Jack Berglund keeps making the Flyers look smart for betting on his upside.
The 20-year-old center is off to a strong start with Färjestad in the SHL, and the early returns are hard to miss. Through 14 games this season, Berglund has piled up six goals and seven assists for 13 points, already topping the career-best 12 points he posted across 40 games last year. That kind of jump doesn’t happen by accident, especially for a player who spent much of last season in a more limited role.
Berglund’s rise didn’t start this fall. His 2026 World Junior Championship run turned heads, and when he came back to Färjestad, he seemed to come back with more trust from the coaching staff.
That stretch opened the door to more ice time and a bigger offensive role, and he responded by producing at a much better clip down the stretch. He also got a short look with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to finish out the hockey season, another piece of experience that added to his development.
This season, the production has kept coming. Berglund’s scoring pace is well ahead of where it was a year ago, and the increased offense has come with a bump in average ice time as well.
Last season, he was often parked on the third or fourth line and hovered around 12-13 minutes a night. Now he’s up around 15 minutes per game, and that extra responsibility is showing up in his game.
There are, of course, some numbers that suggest a little cooling off is coming. Berglund is shooting 46.15 percent, which is not a rate anyone expects to hold.
Regression is coming there. But that doesn’t erase the bigger picture.
He already matched last season’s assist total in 32 fewer games, has since moved past it, and is doing more than just finishing plays that land on his stick. He still could stand to shoot more - he has just 13 shots on goal through 14 games - but even that is an improvement from last season, when he finished with only 26 shots in 40 games.
The context matters, too. Färjestad sits first in the SHL standings at 13-1, so Berglund isn’t padding numbers on a weak team that needs someone to score.
He’s contributing on one of the league’s best clubs while earning a larger role. That’s a meaningful step for a young player trying to establish himself against pro competition.
For the Flyers, the development is especially welcome. The organization could use more impact down the middle, and Berglund is starting to look like a real answer in that conversation.
His size, his improving offense and the fact that he’s handling himself in a top European league all make him one of the more interesting pieces in the system. He was ranked as the Flyers’ top center under 25 years old this past summer, and he’s doing his part to justify that standing.
There’s still work to do. His skating remains a project, and he’ll need to become more assertive offensively if he wants to push toward his ceiling.
But he has time, and he’s giving the Flyers plenty to like right now. The general view has been that he projects as a middle-six or top-nine center, and if this progress keeps rolling, the higher end of that range starts to look a lot more realistic.
It’s only 14 games, so nobody should get carried away. Still, Berglund is making himself impossible to ignore. For a Flyers organization searching for long-term help at center, that’s a very good thing.
In Other News...
Porter Martone Is Giving Flyers Fans A Reason To Believe
Porter Martones first NHL season has started to look a lot more like the one the Flyers imagined when they took him sixth overall in the 2025 draft. After a quiet opening stretch, the rookie forward has found his footing and has given Philadelphia a needed jolt from within its young core, the kind of progress that matters on a team trying to build something sustainable rather than chase a quick fix.
Martones recent run has also underscored how much of his development is still happening in real time. He has talked about adjusting to the pace of the league, picking up details from veteran teammates and learning how to handle the grind that comes with a full season. For the Flyers, the encouraging part is not just the production, but the sense that one of their most important prospects is beginning to look comfortable in the NHL. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Slump Is Turning Into A Bigger Problem Inside The Room
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What makes this slump feel bigger than a bad stretch is the sense that the issue is not staying on the ice. Coverage around the team has described the locker room atmosphere as fragile and strained, and the ongoing talk has centered on leadership and culture as much as results. For a team trying to build an identity, the concern now is whether these blunt public comments can spark a reset or only underline how far the Flyers still have to go. [Read more 🡒]
Hurricanes Get A Key Forward Back As Their Lineup Changes Again
The lineup shuffle around the Eastern Conference keeps rolling, and the latest update brings a little more clarity on a few familiar names. Detroit coach Todd McLellan said forwards Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton are expected back during the Red Wings upcoming four-game road trip, with Kasper sidelined since the season opener and Appleton out since the second game. At the same time, Taylor Hall is set to rejoin the Carolina Hurricanes after a nine-game absence, another reminder of how quickly availability can change this time of year.
For the Flyers, the injury picture still has one notable holdover in Rasmus Ristolainen, whose recovery is moving forward but has not yet reached the point where he can re-enter the lineup. Philadelphia has been working through its own defensive adjustments, and any progress on Ristolainen matters because the blue line has already had to absorb a fair amount of turnover. The next step is simply getting him back to full readiness, but for now the wait continues. [Read more 🡒]