also most likely allow the Flyers to cut their camp roster down to two main groups (though now each with a few more extras), allowing the coaching staff running these learning sessions (and also having to prepare for games) to be a little more targeted and economical with their time spent.

The Flyers have two more games on the schedule — one more on the road in Hershey against the Capitals tomorrow night before they make their home debut against the Bruins on Saturday — before AHL training camp is set to get rolling as well, and two more games of evaluating time on deck before we might reasonably expect to see the next round of cuts coming through.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-reduce-training-camp-roster-by-three-players-2/
 
Flyers reassign Samu Tuomaala in latest round of cuts

The Philadelphia Flyers continue to trim down their training camp roster.

The Flyers reduced the roster by 10 players Thursday afternoon. Samu Tuomaala, Tucker Roberston, and Massimo Rizzo were reassigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, while six players on AHL contracts — Sawyer Boulton, Cooper Marody, Yaniv Perets, Keith Petruzzelli, Garrett Wilson, and Zayde Wisdom — were also sent back to the minor league affiliate.


Transactions: We have reduced our training camp roster by 10 players. https://t.co/n0KWppwq3y

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 25, 2025​
Click to expand...

Oscar Eklind, a 27-year-old import from Sweden, was placed on waivers and will also return to Allentown if he clears.

Tuomaala and Robertson are two of the more noteworthy players reassigned to the AHL. Tuomaala, 22, was selected in the second round (46th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, but has yet to carve out a role in the NHL. The slight, but speedy winger has established himself as a useful player for the Phantoms, though. He logged 11 goals in 46 games for Lehigh Valley last season, and despite missing a chunk of the season due to injury and illnesses, his 32 points ranked tied for fourth-most on the club. Still, Tuomaala’s quick demotion to Lehigh Valley is somewhat of a surprise considering his solid AHL production.

Robertson’s assignment to Lehigh Valley comes as less of a shock, but is still notable. The Flyers acquired Robertson from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Jon-Randall Avon on September 4. Robertson, a 2022 fourth-round draft selection, appeared in 38 games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds last season, but struggled to make a significant impact. At just 22 years old, Robertson could theoretically still develop into an NHL player one day. But in all likelihood, he’ll be a mainstay for the Phantoms for the foreseeable future.

The Flyers’ training camp roster now stands at 42 players ahead of Thursday night’s preseason tilt against the Washington Capitals in Hershey.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-reassign-samu-tuomaala-in-latest-round-of-cuts/
 
Friday Morning Fly By: Did they just become best friends?

*In what can only be described as an extremely positive development, it would appear that Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras are the bestest friends in the whole wide world. This is great. [BSH]

*Anyway, the various Flyers and potential Flyers looked like crap last night in Hershey against the Capitals. First stinker of the year in the books! Recap!

*Prior to last night’s game the Flyers issued another round of cuts, bringing the total remaining players to 42. [BSH]

*This isn’t much of a surprise considering what a coach’s dream this guy seems to be, but Rick Tocchet seems to be very fond of Noah Cates thus far. [Inquirer]

*Before last season began, we here at BSH Headquarters made some predictions for Matvei Michkov’s rookie season. Time to see how far off we were. It’s good to hold yourself accountable, you know? [BSH]

*Speaking of predictions, here’s one for every team in the league. [ESPN]

*Oh what’s this, a prospect ranking? The top 23 under the age of 23? With Flyers’ Kids making a couple appearances? Yeah sure let’s do that. [Sportsnet]

*Anyone think Danny Briere might mine the waiver wire once teams really start trimming down their rosters? Might be some interesting finds out there. [The Athletic]

*And finally, after going a long time without saying much, John Tortorella went on the record about his being fired from your Philadelphia Flyers. Naturally, he had a few interesting things to say. [BSH]

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-did-they-just-become-best-friends/
 
Phantoms announce 2025 training camp roster

While the Flyers are getting well settled into their slate of preseason action up at the NHL level, we’re just a few days away from things kicking off for the Phantoms down in the American League. With their training camp set to open this weekend with their first day of on-ice work on Sunday, the Phantoms have announced the starting iteration of their camp roster. The main group is as follows:

Ben Meehan – D
Carson Golder – F
Tucker Robertson – F
Nick Capone – F
Massimo Rizzo – F
Emile Chouinard – D
Garrett Wilson – F
Cooper Marody – F
Carter Berger – D
Samu Tuomaala – F
Sawyer Boulton – F
Oscar Eklind – F
Zayde Wisdom – F
Yaniv Perets – G
Keith Petruzzelli – G

Additionally, the Phantoms have added the following players on a tryout basis:

Yvan Mongo – F
Wyllum Deveaux – F
Nolan Burke – F
Jacob Frasca – F
Artem Kulakov – D
Connor McMenamin – F
Jacob LeGuerrier – F
Jeremy Michel – F
Jack Page – D
Vincent Sevigny – D
Jordan Frasca – F
Vinnie Purpura – G

This brings their total roster for their camp, at least for the time being, to 39 players.

Now, as it stands, this roster is pretty heavy on tryout players as well as players who we might reasonably expect to fall on the bubble of a spot on the Phantoms’ final roster, who are competing more to make the positive impression necessary to put themselves on the map as the first necessary call-up, and light on players who will be playing in top roles for the team, and we can expect this to remain the case into at least next week, when they can get some further reinforcements, as they’re sure to get at least a few more players returned in the next round of cuts, and when some of the dinged up players (a Karsen Dorwart or an Oliver Bonk) are cleared to play and will be loaned down.

The Phantoms are set to kick off their preseason on the road in Hershey on Wednesday for their first of three scheduled games, before returning home for two final tune ups on Friday and Saturday, before they open their regular season on October 11. It’s a slower coming together of the AHL squad’s roster, but the first step is ahead.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/phantoms-announce-2025-training-camp-roster/
 
Breaking down Flyers candidates to play with Zegras and Michkov

USATSI_25637952.jpg


The Philadelphia Flyers appear to be putting their two most-skilled players together on a line, at least here in training camp.

Matvei Michkov has found a new best friend and potential linemate in Trevor Zegras, who appears to be enjoying his time with the Flyers thus far. But if Michkov and Zegras are going to be on a line together, that is a lot of offense without a ton of defensive acumen. And the Flyers seem set on Zegras sticking at center for now, so it’s not as easy as putting them on the wings of someone like Sean Couturier to hold down the fort in the middle.

If the Flyers truly have found a center for Michkov, who should join him and Zegras on the left wing?

Christian Dvorak gets first crack with Zegras and Michkov​


It looks like free-agent signing Christian Dvorak might be the most obvious answer.

Tocchet acknowledged that if Zegras and Michkov are together, the Flyers “might need a reliable guy” to put with the duo. He then named Dvorak as one of the top options.

“I think Dvorak is that guy that can win battles in the corners and get the puck to a guy like Zegras or Michkov,” Tocchet said.

Tocchet and Dvorak might be in their first years with the Flyers, but the head coach helped the two-way centerman when he was a youngster in Arizona.

Dvorak can be that reliable presence that Zegras and Michkov need. More importantly, perhaps, is that he can step in to take the faceoff for Zegras, whose faceoff struggles to the tune of a 40.1% win-rate have been widely talked about. Dvorak won 55.8% of his faceoffs last season and 57.8% the year prior.

Moving Dvorak to the wing also solves a bit of the center “log jam” with guys pushing for spots. Sean Couturier, Noah Cates, Zegras, and Dvorak can all play center, so if he moves to the wing, that could open up the fourth-line center role for Rodrigo Abols or Jett Luchanko.

But if Zegras is able to improve in the faceoff dot, perhaps the Flyers can use a true winger alongside the skilled forwards.

Could Tyson Foerster fit with Zegras and Michkov?​


If Tocchet isn’t keeping the Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink line together, Foerster should be one of the top candidates to play with Zegras and Michkov.

The two-way forward is great defensively and can put the puck in the net with his shot. He had 20 goals two years ago and built on that to find the back of the net 25 times last season, with 18 assists to boot.

Even if Zegras still struggles on faceoffs, Tocchet could have Dvorak out there to take crucial draws and then have him go to the bench as soon as possible to get Foerster on for him.

Moving Foerster up with Zegras and Michkov would create a domino effect in the lineup as well. Dvorak may still play wing in Foerster’s role with Cates, who also isn’t the best at faceoffs, or Tocchet could use him as a reliable fourth-line center and bump up a prospect to the third line.

This may ultimately be my favorite line combination for Zegras and Michkov, but it might take them a bit to grow into this.

A Travis Konecny top line with Zegras and Michkov?​


There is the outside chance that Tocchet loads up this line with three of the Flyers’ best players. Konecny is still the Flyers’ best overall forward, although Michkov could challenge that as soon as this season.

Konecny won’t be able to take faceoffs like Dvorak would, but the same thing could apply where the veteran center takes key faceoffs and then gets off the ice for one of these three. There’s also the issue of Konecny preferring to play on the right side, which is where Michkov typically lines up as well.

Loading up the top line could be interesting, and I wouldn’t be shocked if this combination happened at some point in the season, potentially early on.

Could anyone else fit with Zegras and Michkov?​


Dvorak, Foerster, and Konecny might be the three most interesting names, but by no means are they the only options.

Nikita Grebenkin opened the preseason slate on a line with these two, and that could be fun to see. Granted, the Flyers probably wouldn’t run with that to start the season.

Alex Bump also falls into that category. Bump – Zegras – Michkov could be one hell of a fun line, but not quite yet.

It’s still early, and there’s no guarantee that Zegras and Michkov will even be on a line together to start the season, but the Flyers have a few solid options to choose from to complete the trio.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...s-candidates-to-play-with-zegras-and-michkov/
 
Takeaways: Flyers lose to underwhelming Bruins team 4-3 despite two power-play goals

The Philadelphia Flyers scored two power-play goals. But an Alex Bump boo-boo and Helge Grans falling at a bad time resulted in the Bruins defeating a rather full Flyers lineup 4-3 at the first game at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The basics​


First period: 8:57- Travis Sanheim (Christian Dvorak, Sean Couturier) (PPG), 1959- Johnny Beecher (Unassisted)
Second period: 3:57- Dalton Bancroft (Mason Lohrei, Hampus Lindholm) (PPG), 7:12- Nikita Grebenkin (Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras), 13:04- Trevor Zegras (Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett) (PPG), 15:58- Dalton Bancroft (Georgii Merkulov, Frederic Brunet)
Third period: 13:45-Jeffrey Viel (Patrick Brown, Henri Jokiharju)
SOG: 27 (PHI) – 27 (BOS)

Some takeaways​


Tippett tidy on special teams

Owen Tippett was rarely used on the Flyers penalty kill under John Tortorella. A new coach means changes, and Tippett saw some time on the penalty kill late in the first against Boston. Sadly, the successful penalty kill was forgotten when a brain cramp by Alex Bump cost Philadelphia dearly. Johnny Beecher took the puck and got it behind Sam Ersson with 0.6 seconds to go.

Beech playing to the buzzer 🏖️ pic.twitter.com/xOeNEytBG6

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 27, 2025
Click to expand...

After 40 minutes, Tippett had 11:21 ice time with an assist, a hit, a blocked shot and two shots. More importantly, he was noticed more often for good things he was doing on the ice. A wraparound in the third was nearly the go-ahead goal but DiPietro made the stop.

Power play, power play

Philadelphia’s initial power-play unit was talent-heavy, which should be effective as the season wears on. Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Owen Tippett had one or two looks but nothing materialized. What worked was the second unit. Some quick passing down low had Christian Dvorak find Travis Sanheim tight on Bruins keeper Michael DiPietro. Sanheim banged it in for a 1-0 lead. A good second unit is going to be crucial this year, and they delivered.

🚨 PPG! 🚨

Travis Sanheim scores on the @PECOconnect Power Play on the feed from Christian Dvorak. #BOSvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/J8U92LCBTu

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 27, 2025
Click to expand...

A second Flyers power play had one backdoor chance foiled with the first unit. The second unit didn’t get set but it could be a unit that might be a fine compliment to the top five.

A third power play? Oh twas a beauty!. Zegras confidently strode over the blueline and fed the puck to Michkov. Michkov skated towards the center of the ice and then gorgeously fed the puck back to Zegras who buried the puck beyond the Bruins goalie for a 3-2 lead. Two power-play goals in one game? Well that happened five times all of last season.

🚨 ANOTHER PPG! 🚨

Welcome to Philly, Trevor Zegras. 👊#BOSvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/sYoQvGLPF0

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 27, 2025
Click to expand...

The fourth chance of the night went for not despite Philadelphia pulling Ersson for an extra attacker to try and tie things up. They didn’t, but it’s still a step in the right direction for a power play that is seemingly heading away from horrible.

Batting cleanup, Nikita Grebenkin

After the second Bruins goal, the Flyers looked like they were mailing it in a bit. Tocchet might have said something, or one of the veterans might have piped up. Whatever was said, it worked. Nikita Grebenkin nearly found Matvei Michkov on a breakaway about a minute before Grebenkin batted the puck in mid-air to tie things up 2-2.

🚨 TIED UP! 🚨

The Russian connection comes through. 🔥#BOSvsPHI | https://t.co/qu7Cj9oPPa pic.twitter.com/oU7NDhUeZb

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 27, 2025
Click to expand...

It took a while, particularly against such an underwhelming Bruins lineup, but the Flyers finally looked like they were involved and engaged in the first home game in the “Xbox.”

Grebenkin also had a penalty shot attempt and had DiPietro beat. Just not the goal post. The score remained 3-2. Of the remaining Flyers not locks to be with the club, Grebenkin is starting to separate himself from others on the fence.

Fourth line futility

The Flyers fourth line isn’t going to be gangbusters this season. You do want to see some offensive zone time occasionally. The line of Rodrigo Abols, Jacob Gaucher and Garnet Hathaway were all kinds of paltry on some early shifts, especially one following the Sanheim goal. The fact the Bruins couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn helped Ersson out. Throughout the game, Hathaway (who took a good hit in the second period that stood him up) always seemed to be in the wrong end of the ice. It was a game he should forget rather quickly.

Hathaway tried dropping the gloves with Mark Kastelic. Nothing materialized from it, other than Kastelic’s helmet being knocked off.

D-day for Luchanko?

Maybe the newness has worn off Jett Luchanko, but he can still do the odd little thing to make you take notice. Luchanko changed gears around center ice and direction during a shift in the first and had the Bruins defender in knots, causing him to fall. Luchanko might be working against the stellar training camp debut he had last season. He didn’t look out of position but didn’t dazzle.

Had Luchanko made the impact last training camp at this year’s training camp he would probably be almost a lock to be with the Flyers all season. As it stands now the jury is still out and going to be for the next couple of weeks.

Konecny exits and enters sin bin

Konecny left the penalty box after sitting for a slashing minor. Then he tripped a Bruin as he turned up ice, returning to the box almost immediately after serving the first minor. The second minor was costly as both Luchanko and Garnet Hathaway missed chances to clear. The Bruins’ Dalton Bancroft blew it by Ersson for a 2-1 lead.

Bancroft on the second effort 🚨 pic.twitter.com/M7BU5ONpVc

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 27, 2025
Click to expand...

Mental lapse for Bump

Alex Bump has had time to make a case he belongs with the Flyers. While a lot of offensive production hasn’t been seen, he has been knocking on the door at times. Sadly, the gaffe Bump made late in the first period is a no-no. Ragging the puck to end a period should be a given. But Bump misplayed it badly. A good first period and lead evaporated as Ersson wasn’t aware the puck was in the danger zone.

Bump might be ready at some point for the Flyers, but a play like that looms large for a young’un hoping to make a case. An established player could do the same thing. Bump simply doesn’t have that precious wiggle room to make a snafu like that. The forward finished the game with 11:18 ice time and was a -2 for the game.

Dvorak dyn-o-mite

Christian Dvorak is proving himself to be worth the one-year contract and the price tag that came with it. The center is big and is helping out whatever line he ends up on. Dvorak, who had an assist on the opening goal, made room for his linemates often. And he played a rather solid game in his own end. The combinations are still works in progress for some lines. Whatever line Dvorak is a part of during the regular season, his linemates should be the benefactors.

Parent remembered

Prior to the opening faceoff, the Flyers took a moment of silence to remember the late great Bernie Parent. The Flyers also announced they will be holding a celebration of life honoring Parent sometime in November. Details will be made public at a later date. Lauren Hart was also wearing a Flyers jersey with Parent’s name and number on the back as she performed the anthem.

Source
Click to expand...

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...bruins-team-4-3-despite-two-power-play-goals/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top