Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#12: Philadelphia Flyers

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Number of Ranked Prospects: 33

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 2

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 1

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 95th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Matvei Michkov (2nd)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Oliver Bonk (15th)

System Score: 4

The Philadelphia Flyers are a team in transition. General Manager Daniel Briere took the reins of the organization in March of 2023, and has led the team through the last two NHL drafts. Prior to Briere's ascension, the drafting was led by Chuck Fletcher, who was in charge from 2018 through spring of 2023. Fletcher's draft record with the Flyers was less than stellar, and resulted in only a handful of players who have become NHL regulars, and only one player--goalie Samuel Ersson, drafted 127th overall in 2018--has been a NHL contributor from beyond the first two rounds of any of the Fletcher drafts. Joel Farabee (drafted 14th overall in 2018) and Cam York (drafted 14th in 2019) are mainstays in the Flyers lineup, and Tyson Foerster (23rd in 2020) and Bobby Brink (34th in 2019, and the only non-first rounder other than Ersson to make the regular lineup) have each played less than 100 NHL games but have recently become integral parts of the Flyers team. 

Some key misses were Jay O'Brien, drafted 19th in 2018 (Hockey Prophets had him ranked 42nd). He is currently signed to an AHL contract and set to start the season with the ECHL's Savannah Ghost Pirates. Also in 2018 the Flyers drafted defenseman Adam Ginning at 50th overall. Ginning has played 10 NHL games, while three other blueliners selected just after him (Sean Durzi, 52nd; Calen Addison, 53rd; Kevin Bahl, 55th) have all become NHL regulars. Most notably, Cutter Gauthier is a player the Flyers drafted 5th overall in 2022, but who made headlines by refusing to play for the Flyers and was eventually traded by Briere for Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in January 2024. 

In last couple of years under Briere's guidance, however, the Flyers seem to have done much better on draft day(s). Briere has made 17 draft picks in the last two seasons, so the system has depth in numbers, but it is the quality at the top of the pile that stands out and has the Philadelphia system close to the top ten in the league.

The Top of The Pool:

There can be no doubt about which player is the best of Philadelphia's prospects. Matvei Michkov, ranked second overall among forward prospects on the Hockey Prophets' list, is an extremely talented right winger with elite-level talent. A combination of "Russian Factor" and rumored reports of his telling certain teams he did not want to be drafted by their organizations seemed to contribute to Michkov dropping down the draft in 2023, when the Flyers were able to select him at 7th overall. Michkov has already cemented his spot on the Flyers' NHL team, and he is a leading candidate for the Calder Trophy this year as the league's top rookie. His ability to use his amazing edgework, elite vision and hands and a sniper's shot makes him a scoring threat on every shift, especially when he finds even a little crack in the defensive spacing. Michkov is a joy to watch when he can get in the high danger area with the puck and show off the immense skills in his hands and feet. 

Jett Luchanko is a Hockey Prophets favorite (ranked 24th of all forward prospects). The Flyers drafted Luchanko 13th overall last summer, and he, too, has already earned a spot on the big team with his excellent work ethic and hockey intelligence. Luchanko flies around the offensive zone, chasing down loose pucks or creating turnovers with intense forecheck pressure. He may lack a top goal scoring instinct, but his great vision and puck handling helps him create chances for his linemates, and ultimately he should be the perfect companion for Michkov. He also plays smart defense and applies that same high work rate in his own zone as he does on the attack.

Philadelphia also has a top defenseman prospect in their stable of young players, the well-rounded two-way blueliner and 22nd-overall draft pick in 2023, Oliver Bonk. Bonk is the son of long-time NHL center Radek Bonk, the 3rd-overall 1994 draft pick of the Ottawa Senators who played 969 games with Ottawa, Montreal and Nashville, scoring 194 goals and 303 assists. Oliver Bonk has a lot of the hockey intelligence that his father displayed, plus the professional attitude and rink rat mentality of a kid who grew up in NHL hockey rinks. Bonk is a defense-first blueliner who plays smart, positional and anticipatory defense, but who has also been developing a quality offensive side to his game. Last season he eclipsed the point-per-game mark for the London Knights (24 goals and 43 assists in 60 games), and early on in the current season he has already posted six points in the Knights' first six games. Bonk is a defensemen who often disappears into his work, shutting down top opponent lines and getting the puck up ice without much notice. He is just a solid, lunch pail defender who gets the job done on every shift.

Beyond the stellar top three prospects, the Flyers have multiple players who could work their ways to the NHL, like the three Swedish prospects Helge Grans (ranked 70th), Jack Berglund (133rd) and Emil Andrae (81st). The Flyers received Grans--a 6'3 defenseman--as a part of a three-way deal with Los Angeles and Columbus. Grans is a good skater, has good size, and is a responsible defender. Berglund has the look of an NHL role player, the kind who can be inserted into any situation and accomplish what needs to be done. Berglund size is a factor at 6'4, 209 pounds, and he uses his size in physical play both at the crease and along the boards. He has above average speed, decent hands and goes hard all over the ice. He is currently playing splitting time between the SHL and J20 league for Farjestad BK. Emil Andrae has better offensive potential than the other two, but at 5'9, he lacks the towering height of his compatriots. He saw action in a handful of games at the NHL level last season, but spent most of the year in the AHL (32 points in 61 games). Andrae got a long look at training camp this fall, but is starting the season back in the AHL after spending a few games in the NHL pressbox as a healthy scratch. Odds are that he will be back in Philadelphia at some point this season and be called upon to help out the Flyers on the back end.

Return to the Team System Rankings

Below is the full list of the Philadelphia Flyers' ranked prospects.

Top Forwards 

Top Defensemen