Earlier this week, we looked at the four Flyers that Corey Pronman ranked among the best players under the age of 23 in the NHL. Now, after those rankings largely included players drafted in the first round, The Athletic’s prospects writer put out his list of the top 100 players under 23 drafted outside the first round of the NHL draft.

While the Flyers have had a few questionable decisions in the first round, such as trading back to draft Jett Luchanko and trading up to grab Jack Nesbitt, their overall body of work has been solid, as further shown by these rankings.

Pronman only offered write-ups on the top nine players on this list, with the Flyers having five later-round picks included on the top 100 ranking. Luckily, he also wrote up a paragraph on each prospect in the Flyers’ pipeline article as well.

10. Jack Berglund, C, Flyers (51st in 2024)

It’s no surprise that Pronman is high on Berglund. Here’s what he said about him in the article ranking all the U23 NHL players:

“Berglund had a very good year between the SHL and World Juniors and ended up being invited to Sweden’s senior team. Berglund is a big, heavy center who plays a hard, detailed two-way game. He has strong puck skills and vision. I don’t think he’s going to blow you away offensively, but he makes quick decisions, is creative with the puck and can create both off the perimeter and in tight. His skating is a bit heavy, but all the positives in his game lend themselves to a player who projects as a third-line center.“

Berglund was ranked 67th on that list, in Tier 6 as a “middle of the lineup player”.

We here at Broad Street Hockey are also excited about Berglund’s NHL future. He was ranked ninth in our Top 25 Under 25, ahead of Jack Nesbitt and Jett Luchanko.

Berglund has the potential to be a lineup mainstay with a responsible two-way game and winning pedigree once he makes his way over from Sweden, hopefully after this season.

53. Matthew Gard, C, Flyers (57th in 2025)

Matthew Gard being the next Flyers name on this list is a bit of a headscratcher, but it’s encouraging nonetheless. Say what you will about Pronman’s rankings — and plenty has been said already –, but he’s ranking players based on what they could be in the NHL.

Gard put up 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 55 WHL games with the Red Deer Rebels and Seattle Thunderbirds last season, plus four points in five playoff games. He’ll play one more year in the WHL and is committed to Michigan State for the 2027-28 season.

What’s exciting about Gard is his size. He is listed at 6’5″ and 195 pounds as a left-handed centerman.

Here’s what Pronman had to say about Gard in his Flyers pipeline rankings, where the center was ranked sixth in Philadelphia’s system, ahead of guys like Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey:

“Gard is an NHL-caliber athlete. He’s a very physical big man who moves well enough for his size and creates havoc along the walls and at the net. He has OK puck skills, but Gard lacks real creativity and sense for the higher levels. The hope is he can kill penalties, play hard and make the basic plays with the puck so that he can be a hard-to-play-against bottom-six forward.”

Pronman graded Gard’s skating, puck skills, and hockey sense as below NHL average, with above NHL average compete. That doesn’t add up to all that much, to be honest, but I guess you can’t teach size.

69. Denver Barkey, C, Flyers (95th in 2023)

Pronman lists Barkey as a center, which is generous for the diminutive forward, but he did play at the pivot in the playoffs, so why not?

Everyone in Philadelphia seems to love Barkey, as does most of the hockey world. Pronman, however, is a bit more skeptical of his ultimate NHL ceiling. He ranked him ninth in the Flyers pipeline:

“Barkey had a fantastic rookie pro season. He’s exceeded expectations set by most scouts, becoming a regular for the Flyers quickly. He’s a very fast and energetic forward who, despite his diminutive frame, wins a surprising number of battles. He’s hard on pucks and is responsible both ways while having a high skill level. Is he the most skilled small guy? Probably not. But the sum of the parts looks like a bottom-six winger.”

While Gard was graded below average in most categories, Barkey was given an average NHL grade (hockey sense) or above (skating, puck skills, compete) in all four.

78. Shane Vansaghi, RW, Flyers (48th in 2025)

Shane Vansaghi is another big forward that Pronman may have higher than most.

Pronman has Vansaghi as the 10th best prospect in the Flyers system:

“Vansaghi has a high skill level, especially for a 6-2 forward. He beats defenders one-on-one routinely and has a ton of imagination with the puck. He’s a big, heavy winger who drives to the net. He doesn’t shy away from physical play, either. Vansaghi’s biggest issue is his foot speed. I’ve seen slower big guys, but he won’t be able to separate in the NHL. I also don’t think he sees the ice very well and is limited in the ways he creates offense. He has a chance to be a hard-to-play-against bottom-six winger.”

Another hard-to-play-against bottom-six forward, just like Gard, which isn’t going to excite most fans who want every prospect to turn into a superstar. However, you need these types of players when building out a lineup for depth or as trade bait in the future.

Pronman gave Vansaghi a below NHL average grade in skating and hockey sense, understandably, but above NHL average in puck skills and compete.

The big winger will play another season at Michigan State, which could be his last before turning pro. He already has the body for at least the AHL, and could be a bottom-six option in the coming years.

96. Martin Psohlavec, G, Flyers (62nd in 2026)

I’ll be honest, I don’t understand Pronman’s love for Martin Psohlavec, but I’m excited to see what one of the newest Flyers goalie prospects can do.

Pronman had Psohlavec at 11 in the Flyers pipeline, just ahead of Yegor Zavragin, who appears to be the goalie of the future.

“Psohlavec played most of the year in Czech junior and performed well, but it was his great performances in international games that made his NHL prospects interesting. He’s a huge goalie who moves well enough for his size, showing enough quick-twitch in his lower half to make stops versus pros. He’s aggressive and intelligent, finding a way to square up a lot of pucks and be in position without too much extra movement. He has the traits to be a backup in the NHL.”

The Czech goalie is another sturdy prospect at 6’5″ and 183 pounds in net. Pronman grades him as having below NHL average skating and NHL average hockey sense.

This will be a big year for Psohlavec as he makes his way to North America after playing in Czechia for his entire career thus far. He’ll be playing for the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL.