Checking In on the Flyers’ Top Prospects

While the Philadelphia Flyers and the rest of the National Hockey League are on break for this year’s Winter Olympics, many prospects in the Flyers’ systems are hard at work right now in their respective leagues. Many big prospects during the NHL’s break have either continued their success this season or recently caught many eyes, such as Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, Carson Bjarnason, and Oliver Bonk.

Let’s take a look at 5 of the Flyers’ top-ranked prospects and how they’re doing:

Porter Martone – Michigan State Spartans

The top prospect for the Flyers, Martone, has continued his excellent debut season in the Big-10 for Michigan State. With the Spartans, Martone has played 26 games and has tallied 36 points during that time. With 10 goals and 26 assists, it’s no surprise that many are excited about the possible steal in Martone, as he was drafted sixth overall this past draft. In his last four games, Martone has eight points, including back-to-back three-point games, both against Gavin McKenna and the Penn State Nittany Lions, whom Martone and the Spartans have beaten four times out of four this season.

It’s safe to say that Porter Martone was made for college hockey, as he takes the next step to prepare for the NHL. Though he could be NHL-ready by the end of this season, we most likely won’t see him until the start of camp for the 2026-2027 campaign, for two main reasons. The first being that it makes sense for him to stay with Michigan State for the rest of the season and for the playoffs, and the second being that the Flyers wouldn’t call up their prospect during a season that could result in another tank.

Bringing up Martone at the start of camp next season makes the most sense and is probably what will happen. Even though we won’t see him this year, there is still reason to be excited, as his recent film shows his exceptional skill in tight spaces, where he uses his 6’3″ frame to control the play and the puck. Along with that, his vision and hockey IQ have met the elite expectations from when he was drafted.

Jett Luchanko – Brantford Bulldogs

Luchanko, another big Flyers prospect, has now gotten a better look for his development, as he has been rostered with the Brantford Bulldogs after being traded away from the Guelph Storm. The Bulldogs, a far more competitive squad, have given Luchanko more challenges to face, bettering his development before he can return to the Flyers roster.

This season, Luchanko has played 22 games with the Bulldogs, tallying five goals and racking up 16 assists for 21 points on the year. In his last four games, Luchanko has also put up eight points. His most recent accomplishment came on February 14, when Luchanko scored a goal and two assists against his former team in the Storm.

Though Luchanko had not scored a point in eight career games in the NHL, he has a high ceiling that he can now reach, starting with the Bulldogs. Luchanko, recently, has added to his elite speed and stride skills with his playmaking ability with the puck. As a center, the speed and domination on the forecheck are everything the Flyers can dream of. It solves not only the center issue, but the issue on the power play.

With all of that said, we probably won’t see Luchanko until next year, similarly to Martone. Luchanko will more than likely play out the year with the Bulldogs and start up with the Flyers in the summer, along with many others.

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When looking at the prospects in college hockey and the juniors, there are also valuable prospects in the organization right now, with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League.

Alex Bump

Bump, 2022 fifth-round draft pick, is now in his second season with the Phantoms organization. At 22 years old, Bump has played 30 games this year, tallying seven goals and assisting on 13 goals for 20 points.

Though he is probably not NHL-ready, he is a quality player that the Flyers can still develop. They are looking to make him more than a fifth-round pick, and he can get there.

Regarding skill, his rapid release with the puck produces beautiful “curl-and-drag” plays, which the Flyers aren’t known for. This would enhance the skill of the team a little bit, which is why we could possibly see Bump towards the end of the year. Even though the Flyers may be tanking, they might want to get Bump some looks up in the NHL. With that, there’s a strong possibility we see Bump this season.

Carson Bjarnason

With all of these prospects playing the wing, it’s important to track a goaltender in the system, especially in times like these.

Bjarnason, who has played his first 22 AHL games this year, has a solid record of 11-7-3 with a save percentage of .889. With good goaltending always being a struggle to find, barring the signing of Daniel Vladar this offseason, the Flyers will continue to keep an eye on the 20-year-old prospect, who has only more to come.

Despite his age, his strength is unmatched, which leads to him taking away the bottom of the net. Bjarnason is exceptionally athletic and can track down pucks in traffic. Though he was recalled earlier today from the Phantoms, this is probably for the purpose of letting him practice at an NHL level while the team is at the break, which isn’t a bad idea. Getting Bjarnason looks while the Olympics are taking place will give him a new experience, but he will probably get sent back to the Phantoms after the break.

With Aleksei Kolosov receiving the backup call this year, Bjarnason’s development in the AHL will probably continue for the next year at least, barring any injuries or spontaneous situations.

Oliver Bonk

Lastly, the Flyers’ top defensive prospect, Bonk, has played 22 games with the Phantoms, scoring two goals and four assists on the year. Compared to his time in the juniors with the London Knights, this can be seen as a bigger challenge for him, so even though his stats and +/- of -5, there is not much worry in the prospect of Bonk.

In the past, Bonk has been an elite two-way defenseman in juniors, so he has not lost the skill. Once next season rolls in, which he will probably play with the Phantoms, we will see his game take shape once again. Though he might not start the year with the Flyers, he can definitely get the call throughout the 2026-27 season.

Overall, the Flyers’ prospects seem to be in a good spot where they are right now. With a lot of season left to play for all five, each of them has a good chance of only going up from here, which, for the state of the Philadelphia Flyers right now, is a good sign.

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