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 for the next few weeks.
No. 16: Carson Bjarnason
2024-25 Primary League/Team: Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
2024-25 Statistics: 2.93 GAA, .913 SV%, in 40 games
Age as of 9/2/2025: 20 (6/30/2005)
Acquired Via: 2023 NHL Draft – Round 2, Pick 51
Up at No. 16 is Brandon Wheat Kings/Lehigh Valley Phantoms goaltender Carson Bjarnason, one who still needs some seasoning before hitting the big club in Philadelphia.
After a dismal few seasons for the Flyers in goal, Carson Bjarnason looks to be one of two possible answers the Flyers are looking at for the foreseeable future. Although his playoffs the last two seasons didn’t end as plan (and saw a save percentage drop dramatically in both), Bjarnason is hoping to be one of the bright spots on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms when they begin their regular season in October. While this season might see some hiccups as he’ll be playing against more talent and bigger opponents, it should be one that sees Bjarnason coming out on the right side of things more often than not.
How did Bjarnason’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?
After being reassigned to Brandon by the Flyers on Sept. 24, 2024 (after some action in the Rookie Series and a bit of exhibition play), Bjarnason finished up his four-year career in the Western Hockey League after a strong 2024-25 season. After starting his junior career at 16, Bjarnason ended his fourth year with the Wheat Kings with some fairly strong numbers. His .913 save percentage put him fourth in the WHL (minimum 10 games played) while his goals against average was the lowest of his Wheat Kings tenure, a sign that he’s improving over each season. He was also seven games over .500 with a 22-15-3 last season. Bjarnason also played roughly 330 fewer minutes in 2024-25 than he did in 2023-24.
In early November, Bjarnason was named WHL Goaltender of the Week and started strong, being tied for the lead in save percentage (.924) and had a 33-save shutout against Medicine Hat earlier in the year. Later that month the netminder had a 42-save performance against the Tri-City Americans. And in December he was named to Canada’s roster at the World Junior Hockey Championships. But Bjarnason had some bumps in the road, the low point was allowing seven goals against Medicine Hat in late November.
In mid-March, the goaltender (who was born about a 30-minute drive east of Brandon in Carberry) was named CHL Protector of the Week, making a combined 90 saves for Brandon. And he finished the regular season strong, with save percentages above .900 in six of his last seven regular season appearances, and eight of his last 10. Unfortunately in the playoffs against Lethbridge, he was lit up for 10 goals in the first two post-season games he played, posting back-to-back bad save percentages (.860 and .846, respectively).
After Brandon’s elimination, Bjarnason was sent to join Lehigh Valley in the American Hockey League. However despite being assigned to the Phantoms, Bjarnason saw no action at the end of the Phantoms’ regular season nor in their playoff run. Having said all that, his stock still seems to be on the rise. Granted, the Wheat Kings never went far in the playoffs, but the goaltender made the most of his final season in the Western Hockey League, rarely seeing the proverbial night off. Instead, in seven games he faced 40 or more shots. He was busy. But he was very good also. Above all, his athleticism and compete level was never questioned. In the end it was a great building block for what should be the next phase of his career.
What are we expecting from Bjarnason this season? What should we be looking for him?
Bjarnason should hopefully have a good chance to play in Lehigh Valley. It’s doubtful he’ll be the starter but it should be clearer by the time the regular season begins for the Phantoms. Perhaps the biggest issue is something Bjarnason currently has no control over. The Flyers should be seeing the tandem of Sam Ersson and Dan Vladar most of the year. That leaves Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov a bit in the weeds. The Phantoms parted ways with Cal Petersen, Eetu Makiniemi and Parker Gahagen in the offseason. Keith Petruzzelli was resigned by Lehigh Valley but should end up spending most of the season in Reading of the East Coast Hockey League. So, with Fedotov and Kolosov in the last year of their contracts, it’s probably a given Bjarnason will have a great shot at being one of the two goaltenders for Lehigh Valley. It’s also highly unlikely Fedotov would be the guy the Flyers are looking to develop considering his age and being in the final year of his contract. Kolosov’s age makes things a little less clearer.
The great thing is generally there should be little to no pressure on Bjarnason this coming season other than to perform to his optimal level. The Phantoms aren’t coming off of deep Calder Cup runs. Nor are they defending champions like the Hershey Bears. Bjarnason should have that internal pressure to perform at his best night in and night out, while at the same time knowing the Flyers and Phantoms coaching staff have his best interests in mind. If he has a solid season and remains healthy, and doesn’t look like he’s completely in over his head, that should be a good first step.
How does Bjarnason fit into the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be part of the next good Flyers team?
Bjarnason most likely will be entering his tenure with the Flyers when the Flyers aren’t just in the playoffs but one of the teams that are looking at consistently deep playoff runs. It wouldn’t be a case of Bjarnason needing to hit the ground running and then single-handedly dragging the Flyers into the playoffs. When the 2026-27 seasons rolls around, the Flyers might be a little closer to the bigger goal, especially if they can land a gem in Unrestricted Free Agency. Toss in another year of AHL experience under his belt, and Bjarnason’s name could be in the mix for 2026-27. Judging by Danny Briere’s track record, he will not be thrown to the wolves. But he also won’t be blocked from making the Flyers if he shines.
Given the Flyers goaltending situation it’s conceivable maybe one (or even maybe none) of Sam Ersson, Dan Vladar, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov are in the mix two seasons from now. So it would seem reasonable to suggest Carson Bjarnason will be one of the Flyers goaltenders who are part of a very good to great Flyers team.
What do we think Bjarnason’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what Carson Bjarnason will be as an NHL goaltender. Goaltending and the Flyers are a Top 10 Netflix series waiting to happen (comedy? tragedy? docu-drama? farce? all the above?) just going by previous experience. But we can assume, based on the sample size in Brandon, that Bjarnason would probably start his career as a credible tandem goaltender. That would mean seeing him with about 30 to 35 starts and providing Philadelphia with a capable stopper. Of course if he dazzles immediately in the AHL and is consistently above average in important underlying statistics, Bjarnason could make an impact as soon as 2026-27.
The fact Bjarnason is being given kudos alongside Yegor Zavragin is proof that the Flyers see him as a part of their future. And they also don’t want to rush him and possibly ruin him. What the Flyers see in him and how Bjarnason evolves remains to be seen. Given his past season in Brandon, it would be hard to bet against him. If the Flyers implode in training camp with a rash of fluke injuries in goal, then Bjarnason might be seeing NHL time this season. But otherwise one hopes he has a great Rookie Camp (assuming he’s on the roster), makes an impression in training camp (and maybe during an exhibition game) and has the confidence to start in Lehigh Valley ready to prove himself. Bjarnason physically has all the attributes of a quality NHL goaltender. The Flyers are hoping he’s that and a little more for a long, long time.
Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:
