One of the Philadelphia Flyers most important prospects has made the decision to make the jump from the OHL to the NCAA for next season, and it could be massive.
Jack Nesbitt is currently playing in the OHL playoffs with his Windsor Spitfires squad and is just two wins away from clinching a conference final berth as they look to potentially punch their ticket to the final and then to the Memorial Cup. But, some reports have started to come out that make it almost certain that he is playing his final games ever in junior hockey.
Flyers prospect Jack Nesbitt commits to Michigan
According to Jeff Marek, Nesbitt is confirmed to be going to go play in the NCAA next season, and more specifically, for the University of Michigan Wolverines.
On the heels of Michael Hage deciding to go back to Michigan it sounds like Kitchener Ranger Cameron Reid (NSH) and Jack Nesbitt (PHI) of the Windsor Spitfires to join him.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) April 13, 2026
Flyers drafted Nesbitt in the first round with the 12th overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft and projects as a solid-enough player down the middle with a gargantuan 6-foot-5 frame and attention paid to all three zones.
This makes all the sense in the world for both the player and the team. Even with the new landscape for drafted prospects, college hockey felt like the most logical route for Nesbitt to take.
It would make zero sense for the Sarnia, Ont. native to go back to the OHL and the Spitfires. Even though he didn’t light the world on fire, as he scored just 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games this season — just ever so slightly improving on his draft-year production of 64 points in 65 games — the things that Nesbitt need to work on won’t get enough attention while touring around Ontario and playing against teenagers. Even if he were to score 100 points next season, if he’s standing over everyone and bullying around 17-year-olds, does it actually mean anything?
The other option would be a new venture. Starting next season, and this is still to be made official and all the rules to be ironed out, 19-year-olds who were drafted in the first round out of the CHL will now be able to play in the AHL. Previously, as part of the NHL-CHL agreement, any player drafted out of the CHL would only have two options, junior hockey or the NHL, until they are 20 years old. But with the new path to the NCAA formed, this additional route has been introduced to not just funnel every single player into college hockey.
Going to the AHL would have been an option for Nesbitt, but since we’re seeing what a year in college hockey did for Porter Martone with our very own eyes, it certainly won’t hurt.
It also all comes down to the main thing that Nesbitt needs to work on: His skating.
Nesbitt’s hands, brain, and stick work are all there, but his feet just have never been able to catch up to them and it was a major reason why some scouts didn’t view him as highly as others. Clearly, the Flyers think that they can fix that and have a plan on how to do so.
The Flyers front office has said repeatedly that it isn’t a mechanics issue but just about strength — since while Nesbitt is 6-foot-4, he is listed at 185 pounds — and when he gains more lower-body strength, it will all come together. Well, unlike in junior hockey, there is actual attention paid to the weight room and resources poured into lifting plans for these student athletes. Martone himself said just how much mass he gained while lowering his body fat percentage, building a whole lot of lean muscle, and we’re seeing it out on the ice right now for the Flyers. Now Nesbitt can do the same thing and potentially get up to speed so that his game can come together as he potentially turns pro a year or two after next season.
Nesbitt joining an esteemed program that could finish on top
The cherry on top of all of this is that Nesbitt isn’t going to some bad conference and playing for some no-name school just to get his feet wet against larger and older players. He’s going to be playing for the Wolverines, who could’ve easily just won a national championship last week.
As noted by Marek, Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage is surprisingly returning to Michigan after dominating college hockey this season. Automatically, that makes this program one of the top in the country heading into next year. So, Nesbitt is going to be surrounded by more talent than he ever has been and can learn how to play with some top-of-the-lineup wingers flanking him, potentially.
Aside from Hage, some other returnees could be 2026 Draft eligible Adam Valentini, Rangers prospect Malcolm Spence, Penguins prospect Will Horcoff, Sharks prospect Cole McKinney, and Leafs prospect Nicholas Moldenhauer. And then joining them is, as noted above, Predators prospect defenseman Cameron Reid, and 2026 NHL Draft eligible and one of the CHL’s leading scorers this season, J.P. Hurlbert.
Basically, Michigan is going to be stacked once again.
The only hope is that Nesbitt gets a good opportunity in the lineup, but there is going to be a hole to fill. Top NCAA free agent T.J. Hughes has wrapped up his career with the Wolverines and signed with the Colorado Avalanche after playing a whole lot of games and scoring a whole lot of points for that program. He has been that team’s first-line center for the entire season and now Hage will most likely fill that role. So, now Nesbitt has a clear spot in the top six to then easily slide in there.
The only other competition Nesbitt has to be the Wolverines’ second-line center when the team is fully healthy is Cole McKinney, since the other top prospects are all primarily wingers. So, as long as he does that and isn’t just playing depth minutes, then his time should be well spent in the NCAA.
Obviously, this is still to be made official but it is certainly looking like an announcement will be made fairly soon.
