Hockey is really happening very soon. It has been a dreadful few months without it but it is right around the corner.
The Philadelphia Flyers are about to start their Rookie Series with the New York Rangers this weekend and actual NHL training camp starts next week. We’ll soon watch actual hockey players play actual hockey instead of just thinking about it like we have been all summer long.
But aside from what is happening with the Flyers, what about elsewhere in the world? What about the Flyers’ prospects stationed and scattered all over North America and Europe? We already went over where we expect each Flyers prospect to be spending the majority of their time next season, but what will they actually do there?
What should we expect from each Flyers prospect this coming season? Should we set them high for some while also being content with “just fine” seasons for others? We’ll go prospect by prospect to see what we should truly expect to see. Some might be lofty goals with high hopes for these individual players, or just a baseline of production so that we don’t spiral midseason.
Oliver Bonk, RD
Projected 2026-27 team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)
Bonk could very well find himself on the Flyers roster if he has an outstanding training camp, but with the expectation that he is to start in the AHL, it’s really just hoping for some slight progression. The 21-year-old defenseman could improve his point production, since he did have just 19 points in 46 games during that rookie AHL year. But, it’s also not detrimental to his game or projection to the NHL.
The expectation is that Bonk does take a step further in being that top-pairing workhorse for the Phantoms, and then that can translate into an instant top-four role when he is ready and there is an opportunity on the Flyers blue line. If he stagnates, it’s not the end of the world but there should be some sort of upwards trajectory.
Jack Berglund, C
Projected 2026-27 team: Farjestad BK (SHL)
Jack Berglund made the choice to not come to the AHL and have his first full season with the Phantoms. Instead, he’s returning to Sweden for a final year with his hometown Farjestad BK to try and recover from a heartbreaking loss in the SHL playoffs.
It is expected that the 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 center is going to get a prime opportunity to be a top-six center in the SHL next season and that itself is already a daunting task. He has the size but the SHL is no joke and could easily be considered the best league in Europe. To be a main piece of a team with hopes for a championship will be a big test. That alone should see Berglund’s production jump last season’s from seven goals and 12 points. If he even comes close to being a 19-minute centerman who scores 15 goals and maybe comes close to 0.75 points per game, that would be a monumental step forward.
Jett Luchanko, C
Projected 2026-27 team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)
Jett Luchanko did have a disappointing Draft+2 campaign, but the stage is set to bounce back in a major way and recover some of his lost hype. The surgery to repair a nagging injury is done and he is going to have direct support from the Flyers as he most likely starts his season with the Phantoms.
All the defense and detail work is there with Luchanko — we don’t have to worry about that. But we need to see more offense and his playmaking truly be a calling card, or else he truly is just a bottom-six center for his NHL career. Hopefully, he shows that in Lehigh Valley.
An ideal season for Luchanko would be to come out and lead the entire Phantoms in scoring, put up close to a point per game while also playing in all situations. Then, we can truly wash away what was a miserable final year in the OHL and start fresh. Even if Luchanko scores something like 0.8 points per game and doesn’t look affected by his injury, that would be a solid season and we would have new hope for his future.
Yegor Zavragin, G
Projected 2026-27 team: Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Yegor Zavragin has had a rough go in the KHL, not really getting the right opportunity to just go ahead and play. But thankfully he has been traded away from SKA St. Petersburg and now with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, should have so much more playing time than the 12 total games he got last year.
He’s already started his season and saved 17 of the 18 shots he faced, so he’s off to a great start, but the bare minimum for Zavragin should be establishing himself as a full-time KHL starter. Then, we can hope that he is one of the best in the entire league, maybe finishing in the top 10 of save percentage with over 35 games under his belt, and we can allow ourselves to get more excited.
Jack Nesbitt, C
Projected 2026-27 team: University of Michigan (NCAA)
Jack Nesbitt is in for a big year. After a mediocre OHL season with the Windsor Spitfires, we’re hoping for more growth from the lengthy centerman and now he’s going to truly face a big test in college hockey. He won’t be getting a whole lot of minutes to start, since Michael Hage is automatically Michigan’s top pivot, but the hope is that by season’s end he’s earned the No. 2 spot and is putting up some fairly respectable numbers.
He still needs to gain some mass and his skating up to speed, and here’s hoping that several months of an NCAA training program gets him there. We’re not expecting him to win the Hobey Baker, but at least play some solid hockey to continue our hope in him. Even if it’s clear that Nesbitt needs another year of development in college before turning pro, that’s fine — we just want progress.
Shane Vansaghi, RW
Projected 2026-27 team: Michigan State University (NCAA)
Shane Vansaghi might just be who he is already, and that’s just fine. He’s a workhorse winger that will pummel defenders with his forecheck and he has been consistently that in his first two years at Michigan State. But, on the other hand he hasn’t even turned 20 years old yet and while his 11 points in 35 games last season is not what you want numbers-wise, there is room for him to be something else.
It really will tell us a lot if he continues this status quo of production this season or achieves something greater (even 0.50 points per game will suffice).
Maksim Sokolovskii, LD
Projected 2026-27 team: London Knights (OHL)
Maksim Sokolovskii is starting with a blank slate. While his rookie OHL year was not great for his perception, since he did score just eight points in 44 games, he barely got used and especially not in any sort of offensive role. Now, that should change for London this season as he should get a role in the top four and an opportunity to show off his above-average skating and hands for being a 6-foot-8 giant on the blue line.
Even if he scores something like 40 points, has some success on the power play, and gets some good reviews from the scouts, then that should be considered a good season for the big man.
Max Westergard, RW
Projected 2026-27 team: Frolunda HC (SHL)
Max Westergard is becoming a personal favorite Flyers prospect and while he might not be considered a “top prospect”, he is in my eyes, damnit. The Finnish winger just turned 19 years old and has a lot of pressure on him.
He’s clearly too good for juniors, as he made that league look like Sidney Crosby against the 6-year-olds at intermission, but he didn’t perform well enough in the SHL or the HockeyAllsvenskan last year to be considered a lock. He’s going to get a lot of looks at Frolunda’s training camp to make the SHL roster, and even if it’s in a third-line checking role to contribute some scoring here and there, that would be considered a step forward. But, there’s a world where that lack of success at the pro level continues and he’s stuck in some awkward limbo.
Matthew Gard, C
Projected 2026-27 team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Matthew Gard is going to have an interesting year. Since his midseason trade to Seattle, he has been putting up way more points and seems like more of an offensive threat than he was with Red Deer. He’s committed to Michigan State for the 2027-28 season so there’s some pressure on him to show something good for this final year in juniors, and he has a whole lot of talent around him with the Thunderbirds to possibly pull it off.
Could we see a point-per-game season from the defensively focused, 6-foot-5 center? That should be the baseline after scoring 23 in 32 with the Thunderbirds last season.
Brek Liske, RD
Projected 2026-27 team: Everett Silvertips (WHL)
The Flyers’ 2026 second-round pick, Brek Liske has some big shoes to fill. Projected first-overall pick next June, Landon Dupont, is off to Michigan, and Liske is projected to take his spot on the top pairing of the Everett blue line. That should mean a whole lot of more opportunity on one of the best teams in the WHL for the 6-foot-2 right-handed defenseman.
The 17 points in 18 playoff games hints at the possibility that we see Liske exceed over a point per game in this Draft+1 season, and if he does then his stock should rise fairly quickly. Maybe all he needed were more minutes and a clear leading role.
Spencer Gill, RD
Projected 2026-27 team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)
Spencer Gill’s development has been off to a stuttering start due to multiple injuries, but now he hopes to put it behind him and have a great start to his pro career. No one really knows what to expect from the lanky defenseman in his rookie AHL season with the Phantoms, but if he can establish himself fairly quickly and walk down the same path Oliver Bonk did on the right side, then there could be something there.
The 20-year-old still has a lot of tools to like, being this all-around talent with size and skill and physicality, but now he needs to put it all together against competition better than the QMJHL.
Jack Murtagh, LW
Projected 2026-27 team: Boston University (NCAA)
Like just about everyone at Boston University, Jack Murtagh needs to have a better season. It was a nightmare over there for the Terriers but that doesn’t really excuse the 19-year-old winger putting up a total of 11 points in 35 games after being heralded for his offensive game.
The main thing he needed to work on was just general hockey sense and including his teammates in offensive situations, so we’ll see if that has been addressed by Murtagh for this upcoming season. There is still a whole lot of potential with him and if it takes Murtagh a couple more years to get there, then that’s fine. We will just need to a see a sign of life offensively.
Nathan Quinn, C
Projected 2026-27 team: Quebec Ramparts (QMJHL)
Nathan Quinn was set to join Northeastern University but decided to stay back with the Quebec Ramparts for another year. It’s somewhat disappointing, since the 5-foot-11 center has already had a breakout campaign of 34 goals and 73 points in 58 games for the QMJHL club, and the test of college hockey would have been a big step forward. But, now we’re hoping for maybe something more. Perhaps the only true step forward Quinn could have while staying in the QMJHL is being one of the league’s best players.
The Flyers’ 2025 sixth-round pick finished 17th in league scoring last season, so could we hope for him approaching 90 points and truly taking that step. It really is the only one he can take until he goes up a level in competition.
Carter Amico, RD
Projected 2026-27 team: Boston University (NCAA)
If Carter Amico just remains in college hockey and plays some solid minutes on a competitive Terriers team, that would be taking the next step. Due to him not banging the door down and having a bit of poor start to his Draft+1 season, since he was possibly still recovering from his season-ending knee injury, Amico was sent to the USHL.
He did establish himself as one of the top defenders at that level, which was expected as a highly touted prospect and a person who is 6-foot-5 playing junior hockey. So now it’s hopefully going to turn into a very solid first full season at Boston University for the big man. We’re not expecting a massive amount of points or anything, but just to stay healthy and play consistent minutes.
