Corey Pronman’s latest prospect rankings didn’t exactly light up the Flyers’ fan base, but they did give a pretty clear snapshot of where Philadelphia’s pipeline stands right now.
The headline name, unsurprisingly, is Porter Martone. Pronman slotted the Flyers forward at No. 13 among U23 players and prospects, placing him in Tier 4 as a “Top of the lineup player.” He’s one spot behind Cutter Gauthier and one ahead of Washington Capitals rookie defenseman Cole Hutson.
Pronman’s evaluation leans hard into what makes Martone so intriguing. He credited him with high-end puck skills, compete, and shot, along with average puck sense and below-average skating.
Even with that skating note, Pronman still sees a player with real star potential, writing, ” The skill is so special though that even with his feet, he could be a top-line winger. “
Matvei Michkov comes next for Philadelphia at No. 35. Pronman put the winger in Tier 5 as a “Bubble top and middle of the lineup player,” behind names such as Roger McQueen, Ilya Protas, Carseon Karels, Kash Aitcheson, Ryan Leonard, and Will Smith.
His profile on Michkov is strong in the areas you’d expect: high-end hockey sense and puck skills, an above-average shot, and average skating and compete. Even so, the ranking feels a little steep for a 21-year-old winger coming off a down year.
Jack Nesbitt is the next Flyer on the list at No. 41, also in Tier 5. He’s a big, two-way center who brings a physical, dependable game.
Pronman tagged compete as his best trait, with average puck skills and hockey sense, and poor skating. That skating, in Pronman’s view, is what keeps him from climbing higher.
Rounding out the Flyers’ U23 group is Jack Berglund at No. 67 in Tier 6, “Middle of the lineup players.” Pronman gave the Swedish center a third-line projection, pointing to his strong compete and defensive game while noting that he won’t “blow you away offensively.”
There were also two notable omissions from the Flyers side: Jett Luchanko and 2026 1st-round pick Maksim Sokolovskii.
Pronman then expanded the exercise with a top 100 ranking of U23 players selected after Round 1, and Philadelphia showed up five more times.
Berglund appeared again, this time as the 10th-best U23 player taken after Round 1, which made him the first player in the “Middle of the lineup player” group.
Matthew Gard, the Flyers’ 2025 second-round pick, came in at No. 53 and landed in the “NHL prospect” category. The defensive center still has one more season in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds before heading to Michigan State in 2027-28.
Denver Barkey followed at No. 69. That number might feel low to some who watched him in his first NHL action, where the Flyers’ utility forward showed the kind of tools that can keep a player around for a long time.
Shane Vansaghi, another 2025 second-rounder, checked in at No. 78. That slot lines up with the kind of grinding winger profile he brings.
The Flyers’ final entry was 2026 second-rounder Martin Psohlavec at No. 96. The goalie was one of two Czech netminders the Flyers selected in the mid-rounds, and Pronman sees him as the clear favorite in his view among that group.
Overall, the rankings paint a mixed picture for Philadelphia: Martone near the top, a few solid names in the middle, and a couple of notable prospects left off entirely.
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