Welcome to the Philadelphia Flyers Top 25 Under 25 ranking, Winter 2026 edition. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be putting out our ranking of the, well, top 25 players in the Flyers organization who are under 25 years old. A total of 13 writers at Broad Street Hockey submitted ballots and here is the consensus ranking.
We’re continuing to work our way through the middle of our ranking, and we’re not too far away from getting into the really good stuff — the top-10. But before we move into that next echelon, let’s take a moment to check in with a trio of players who just missed that cut.
13) Nikita Grebenkin
Primary Team: Philadelphia Flyers, NHL
2025-26 Stats: 4 G, 8 A, 12 P in 42 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 15
Age: 22
Acquired: Trade (2025, from Toronto for Scott Laughton)
Jason M. (Ranked #15): I had Grebenkin ranked a little lower mainly due to the lack of oomph or punch he’s been able to bring game in and game out. He’s still trying to find his footing in the NHL and, while moving up and down the lineup sometimes, is rather inconsistent. There’s still plenty of time for the forward to take the next step and possibly add a bit more offensive production. But for now, Grebenkin looks to be trying his best to keep his head above water on both sides of the puck. He’s still rather raw, and remains a work in progress.
Maddie (Ranked #10): I agree that it’s been a little rough at times as he’s trying to carve out a role for himself as a full time NHL player, but I’m really pleased to see the work Grebenkin’s done this season to solidify for me that he should be one. There’s still a bit of polishing that his game needs at this level, and I think there’s also a bit more that I’d like to see him doing to wake up more of his offensive game, but I also recognize that he’s doing well to make the most of a challenging situation – getting irregular usage both in terms of games played and his place in the lineup when he’s in – and he deserves some credit for that.
Jacob (Ranked #16): I’ve loved Nikita Grebenkin since he came up with the Maple Leafs and immediately started trying to run players through the boards. I expected a lot from him after he was dealt to the Flyers in the Laughton deal, and while it’s encouraging to see him become a full-time NHLer this year, I still think there are some consistency questions that need to be answered. I feel like I underrated him by a couple spots here, but ultimately I still need to see a little bit more from him before I can fully buy-in to his potential to stick in the top 9 night in, night out. If he’s able to unlock just a little bit more offensive production the rest of the way, then I can see him jumping up closer to number 10. As Maddie touched on, he is definitely getting the short end of the stick most nights when it comes to deployment and linemates, so maybe with more consistent quality opportunities, he can start to showcase the offensive game he developed in the KHL.
12) Alex Bump
Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2025-26 Stats: 7 G, 13 A, 20 P in 30 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 11
Age: 22
Acquired: 5th-round pick (133rd overall) in 2022 NHL Draft
Jason M. (Ranked #16): Alex Bump had a decent rookie season going for himself with Lehigh Valley. Then he was injured, missing 17 out of 18 games. He returned to the lineup on Valentine’s Day against Cleveland, but is getting the rust out. And probably will for a few more game before he’s 100 per cent back. Bump looks to have a sniper’s shot, something Philadelphia is in rather dire need of. Hopefully he has a good homestretch to the season and can hang his hat on having roughly 15 goals and 30 points in his injury-shortened season.
Maddie (Ranked #13): Yeah, like Jason said, it’s been a challenging season for Bump with some of the bad injury luck he’s had, and the adjustment to the AHL game has also been a bit of an uphill battle. He’s shown some really promising flashes, but he’s had to learn pretty quickly that he can’t solely rely on the strength of his shot at this level, and needs to be a little more concerted in his efforts to create some better shot selection. He’s been able to do that sporadically, but it’s just not quite automatic for him just yet. I think he gets there eventually, and I have a lot of optimism about how effective of an NHLer he can be when he really figures out how to get the most out of his offensive toolkit, and hopefully he’ll be able to ramp up again quickly now that he’s back in the lineup for the Phantoms, and use this stretch run to make some progress towards that.
Jacob (Ranked #10): Alex Bump is one of the few names in Lehigh Valley that I think has a chance to become an impact NHLer. His shot and goal scoring instincts are potent, and at the AHL level he has proved that, in stretches, he can score and be an x-factor from the wing. That sort of potential isn’t easy to come across, especially for the Flyers, and despite his injuries and growing pains this year, I have a lot of faith in him to develop into a 20 goal scorer whenever he decides to make the jump, and in my estimation, that’s more valuable than some of the more well-rounded names on this list.
11) Jett Luchanko
Primary Team: Brantford Bulldogs, OHL
2025-26 Stats: 7 G, 31 A, 38 P in 33 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 6
Age: 19
Acquired: 1st-round pick (13th overall) in 2024 NHL Draft
Jason M. (Ranked #5): I still think Luchanko has a lot more in his game than the third-line center people are envisioning him to become. There have been fewer players in the last half decade on the Flyers who have had the speed and wheels Luchanko has. Besides, when John Tortorella is going to bat for you, you must be doing something right! As of writing this, Luchanko has 20 points in 21 games for his new Ontario Hockey League team in Brantford. Ideally, the Bulldogs have a very deep run into the Memorial Cup and Luchanko can take the next step, have a great training camp in Philadelphia. If that happens it could make things interesting and difficult for the Flyers staff as to keeping him or sending him to the Phantoms.
Maddie (Ranked #14): Luchanko is such a weird one for me. I still have a lot of belief in the player, and I haven’t forgotten that he was able to do some good things not too long ago in the Calder Cup playoffs last year against much older and more mature players, and I think he’s going to figure it all out eventually, but it’s been a little rough in the meantime. It seems like things have stalled out a little bit for him at the junior level – though the production has been picking up again over the last couple of weeks, which is nice to see – and I think this is a situation where we just really need to see what he’s able to do when he gets to the next level and the Phantoms’ staff gets their hands on him. He’s looking like a little bit more of a project than we might have expected when he first joined the organization, but that’s not the end of the world, and I think he’s still going to be a valuable piece in the future.
Jacob (Ranked #12): I think Jett Luchanko will have a long NHL career. I think he is capable of playing a responsible game in all three zones that can help a team win.
However, I am no longer convinced that he will ever be able to develop an offensive toolkit that consistently works at the NHL level. In addition, I think the ship has sailed on him playing center at the pro level, at least for now, and that really kneecaps the excitement I can reasonably feel about him and his future. He’s not an offensive force at the OHL level above around a point per game even despite joining a powerhouse Hamilton Bulldogs team, and he’s on pace to basically have the same numbers that he did in his last year with the Guelph Storm in 2024-25.
It’s harsh, but if Luchanko wasn’t a top 15 pick, he wouldn’t receive the sort of fanfare he has thus far. The results don’t support it right now.
