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. 24: Cole Knuble
2024-25 Primary League/Team: University of Notre Dame (NCAA)
2024-25 Statistics: 12 G, 27 A in 39 GP
Age as of 9/15/2025: 21 (7/1/2004)
Acquired Via: 2023 NHL Draft – Round 4, Pick 103
Next up on our list is Cole Knuble, an underrated center prospect in the Flyers’ system that really turned some heads in his sophomore campaign at Notre Dame, and then really made a strong impact as a standout at Flyers Development Camp this summer. The son of former Flyer Mike Knuble, Cole is a scrappy, well-rounded player with third line upside if all continues to go right. There’s a lot to like, and it’ll be really interesting to see what happens with Knuble following his junior year of college, where he’ll have the opportunity to sign his entry level contract with the Flyers organization. We’d imagine that the Flyers would have no trouble signing him, but it’s always a worthwhile question to ask once players get into their third or fourth year of college eligibility.
How did Knuble’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?
By all accounts, Knuble’s 2024-25 season was a very large step forward for the player. Year over year, Knuble improved his freshman year point total by 19 points in 2 less games played, all while taking on an all-situations role for the Fighting Irish. Knuble’s season got off to a scorching start, as he registered 10 points in his first 5 games of the year, and he remained a steady point-per-game player in the following 29 games of his season (29 points in 29 games).
Although his playmaking, high hockey IQ tools flashed more in this past season with Notre Dame, Knuble loves to fire shots on net from all areas of the offensive zone. His goal total may not indicate that, but it’s not hard to imagine a successful version of Knuble that’s a high volume shooting, pest of a player for oppositions to deal with. He likely still needs to add more high-end puck skills to his repertoire to achieve that, but his performance at Notre Dame and in Development Camp showed the steps he’s taken in his game. He’s always had the high motor, all-situations style of play – but his shot and skating skills showed serious signs of improvement over the course of the year. If he can take a further jump in raw skills? There’s a real chance that Knuble is a staple in the Flyers’ bottom-six for years to come.
What are we expecting from Knuble this season? What should we be looking for from him?
After playing down in the Notre Dame lineup in his first year of college, Knuble earned a more important role on the Fighting Irish last season. This season, another equally prominent role is expected for Knuble at Notre Dame, where the forward will take down Top-6 minutes and play on both the penalty kill and powerplay. But, in terms of his actual play and things we should be looking for, Knuble’s junior season will likely be a strong indicator of just how much better he can get. Is there more high-end skill in the tank? Can we project further development of his skating speed, his shot, and his ability to win battles against larger players? If the signs are positive for Knuble’s outlook, we’d think he would improve his goal total from last year, and continue to improve upon his straight-line skating speed. Continuing to build out his offensive skillset is so key to what’s next for Knuble, as his defensive and neutral zone game is very well rounded into shape already. In addition, once the college season is completed, we’d expect Knuble to be a strong candidate for an April stint in the AHL with the Phantoms.
How does Knuble fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?
Out of the bottom-half of the Top 25 Under 25, we’d say Knuble has as good of a chance as anyone to make the NHL. He just does everything well, and although he doesn’t have a ton of high-end skills, his point production in college might indicate there’s more puck skills in Knuble’s toolbox than scouts previously thought. In terms of the Flyers rebuild, Knuble is nowhere near make or break for the organization, but he’s one of various different players vying for a 3C/4C spot in the future. He’s in the same conversation as players like Jack Berglund – players who likely top out as a pretty serviceable third liner. We wouldn’t say it’s likely that he’s on the next great Flyers team, but he’s certainly got a chance to be the next standout NCAA player to make a jump to the big club – akin to Noah Cates and now Alex Bump’s development paths.
What do we think Knuble’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?
A scouting report from early last season by Elite Prospects writer David St. Louis compared him to Montreal’s Jake Evans, a scrappy forward who is good for around 30 points a year, but is an absolute pain for oppositions to deal with. Evans is the type of player that teams want to have in excess throughout their organization, as no one wants to overpay for effective bottom-sixers in free agency. So, if Knuble can become a Jake Evans-type with perhaps a bit more skill, that’s a pretty darn good outcome for both the player and the organization’s long term bottom-six projection. Considering what we saw from him in Development Camp, we think it’s relatively likely that Knuble is able to make the necessary jump to reach his ultimate upside of a scrappy third liner. We’ll see, but we will certainly have a fuller picture of Knuble’s upside as his junior NCAA season goes on.
Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:
