With the 38th pick in the NHL draft and their first pick of Day 2, the Philadelphia Flyers have selected Carter Amico, a defenseman from the United States National Team Development program.
🔶 THE PICK IS IN! 🔶
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2025
We're proud to select defenseman Carter Amico with the 38th overall pick in the 2025 #NHLDraft. pic.twitter.com/l5O2jmb6T7
Amico, who came in at 47 on the Broad Street Hockey Draft Board, is an injury-riddled 6-foot-6 blueliner who has tons of skill. Amico played in only 17 games in his draft year, before a major knee injury in November took him out of game action for the remainder of the year. Prior to that injury, Amico was being floated as a potential first round selection, as his combination of size, skating, and skill from the right-side is an enticing package.
He’s very much a project pick, but he’s a really fun upside selection. Here’s what Elite Prospects had to say about Amico, who they like as No. 62 on their big board.
“An aggressive, agile defenceman, Amico’s range is nearly unmatched. When he surfs into opponents, he completely erases the middle and then crushes the opponent into the wall. He clears the front of the net with vitriol and then gets play moving the other way. He fakes forecheckers with his edges, then looks into or across the middle for a high-value breakout play.
Amico brings a bit of offence, too. Though he mostly makes quick, simple plays, he extends the zone with pinches, activation, and flashes of playmaking. And he occasionally side-steps pressure for a better look.
There were also some very poor games from Amico, where he threw pucks straight into opponents, misjudged speed off the rush, and overextended defensively. Though smooth, his quickness is lacking at times.”
There’s a ton of projection and dreaming to be done with Amico, as the big right-handed defenseman that hockey men typically salivate over. However, he’s not just that, and it’s very fair to be excited about the tools that Amico has as a puck-moving defenseman in the future. Especially with Amico’s commitment to Boston University in the next couple of years, Amico’s going to have a prime opportunity to remodel and work on his game at one of the best programs in the NCAA. It’s a perfect development situation for him, really.
Through the first four picks (including No. 40 Jack Murtagh and No. 48 Shane Vansaghi), the Flyers seem to be prioritizing some size and beefing up their prospect pool. Each and every pick so far has been a pretty big and physical player, including the 6-foot-6 Amico. It’s an interesting trend, and obviously not all of these guys are going to hit their potential, but the Flyers are taking bets on physical players who don’t sacrifice skill for hits. We’ll see if this remains the case as the draft continues.
