Yesterday, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com featured a profile of “the three Jacks” in the Flyers farm system:
- 2025 first-round pick Jack Nesbitt (center)
- 2025 second-round pick Jack Murtagh (center/left wing)
- 2024 second-round pick Jack Berglund (center)
The Flyers say that Nesbitt has second-line or third-line upside in a multi-year projection. First, he has to add muscle to his tall frame and refine both the explosiveness and fluidity of his skating. However, Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr believes Nesbitt will ultimately justify the team trading the 22nd and 31st overall picks to move up to 12th for Nesbitt.
It’s known that Nasville attempted to move up to 13th specifically to draft Nesbitt. Barry Trotz indirectly admitted as much, saying another team (Philadelphia) moved up to take the player they wanted (Nesbitt). Correspondingly, it scuttled the conditional trade the Predators made to move up into the top 13.
Murtagh, who split last season between center and left wing with the USNTDP, also has a top-nine upside according to Flahr. However, he’s more likely to land on an NHL third line as either a winger or pivot. He’s a big-framed player who skates fairly well and has an NHL caliber shot. Flahr praised Murtagh as a high-character player.
Berglund, yet another huge-framed player, is already advanced enough defensively to have a full year of pro experience in his native Sweden. He split the 2024-25 season between the SHL (elite league) and Allsvenskan (minor league) levels. He’s projected by scouts as a safe bet to play on a 4th line in the North American pros with a third-line center ceiling.
Martone’s destination
The Flyers want to give either 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone or 21-year-old prospect Alex Bump the first opportunity to win NHL jobs out of 2025 training camp. That’s especially true if Tyson Foerster (arm injury/ infection) is not ready to start the 2025-26 season on time. However, if Martone opts for college hockey, he cannot attend Rookie or NHL camp in September. He could, however, turn pro late in the year once he signs an entry-level deal.
Conversely, if Martone keeps his junior hockey affiliation, he can sign an immediate entry-level contract. Additionally, he can attend training camp with the Flyers and try to earn an opening-night NHL roster spot. The downside: if he doesn’t make the NHL roster, the outdated CHL-AHL age rule would prevent him from being AHL eligible until age 20. The new rule allowing teams to designate one 19-year-old player per year for exemption does not kick in until 2026-27.
Over on the Flyers’ official site, I weighed the pros and cons of three different options for Martone: junior hockey, college hockey and a one-season loan to a team Europe.
Flyers Community Caravan
The annual Community Caravan tour of the Delaware Valley continued on Wednesday and Thursday. The Caravan was in North Wildwood. Today, it comes to Sea Isle City for two hours in the afternoon.
What’s to stop a CHL player from signing a college contract then immediately signing their entry level contract with the purpose of participating in training camp and circumventing the AHL age rule if they don’t make the NHL opening roster?
There’s really no such thing as “a college contract”. There are contracts for the associated NIL money, but this would almost 100% assuredly have the payments be contingent on the player actually playing for the college (barring injury, etc.). Once a player signs an ELC with the NHL, he is ineligible to participate in NCAA games or otherwise be an athlete in an NCAA program. If he is attached to a CHL Team, he is basically ineligible to play in the AHL until his 20 year old season.