Philadelphia Flyers 2025 Top 25 Under 25, No. 5: Cam York

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. 5: Cam York

2024-25 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
2024-25 Statistics: 4 G, 13 A in 66 GP
Age as of 9/2/2025: 24 (01/05/01)
Acquired Via: 2019 NHL Draft — Round 1, pick 14

One of the most experienced names on this list, Cam York has been a Flyer since 2021 and has continued to provide a steady hand on the blue line during a time of upheaval everywhere around him. While he isn’t anything spectacular, York has shown to be adaptable, confident with the puck, and capable of playing in basically any situation

How did York’s 2024-25 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

York had a very Cam York season; modest offensive production, solid underlying metrics, and a player who was able to eat minutes if needed. But despite his steadiness, it still feels like there’s something to be desired from the former first round pick’s play. Seventeen points in 66 games is a pretty paltry number, and while it’s kind of unfair to compare players one-to-one, York’s total put him below names like Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler, despite neither of those players being offensive dynamos.

But on the other hand, it is almost a guarantee that York will get a longer leash, along with more opportunity, now that John Tortorella is no longer the Flyers’ head coach. Torts never seemed to embrace York fully, and while some of that may have been performance based, there was definitely a personality component present that York may have had no hope of actually remedying. Without that negative cloud hanging over him, he may be more free to play a more loosened up version of his game, and gain some more confidence heading into next season. He wasn’t bad by any means, and he was still an important part of the Flyer blueline so getting a repeat season isn’t a negative, but it just feels like York has more in the tank.

What are we expecting from York this season? What should we be looking for from him?

This is a big season from York, he gets a clean slate with Rick Tocchet, and a new chance to hopefully make a better impression on someone who is, undoubtedly, a more forward-thinking coach. That should boost his confidence alone, and maybe allow him to play a little more freely than he did previously while simultaneously upping his offensive production.

But on the other hand, it kind of feels like the Cam York we’ve seen thus far in his career, is the one we’re going to get for the foreseeable future. His offensive skills haven’t translated to a level of production that is above what is expected of the average second pair defenseman, and he isn’t exactly a shut down play stopper, either. Can he, at the still relatively young age of 24, develop an elite trait now that he is fully secure in an NHL lineup? It isn’t far-fetched, and he has the requisite skill and pedigree to go on a Gustav Forsling arc and really take another step, if he truly wants it.

Otherwise, it should be another year of dependability, likely on either of the Flyers top two pairs.

How does York fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?

Again, this is really just up to York himself at this point, and how insulated he wants to make himself against the wave of prospects that will be vying for spots on defense in the not so far away future. Names like Spencer Gill, Emil Andrae, and Oliver Bonk are varying degrees of far away from the league, but they all will get shots at positions when this team is looking to compete. Bonk in particular is being tipped as a player who will more likely than not play a very similar role to York at the next level, and while York’s new contract kicks in this year, it’s far from an anchor if he ever was to fall victim to a roster crunch.

But as it stands, he remains one of the Flyers best options at the position, and will get chances to play, as well as chances to grow, with fresh start and a new coach. Maybe Tocchet will look more favorably upon York, and that snowballs into a reality where he becomes a true top-pair guy and stakes his claim to a roster spot for years to come.

Still, for now he isn’t the number one power play quarterback, and he isn’t guaranteed to be one of the guys sent out to kill off a penalty, or finish out a game entirely. That caps his importance somewhat, and while he is likely to be a Flyer for a long time to come, his lack of real point production and physical play will reduce his appeal long term.

What do we think York’s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

It’s likely that York has arrived at his full potential: a middle-pair, steady defender who can fill a lot of different roles, but isn’t necessarily elite at any of them. Now, there is obviously a chance that this season his offensive potential finally shines, but there just haven’t been enough moments of offense from York to reasonably expect it to shine through. I mean, hell, even Yegor Zamula had about a two-game stretch of looking like he had a bit of a scoring touch. York hasn’t done even that, and when you parse through how many of his points are actually primary tallies, it looks even less impressive.

I’m not sure where York goes from here, development-wise, he’s not going to get faster, he’s done growing, and he’s seen so much of the pro game that nothing should surprise him at this point. He seems to be exactly what he is, but thankfully, what he is isn’t too bad.

Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2025 Top 25 Under 25:

Talking Points