May 26, 2026
Robert Killips/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Shane Vansaghi can throw a check.
The Flyers have their immediate list of top prospects who have either already broken through into the NHL (Porter Martone, Alex Bump, and Denver Barkey) or are knocking on the door of it (Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, David Jiříček, and somewhat still, Jett Luchanko).
But the Flyers' aim to stay competitive for the long term requires keeping the farm system stocked and constantly running forward, and at every position.
Last week was a look at the high-profile prospects who, right now, either are or seem the closest to immediately impacting the Flyers on the ice. You can see that overview HERE, as well as the long-term goalie picture that went up on Monday HERE.
Today is a rundown of the young skaters who are further down the pipeline, but still worth monitoring as they continue to develop.
Rolling right in...
Last summer, general manager Danny Brière front-loaded the Flyers' draft with two first-round picks (Martone at sixth and Jack Nesbitt at 12th) and then four more second-rounders that shaped up to the following after rapid succession:
• No. 38 – D Carter Amico, U.S. National Development Program
• No. 40 – LW Jack Murtagh, U.S. National Development Program
• No. 48 – RW Shane Vansaghi, Michigan State (NCAA)
• No. 57 – C Matthew Gard, Red Deer (WHL)
The common thread between all of them? They were all 6-foot-plus and physical players for their respective position.
Yeah, last year's draft had a pretty obvious theme of the Flyers wanting to get stronger and meaner.
Vansaghi, in a lot of ways, quickly became one of the leading forces for it.
As a sophomore as Michigan State, skating alongside Martone, the 19-year-old Vansaghi posted just four goals and 11 points, which were down from his freshman year numbers (six goals, 16 points), but it's the "how" of his game that probably matters more right now than just the pure numbers.
He's strong, and he knows it. At a listed 6'2" and 216 pounds, Vansaghi can truck his way down the wall, knock opposing checkers out of battles in the corners, create havoc in front of the net, like so:
Shane Vansaghi gets the Spartans on the board first at the Duel in the D ‼️#B1GHockey x @MSU_Hockey pic.twitter.com/9ekINRNFuW
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) February 9, 2025
And when the opportunity is there, he has enough skill to put the puck in the back of the net on his own, too:
Shane Vansaghi gives us a 1-0 lead on the one-timer! pic.twitter.com/CgYQ1ewGG5
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) March 14, 2026
ARCHIVED: Vansaghi's heavy game already earns him a nickname at Flyers dev camp
• Murtagh also brought an aggressive game to Boston University after he was drafted. He produced six goals and 11 points through 35 games as a freshman with some quick and creative skill, and as the 18-year-old builds out from his 6'1" and 198-pound frame, he should be able to start imposing his will more in his sophomore year.
Jack Murtagh with an absolute BEAUTY and we've got a tie game!
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 8, 2025
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/zPnleSUUyJ@hockey_east | @espn pic.twitter.com/SSsGCWZSBe
A 6'5" and 194-pound center, and still at just 19 years old, Gard does come with the talent to unleash a quick shot on a puck tucked in close, but the Flyers are also rolling the dice long-term on him becoming a freigh train through the middle of the ice as he develops and packs on muscle.
Matthew Gard says, "No shutouts here." ❌@SeattleTbirds | @NHLFlyers | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/7g7oPqOpeQ
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) February 1, 2026
He didn't stick there and took a step back into the junior USHL to play out the season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
For the Flyers fans who remember Ron Hextall-era first-rounder Jay O'Brien, a high-pick prospect starting at college and dropping back quickly to juniors isn't a great sign. It's not an NHL death knell, sure, but it's usually not a boost for the chances of making it to the show either.
Still, Amico did put up a goal and 10 assists through 27 regular-season games, and then a much better looking three-goal, four-assist, and plus-9 line through 16 games in the USHL playoffs, with some impressive defensive heroics, too.
This defensive effort from Carter Amico (PHI) was incredible. Breaks his stick on the shot and physically out-muscles everyone to break up multiple chances.@MuskegonJacks | @USHL pic.twitter.com/ffekn76e3r
— Ryan Sikes (@rms_hockey) May 23, 2026
The Flyers need centers. That's a point that has been continually hammered home throughout the past several years of Brière's rebuilding efforts.
They're still looking for that true No. 1 star at the top of the lineup, and in the current pipeline, they do seem to have a lot of hope for Nesbitt and the rapidly ascending Swede Jack Berglund.
Gard is there in the mix a ways off behind them, but what about inbetween?
Cole Knuble, a 2023 fourth-round pick and the son of former Flyer Mike Knuble, has been on a pretty nice trajectory over the past couple years at Notre Dame.
This past NCAA season was a slight step back for him production-wise, and results-wise on the whole for the Fighting Irish, but the 21-year-old signed before the year's end and joined the Phantoms in the AHL for the last handful of games, posting his first pro goal and two assists.
Jedi’s first pro goal!🧡#LVvsWBS | #LVPhantoms pic.twitter.com/SwXuS4WbdR
— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) April 5, 2026
He doesn't really have a star-level ceiling, but the way he plays center can probably serve a bottom-six line pretty well, and it'll be interesting to see how that develops over a bigger sample size with the Phantoms next season, and maybe up with the Flyers sometime after if he keeps progressing and there's an opening.
Heikki Ruohonen is another center prospect the Flyers seem measurably bullish about. The 2024 fourth-rounder out of Finland joined Harvard in the NCAA this past season after coming over to North America through the junior USHL the year before.
The 19-year-old went on to post six goals and 19 points for his freshman season, and also put up a solid showing for Finland at World Juniors with three goals, nine points, and a plus-6 rating through seven games.
Ruohonen is another center who probably won't jump straight to the top of an NHL lineup, but he's a smart two-way player who keeps chasing after the puck and always seems to know where to be, which is a sense that's always in demand in the pros.
Back to back for Heikki 🇫🇮
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey) March 1, 2026
📺 https://t.co/KEG7v7LGFc
🌎 https://t.co/ghYf35S3ZI
📊 https://t.co/YzZual7d1L#GoCrimson | #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/v4eOgL8g0Y
Right now, the Flyers have three defensive prospects who look like they're going to be in the running for NHL spots at training camp: Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, and David Jiříček.
Again, you can catch up on their situation with last week's overview HERE.
Emil Andrae got stronger as his second-year up with the Flyers went on, and should remain in the mix, too, as a sixth or seventh defenseman, and Ty Murchison will come in on that bottom-pairing bubble, but really, the Flyers' immediate blueline outlook for next season depends heavily on Rasmus Ristolainen and whether he's still here or if a trade offer finally comes that Brière can't say no to.
There are a couple more defenseman down with the Phantoms in possible contention for an NHL spot, but they've pretty much been leapfrogged in the pecking order.
Helge Grans, now 24, probably would've been next in line as the immediate call-up option for Ristolainen a year ago, given that he's a big, right-handed shot at 6'4" and 201 pounds, but he only produced 14 points and a minus-12 rating in the AHL this past season, while Bonk turned pro and presented a younger, more complete blueliner already, while Jiříček got claimed as the power-play quarterback reclamation project under contract – both are right-handed, while McDonald offers greater size and physicality even though he's a left-handed shot.
Adam Ginning, now 26 and a more puck-moving oriented depth defenseman, was on the call-up shortlist a year ago, too, but also has likely been succeeded by the incoming youth.
Christian Kyrou presents an interesting outlier, though. He was acquired from Dallas in a one-for-one AHL trade for winger Samu Toumaala back at the end of October, and went on to score 10 goals and 34 points through 55 games as a 22-year-old on an expiring entry-level contract.
Kyrou is a former second-round pick from 2022 and is a restricted free agent. He theoretically could compete for an NHL roster spot later this summer if he re-ups with the Flyers – granted, it's a very outside shot – unless there's better for him elsewhere and the organization can faciliate another deal.
One more junior prospect still a bit off on the horizon: Spencer Gill, a 2024 second-rounder now out of Blainville-Boisbriand in the QMJHL, who is another right-handed shot at a billed 6'4" and 214 pounds.
The 19-year-old Gill missed a good chunk of this past season due to injury and a resulting surgery, but he returned to produce 11 points and a plus-16 rating through Blainville-Boisbriand's last 16 games, then posted three goals and seven assists through 17 games in the playoffs while skating at plus-7.
The Flyers are big fans of Gill's game, and greater fans of his build if he can meld and develop the two together, especially once the organization can start getting him AHL minutes once he reaches his age 20 season.
It'll take a while, but if all goes right, Gill could end up a defenseman that no opposing NHL forward would want to deal with when they see him closing in.
The Armada is back in the game, courtesy of Spencer Gill! 😮
— QMJHL (@QMJHL) April 19, 2026
A big goal for @ArmadaBLB , and that cuts the Newfoundland lead to 2-1!#QPlayoffs | #Proxi @NHLFlyers | #LetsGoFlyerspic.twitter.com/svuKCyINLg
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