Some Philadelphia Flyers prospects still have to figure out where they will be playing next season as they all have fairly crucial years for their development, but at least one recently drafted goaltender now has that question answered.
Martin Psohlavec is one of the more intriguing new prospects in the Flyers system and now he is making the jump from playing in his home country of Czechia all the way to Western Canada. He has agreed to a deal with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades to play for the junior team next season.
Psohlavec was a second-round draft pick for the Flyers in the 2026 NHL Draft at 62nd overall and one of two goalies taken by the team last month.
Psohlavec was drafted by the Blades in the first round of the CHL Import Draft earlier this month, which already signaled that there was a potential deal already in place. Now we see that come to fruition and he will be highly valued as a key contributor for a team that finished in the middle of the pack in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.
“Martin was the number one player on our list for the last several months,” said Blades general manager and president, Colin Priestner, via the team’s press release. “Myself and Jeff Harvey have gotten to know him, and he’s just an outstanding kid full of energy and enthusiasm, on top of being a world-class goalie going in the second round at the NHL Draft. Martin really wanted to be in Saskatoon, and we are absolutely thrilled to have him join our club.”
Psohlavec sets himself up for a big season in the WHL
The 6-foot-5, 18-year-old netminder was playing in the Czech U20 league for the majority of last season and earned a .928 save percentage and 1.92 goals against average for HC Energie Karlovy Vary. He finished at the top of both categories for any goalie that appeared in more than 30 games.
While we don’t know the ins and outs of the HC Energie Karlovy Vary depth chart, we can guess that there might not have been a clear path to playing in the top Czech division so that he can get some pro games under his belt. So now he takes one big step up from a junior league in Czechia to the WHL. He should face a whole lot more talent on a night-to-night basis than whatever was going on over there.
Especially considering his size and his athleticism, he could have a very big year that can set him up for a stock-raising year. And to get a better sense of his game, we turn to the experts.
“Psohlavec’s appeal from the get-go is very simple: he’s big and athletic. The 6-foot-5 goaltender can jump into a split with strong ease. Possessing good form, he stretches his upper body into saves to further improve his range laterally. While his size affords him many advantages, Psohlavec always keeps himself square to shooters, displaying a really strong sense of spatial awareness in the crease,” the Elite Propsects 2026 NHL Draft Guide reads.
“He is perhaps one of the most engaged and effective puckmovers in the class, always looking for opportunities to move the puck up ice either after dump-ins or after stops. And he’s made progress in his hand placement, extending his hands further and keeping them engaged to cut off angles.”
Psohlavec certainly has an intriguing profile and should be heavily tested in the WHL. While he’s not at the same level of some other former goalie prospects around the NHL who were able to play in the SHL, Liiga, KHL, or even the top Czech division, Psohlavec could grab this massive opportunity and run with it.
