The young core of the Philadelphia Flyers has taken an overall step forward from last year, though some rankings will leave fans scratching their heads a bit.
Led by star rookie Matvei Michkov and top 2025 draft pick Porter Martone, the Flyers jumped up from No. 13 to No. 7 in The Athletic's NHL pipeline rankings.
Martone and the 2025 draft class represented some significant additions to the Flyers' crew, though maybe too significant for some.
For instance, No. 12 overall pick Jack Nesbitt, who flashed at Flyers development camp last month, finished third overall in Philadelphia's pipeline behind Michkov and Martone.
Prospect expert Corey Pronman puts Nesbitt in the tier of "bubble top and middle of the lineup player," projecting the hulking center to become a top-six forward and, potentially, a second-line center.
That's notable, because Pronman listed the 18-year-old's skating as poor, which heavily contrasts with his NHL average hockey sense and above NHL average puck skills and compete.
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As for 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko, who was a distant sixth as a middle of the lineup tier player, Pronman feels "as an average-sized player who doesn’t score a ton, it’s hard to see him as more than a third-line center currently."
Comparatively, EliteProspects gave Luchanko a glowing review in their recent ranking of the top 100 NHL-drafted prospects, bumping the 19-year-old all the way up to 30th overall on their board.
Right behind Luchanko was fellow 2024 draft pick Jack Berglund, who has generally been surging in the eyes of many with his strong play over the last 12 months. His ranking is deserved, even if Luchanko's being right next to him is a bit harsh.
Another big surprise: forward Alex Bump, whom the Flyers love and expect to push for an NHL roster spot this fall, ranked outside of Pronman's top 10 at No. 11.
Ahead of him were 2025 second-round picks Jack Murtagh and Matthew Gard.
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Murtagh I can see, but Gard I cannot. Gard, for me, is likely to be a bottom-six center - probably a fourth-liner - with average scoring upside.
Pronman faulted Murtagh for having an average compete level, though that's one of the things Flyers AGM Brent Flahr liked about Murtagh the most.
That all said, the rankings get fuzzy towards the bottom of the list here.
Nikita Grebenkin, a player Flyers fans are dying to see at the NHL level sometime soon, was docked for below NHL average skating, which, in Pronman's eyes, can limit him to being a fourth-liner or depth player. He ranked 12th.
Shane Vansaghi, whose skating was graded the same, ranked eighth, even while also having below NHL average hockey sense. Pronman assessed his potential as a middle-six NHL forward.
I personally view both players as bottom-six staples with scoring potential if they find their strides at the next level(s).
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Lastly, Oliver Bonk was the only defenseman to be featured in the top 13, placing fourth overall on Pronman's list.
Recent second-round picks Carter Amico and Spencer Gill were both considered to have a "chance to play" NHL games, but as bigger guys who move well, they're projects who take a bit of time.
I'll be watching Amico more throughout the year now that he's with the Flyers organization, but Gill has already impressed me with his defensive improvements dating back to last training camp.
Pronman wants to see more defense out of Gill, and I tend to agree; that's his ticket to NHL success. But I maintain that he's a lot better than people think he is.
As an aside, Heikki Ruohonen or Alex Ciernik deserved to peter in at the bottom of the list over Samu Tuomaala, who's quickly running out of time to make an impression on the Flyers and stay healthy to do it.