Winter 2025 Top 25 Under 25 Flyers: #1 and #2

Well, we are here. We have gone through the top young players in the Philadelphia Flyers organization and have now reached our destination: The No. 1 and No. 2 spot on the winter edition of our Top 25 Under 25.

There\'s no sense in waxing poetically about this ranking anymore, so let\'s just get to it and see who is at the top of our ranking.

2: Tyson Foerster, LW/RW

Primary Team: Philadelphia Flyers, NHL 2024-25 Stats: 16 G, 28 Pts in 59 GP Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 2 Age: 23 Acquired: 1st round (23rd overall) in 2020 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #2): It took some time for Foerster to find his game this year, which seemed to have shocked a few people, the coach included. The second year isn’t a great one for a lot of players, but Foerster has looked more like himself than he did in October and November. It’s conceivable he ends up passing last year’s goal total and point total. The spotlight also has been a bonus for Foerster: he’s not in it with Michkov, the goaltending situation, the hopeless power play and what was the Morgan Frost dilemma taking up most of the airwaves and bandwidth.

Maddie (Ranked #3): Like I said, the two and three spots on my ranking were super close, and it’s a huge credit to Foerster for the work he’s done over the last year and change to make it so. He’s still working through a bit of streakiness, but he’s also taken a noticeable step forward in his second season in the NHL, and that’s been nice to see. All in all, he’s filling a role that the Flyers pretty desperately need as they continue to embark on this rebuild – a high-end offensive talent. His game is still maturing and being polished out, to be sure, but his dynamic ability is already a huge boost to the team, and there’s still another level to be tapped into, it feels. Exciting stuff!

Thomas (Ranked #5): Foerster is so talented and has been noticeably better at picking his chances to score this season, but I think when it comes to ultimate ceiling, he rests a bit below some other players that the Flyers currently have. I think if he hits his perfect potential, he is a complementary piece on a first line that features two players who are more skilled but Foerster is the engine and puck retriever in this hypothetical scenario. That is not downplaying what sort of impact he can bring, but there isn\'t the sense that he can really be a driver of a top line but there is the ceiling of being a solid, middle-six winger like he is right now for the Flyers. Maybe we see more as the Flyers start to accrue more talent, but right now I\'m putting him below some younger forwards with higher potential.

1: Matvei Michkov, RW

Primary Team: Philadelphia Flyers, NHL 2024-25 Stats: 19 G, 44 Pts in 58 GP Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 1 Age: 20 Acquired: 1st round (7th overall) in 2023 NHL Draft

Jason M (Ranked #1): Young. Talented. Competitive. Creative. Got him two years earlier (or at least one) than expected. A huge piece of the rebuild. In the conversation for the Calder. Hates to lose. Danny hit a home run here. And he’s passed the healthy scratch test. With the two weeks of rest it will be interesting to see if he ends up with 50 to 55 points.

Maddie (Ranked #1): Absolutely zero surprises here. Michkov has arrived and he’s already everything we dreamed he’d be. Even as a bit of a work in progress as he adjusts to the league and the length of the season, he’s showing that he can be a legitimate game breaker for the team (a team which sorely needs one). And he’s only going to get better! Michkov is a star in the making and it’s impossible not to be hugely excited about what’s to come for him.

Thomas (Ranked #1): Yeah, of course. It\'s Matvei Michkov. I don\'t even know if you really need to explain it. These might be the shortest write-ups we do in the entire series because do you really need to argue any point whatsoever? I don\'t even feel like wasting digital ink on trying to say why exactly I put him in the top spot. Of course I did!

Talking Points