VOORHEES, N.J. — Jack Nesbitt is well aware of his primary weakness. The second of the Philadelphia Flyers’ two first-round selections in the 2025 draft — No. 12 overall — is generally viewed as a player with a well-rounded and promising skill set, but who will have to dramatically strengthen his skating if he’s ever going to fulfill his potential.

“Yeah, most definitely,” Nesbitt said Monday, when asked if improving his foot speed is a primary focus. “As a centerman, I’ll need to get out of areas quicker, and stuff like that. I’ll just keep working on that, and keep getting better.”

He’s already made progress. In fact, Nesbitt credited Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong for passing along an unorthodox tip in August that gave him an immediate boost. Armstrong, who grew up figure skating before playing hockey and who has worked with other prospects on their skating, suggested that Nesbitt should simply try lacing up his skates a bit differently. Instead of using every eyelet on the boot, Nesbitt was advised by Armstrong to skip the second-to-last one.

The result?

“It definitely helped a lot,” Nesbitt said. “It helped me bend forward more with my knees. It made a huge difference. It pretty much shocked me.”

Perhaps that’s part of the reason why Nesbitt was among the Flyers’ better players on Friday night in their 4-3 overtime win over the Rangers rookies at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. Although he didn’t register a point, Nesbitt, skating as the Flyers’ top-line center with Alex Bump and Samu Tuomaala, made a few notable plays with the puck and just missed connecting with his linemates on a couple that very well could have ended up in the back of the net.

The 18-year-old admitted to some nerves going into the game. But he quickly settled down.

“After I got a couple shifts in, I started to get the feel of things and started to feel more comfortable, started to make plays,” Nesbitt said. “There’s definitely some I should have shot, or should have passed, (but) I feel like I did pretty good for my first time out there with older guys, stronger guys.”

Armstrong noticed.

“He had that extra jump in his skating on Friday night,” he said. “He was dancing out there. He really opened my eyes on how poised he was with the puck, and even his skating, I think, took another step from development camp to here. He’s only going to go up with that over the next couple years.”

Something else that was noticeable about Nesbitt was that he wasn’t afraid to get in the middle of what were several post-whistle scrums in the two games against the Rangers’ rookies. At 6-foot-5 and 192 pounds (up from 180 at the end of last season), that’s a part of the game that he embraces, even if it’s a little bit tougher at this level.

“For sure. Obviously with me being bigger, I like to play a more physical game,” Nesbitt said. “Those guys out there are a lot stronger. They’re men. It’s a lot harder to hit them, knock them down. But I still try to finish my checks, get to the net, not get boxed out.”

That’s only going to get tougher when the Flyers open their NHL training camp Thursday. Nesbitt will remain, at least to start. And, that makes it likely that he’ll get into at least one or two preseason games, too. The Flyers open their seven-game preseason slate on Sep. 21 against the Islanders at UBS Arena.

There are a number of young players on the Flyers’ roster who will be looking to make the opening-night roster. Bump, Jett Luchanko and Nikia Grebenkin are probably the three forwards with the best chance. Grebenkin posted an overtime goal and two assists in the two-game series with the Rangers. Bump, while he didn’t get on the scoresheet, was still noticeable. Luchanko has missed all of rookie camp due to a nagging groin injury, but was skating with the NHL players in their informal skate Monday, suggesting he’ll be good to go on Thursday, as expected.

But Armstrong is intrigued to see how Nesbitt performs, too. Although it’s a near lock that Nesbitt will be headed back to OHL Windsor at some point this month or in early October, Armstrong believes Nesbitt is a guy who has the potential to make the Flyers’ decision-makers think long and hard about his immediate future.

“In the end, another year of junior hockey would be best for him, but I really think he’s going to be able to push the envelope,” Armstrong said. “Just his size, his skating, his hands, his hockey IQ is off the charts. In those (rookie) games, he was always at the net, pushing guys around. He kind of has that whole package.”

While Armstrong has only been working with Nesbitt for a short amount of time, another of his pupils, Denver Barkey, has left a solid impression as rookie camp wraps up on Tuesday. Barkey was drafted by the Flyers in the third round in 2023.

Barkey was probably the Flyers’ best player in their 4-3 win Friday, showing that his diminutive size — he’s listed at 5-foot-10, which seems generous — might not be as much of a hinderance after all, as he gets set to begin his pro career.

Armstrong has labeled the 174-pound Barkey as a “mini T.K.” — that’s Travis Konecny, of course.

“He’s all over the puck,” Armstrong said. “He’s grinding when he doesn’t have the puck, always working to get the puck back. He’s really good with this stick, picking pockets, transitioning. … You watch him go in the corners and he’s not afraid of that, he’s quick to get in and he’s quick to get out. I think a lot of the smaller guys in the league are really good at that.”

Phantoms coach John Snowden mentioned Barkey’s name right away on Friday night when asked which players impressed him in the win. Regarding Barkey, what stood out to Snowden was not just the player’s competitiveness and ability to win puck battles along the wall, but his perpetual awareness of his surroundings.

“He plays with his eyes up all the time,” Snowden said. “Even on his entry plays, he’s slowing himself in the middle of the rink, he’s got tons of space, and he’s just waiting for his guys to come, bringing (opponents) into him. He’s a heck of a hockey player.”

That awareness came by necessity. After all, if Barkey wasn’t constantly tuned into what was going on around him, he would get creamed by a checker twice his size.

“Always been a smaller guy, so ever since a young age, I’ve had to be a heads-up player,” Barkey said. “Move the puck fast, get the puck up ice and get to open space for my teammates.”

Said Armstrong: “I don’t think a little guy like that skating around with his head down is going to last very long in the game. … That’s why he’s able to play like he has. He’s a warrior out there.”

(Photo of Jack Nesbitt courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers)