There hasn’t been a huge amount of turnover from the 2025-26 version of the Flyers to the one slated for training camp in September. There’s been a few guys put out to pasture, while others have entered the mix in the hopes they can help put the Flyers into the playoff hunt again and possibly put in a much deeper run. Obviously, had Leo Carlsson not had his offer sheet matched, it’s probably a safe bet he would’ve been topping this list quite easily. However, that’s not the case.
What is the case is there are players entering what they hope will be their first full season with the Flyers. According to the Flyers roster, there are 13 players on it that fit the criteria. And while it’s probably a given that three or four of these guys might not see anything more than a cup of coffee with the Flyers, there’s always a chance things transpire that enable them to get a foot in the door. Here then, in order of their “splash factor” are the 13 Flyers in their first full season with the club who hope to make some impact in 2026-27.
13) Jacob Gaucher
With the glut of players down in Lehigh Valley, it wasn’t clear if Jacob Gaucher would end up separating himself from his Phantom teammates, and make a name for himself. Gaucher scored 20 goals and had 36 points in 69 games for Lehigh Valley. He had four games with Philadelphia: three in November and the season finale against Montreal. He didn’t get any points over the four tilts, but had four shots in rather limited ice time. Not bad. Gaucher was rewarded for the season he had with a one-year extension inked in early June.
It’s a short window for Gaucher, who turns 26 in January. He has to make the most of it. But he also has to make a huge impression in a relative abbreviated training camp and exhibition season. Gaucher is probably at best the 13th or 14th forward for Philadelphia as it currently stands, with Nikita Grebenkin and possibly Carl Grundstrom ahead of him on the depth chart. The Flyers see something in him, otherwise they wouldn’t have offered the extension. It’s up to him to turn some heads and show his skills.
12) Helge Grans
Helge Grans was a second-round pick of the Kings back in 2020. He never got a taste of the National Hockey League last year after playing six games the year before in Philadelphia. Grans, 24, played 61 games for the Phantoms last year, with three goals and 14 points. He didn’t seem to jump over the likes of Oliver Bonk or Hunter McDonald in terms of depth, but did put in a relatively decent year. With the amount of Flyers blueliners ahead of him, it’s probably a long shot Grans gets anywhere near the lineup. And like Gaucher, Grans has to make the most of the opportunity should it emerge.
11) Carson Bjarnason
Unlike Gaucher, goaltender Carson Bjarnason has a little more runway to work with concerning establishing himself. On the other hand, he appears to have two roadblock in front of him when it comes to the Flyers and goaltending. One is Dan Vladar. The other his Joseph Woll. If either ran into injury problems, it’s conceivable Bjarnason might get the nod over Aleksei Kolosov depending on how both are playing. If Bjarnason has a paltry season like he did last year, it might be Kolosov’s job to lose.
Bjarnason was in Reading of the East Coast Hockey League for a pair of games last year, and 32 games with the Phantoms. Lehigh Valley wasn’t nice for the netminder, with a .877 save percentage and a 3.43 goals-against average. He had his problems. Ideally, Bjarnason can put last year behind him, put up decent numbers in Lehigh Valley, and make a case for himself should a piece of the Flyers tandem end up hurt.
10) Hunter McDonald
Hunter McDonald played his first NHL game in Philadelphia’s last game of the season against Montreal. It was meaningless in terms of the playoff positioning. But nobody gave the Flyer youngsters that message as they beat a relatively healthy and fully stocked Canadiens lineup 4-2. McDonald got his first NHL point (an assist) and didn’t look out of place. The same could be said for most of his 2025-26 with the Phantoms, not scoring a goal but collecting six assists in 65 games. He was the stay-at-home, physical defenseman the Flyers adored the minute they drafted him. And didn’t do much to contradict that notion.
Given the Flyers have seven defenseman locked in (barring a trade), McDonald might find himself in Lehigh Valley yet again, waiting for someone to be moved or play himself out of the lineup. He’ll have to surpass Oliver Bonk, at least it looks that way. But if Philadelphia runs into some injury bug — particularly on their third pairing — then McDonald might see himself with Philadelphia sooner than later.
It’s rare for a third-pairing defenseman to get the attention of his teammates and the organization right off the bat. McDonald’s game isn’t flashy, but it could be a physically punishing one that could change the course of a game or earn the respect of fans and teammates.
9) Jett Luchanko
Jett Luchanko averaged just under nine minutes of ice time in the four games he played with the Flyers in last October. Similar to what happened the previous year under John Tortorella. Luchanko had an arduous season, from the Flyers stint to just 11 games with Guelph. He battled an injury that nagged at him during his final stretch of the year, this time with Brantford where he earned 26 points in 27 games. Unfortunately, in 15 playoff games he managed just seven points. The Bulldogs were eliminated, and Luchanko finally got whatever was bothering him looked at. Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said the forward underwent a procedure to correct a “core” issue. And during rookie camp which he didn’t participate in, Luchanko said it was the best he’s felt in some time.
He’ll most likely begin the season with Lehigh Valley, and with any luck gets off on the right foot and feels healthy throughout. If he begins tearing up the American Hockey League, perhaps he becomes this year’s version of either Alex Bump or Denver Barkey, tossed in to give the Flyers a different look. As it stands now, he probably won’t jump out of the gate with Philadelphia.
8) Oliver Bonk
If Rasmus Ristolainen is traded before the season begins, it almost seems a certainty that Oliver Bonk will find himself somewhere much closer to the lineup than he’s ever been. Of course, there’s still the matter of another defenseman we’ll get to shortly. But Bonk is getting closer to finding himself fully seasoned. Bonk played just 46 games last year with the Phantoms, the result of an injury during the Flyers training camp last September. He went into the corner against fellow Phantom Ty Murchison, and Murchison’s collision with Bonk did something to the defenseman’s upper body. It took some time but he returned. And got his first NHL goal against Montreal in the last game of the year.
Bonk might see the Flyers take a more prudent approach and get him another full season in the minors before making the switch to Philadelphia. Or they might believe he’s got enough games under his belt with Lehigh Valley that he’s ready. Either way, Bonk is probably going to get a callup (or two) should the Flyers get injuries on the back end. If that’s the case, it’s important that Bonk doesn’t stand out for the wrong reasons. For now he just needs to be consistent, not too flashy.
7) Simon Benoit
The trade this summer with Toronto saw Philadelphia put a nice big band-aid on their backup goalie issue in Joseph Woll. They also might have gotten a bit of help in terms of the defensive depth, with Simon Benoit also coming over. It’s not that Benoit is going to be mistaken for Quinn Hughes anytime soon. But he should be a decent improvement over Noah Juulsen when it comes to be a sixth or seventh defenseman for the club. Benoit likes playing physical, stirring things up, and trying his best to keep the defensive zone relatively tidy. The plus/minus last year with Toronto needed work (-22) as did his year with Anaheim (-29 in 2022-23). Rick Tocchet’s defensive structure might be a huge benefit for Benoit, and could push that stat a bit closer to zero. He could be called upon to play the same amount of games Juulsen did last year (52). But a lot of that will depend on injuries, and how well Nick Seeler and another defensemen plays. We’ll get to that other defenseman next.
6) David Jiricek
Defenseman David Jiricek shouldn’t face this much pressure, but he will from the start of training camp onwards. Jiricek’s playing status prohibits him from being sent down to Lehigh Valley without first going through waivers. The thought of losing him — after acquired in a trade that sent Bobby Brink to Minnesota — to waivers would leave a sour taste in many mouths, none more than Briere’s. So, it’s probably quite conceivable Jiricek gets every benefit of the doubt, at least until the final roster cuts. Jiricek spent last year in four places: Minnesota (25 games), Iowa of the AHL (24), Lehigh Valley (15) and Philadelphia (one). With any luck, there’s some stability for Jiricek this season, and ideally with the Flyers.
Jiricek was nearly a point a game with the Phantoms, and might be able to show some offensive upside this season. If he was to somehow help the power play for the Flyers, he could be given a street named after him. For the time being, Jiricek is one of the bigger stories entering training camp.
5) Alex Bump
Alex Bump was the second surprise of the Flyers season before the trade deadline. Bump had a bumpy 2025-26, as he had a MCL sprain he had to overcome prior to getting the nod to Philadelphia. In 17 games he had nine points, but provided another bit of oomph and punch to the forwards. A sniper-like mentality who can also play a steady two-way game, Bump was a strong winger most of the time, and held his own in the six playoff games he played for Philadelphia, scoring twice.
A lot of people are hoping Bump can make the transition from a partial season to a full 84-game season with Philadelphia as smoothly as he did coming from the minors to the pros last year. He’s only 22, so there’s plenty of tarmac for him to mature and develop. If he looks as strong as he did when he first came up, he could be an extremely valuable piece of the puzzle for this season and beyond.
4) Noel Acciari
A veteran, and a pain in the side for the Flyers during their first-round matchup against Pittsburgh, Noel Acciari is now in Philadelphia. He should be a huge help for Sean Couturier on the fourth line, while providing a bit more offensive jump than Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway provided during the stretch run and playoffs. Nothing against those guys, but Glendening is still looking for a contract and Hathaway is in Florida. So clearly the need to upgrade was resolved in Acciari. He was a 20-goal scorer in 2019-20. Meanwhile, his 13 goals last year was his second-highest output.
As a fourth line player, penalty killer, and taking faceoffs, Acciari should make an impact with Philadelphia over his first season with his new team. He’s signed for two years, so ideally he’s making Couturier’s life a bit easier. At 34, he’s a seasoned veteran. And should be able to meet the needs Tocchet has for him through the year.
3) Denver Barkey
When he was called up in December, nobody could’ve imagined the impact Denver Barkey would have on the Flyers. He played 43 games, scoring five times and adding 12 assists. He also played in all 10 playoff games, an incredible feat for a guy who turned 21 in April. He’s still quite raw, and is going to have his struggles this year. But Barkey has given the Flyers something they perhaps never envisioned from him: a possible passable interim center. Barkey didn’t look too badly down the middle when he was called on in certain situations. He isn’t a top-line center, but he looked fine in the middle in the middle six. It’s probably a safe bet he will return to the wing for the start of the season. Knowing he was able to contribute in a myriad of ways had to be a feather in his cap as a rookie. If he’s consistent, he might be a young, solid forward who will be worth locking up for a while.
2) Joseph Woll
Flyers goaltender Joseph Woll might get in the range of 35 to 37 starts this season. The Flyers don’t want Dan Vladar run into the ground down the stretch, and want to afford their number one the luxury of knowing Woll will be a vast improvement over Sam Ersson. If Woll can simply do the job most nights, those wins will do wonders for Philadelphia when it comes to the standings and the top three seeds in the Metropolitan Division. Woll could give the Flyers that much-needed cushion they never had last year in March and April, when wins were at a premium.
Woll will most likely have a better team in front of him than he did with the Leafs last season. And Tocchet’s structure is goaltender-first, or at worst quite goaltender-friendly. That’s another help. If Woll is able to keep his save percentage around or north of .900, that’s another chunk of points earned early that Philadelphia will have in the bank when they need them. He knows the situation he’s coming into. Maybe he plays as if he has something to prove, much like Vladar did all of last year.
1) Porter Martone
A 19-game sample size is all you can look at. But what a memorable, fun, fantastic ride it was. Porter Martone lived up to every expectation and more in the roughly six weeks he was with Philadelphia. From scoring game winners against Boston and Pittsburgh to providing a spark and swagger that the Flyers have been missing for a while. All eyes are going to be on Martone from opening night onwards. And if the stretch run and playoffs are any indication, he’ll live up to that billing. He’s already seen as a Calder Trophy nominee, and if he lives up to that billing, then the Flyers will be in a much better position this season and many seasons to come. Martone is the type of player that can carry a club for some time, a young, talented forward who has the size (and mouth) to irritate the hell out of his opponent. Here’s hoping that sample size was a precursor of what’s to come.
