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The Wednesday games at the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase saw the USA and Canada teams go from split-squad lineups to single Team USA and Team Canada squads. Both of the North American teams lost their respective games, however. Meanwhile, Team Sweden remains unbeaten (3-0-0) in the exhibition tournament.
Summer Showcase: Berglund Stars for Sweden
Flyers 2024 second-round pick Jack Berglund has had an outstanding two-way tournament at the Summer Showcase in the two games he’s been deployed on regular shifts. He’s scored a pair of goals. Additionally, the big-framed center (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) has displayed an anvil-like stick. Opponents have struggled in vain to attempt to lift the Swede’s stick and take the puck away from him. He has used his body effectively and shown improved quickness. Lastly, he’s played his usual responsible game on the defensive side of the puck.
Berglund, of course, is one of the “three Jacks” in the Flyers’ farm system. The others are 2025 first-round pick Jack Nesbitt and 2025 second-rounder Jack Murtagh. Nesbitt did not make Canada’s roster for the WJSS. Meanwhile, Murtagh is on Team USA but did not dress in Wednesday’s match.
Sweden earned a 6-3 victory over Team USA. Berglund scored a pair of goals (2nd and 3rd of the Summer Showcase).He also mixed it up with Team USA’s James Hagens and Teddy Stiga. Meanwhile, feisty Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi was in middle of confrontations with Sascha Boumedienne and Carl Otto-Magnusson.
Summer Showcase Pt. 2: Martone scores for Canada
Flyers 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone has wasted little time getting on the score sheet in either of the two games he’s played at the Showcase. He had a nice assist early in the Canada Red vs. Canada White intrasquad game. On Wednesday, he took a feed from fellow 2025 first-rounder Kashawn Aitcheson (New York Islanders draftee) and beat Team Finland goaltender Kim Saarinen for a 1-0 lead at 6:55 of the first period.
Unfortunately for Team Canada, things went south from there. The opportunistic Finns repeatedly capitalized on Team Canada mistakes. Overall, despite a puck possession edge in segments of all three periods (and a 33-28 shot on goal advantage), Canada went down to a 6-3 loss.
Flyers center prospect Heikki Ruohonen has not been as dominant as Berglund but has played quite well in his own right so far at the Showcase. Against Team USA on Wednesday, the big (6-foot-1, 205 pound) Harvard-bound pivot set up linemate Aatos Koivu for the goal that opened a 5-1 lead for Finland in the opening minute of the third period. Koivu has four goals in the tourney to date. Ruohonen has posted three assists.
Flyers draftee Max Westergard did not dress in Wednesday’s game.
BKFC comes to Voorhees
Here at Hockey Hockey Stove, we’ve discussed the sporting overlap between hockey fights, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC) Ice Wars venture and the main BKFC promotion. The connection was reinforced on Wednesday. Undeated BKFC fighter Johnny Garbarino and Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) Andre Petroski visiting the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. There, they worked out with Flyers 2023-first round pick Oliver Bonk on some martial arts techniques. They also took a turn on the new FTC rink.
