The Philadelphia Flyers are undoubtedly a team that has high hopes for its future. With an abundance of young talent on the horizon, the Flyers hope to build a winning foundation with the help of their top prospects. The organization’s top six prospects include four forwards and two defensemen. They range in age from 18 to 22, and represent the nations of Russia, the United States, Canada, and Sweden.
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Numerous NHL ranking authorities consider the Flyers to have a top 20 farm system, with several talented players who are expected to reach the NHL over the course of the next three seasons. Corey Pronman of The Athletic recently ranked the Flyers at number 11 in NHL pipeline rankings this year (from “Philadelphia Flyers rank No. 11 in NHL Pipeline Rankings for 2023”, The Athletic, Aug. 23, 2023).
Matvei Michkov
The Flyers’ number one prospect is Russian forward Matvei Michkov. An 18-year-old hockey star in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), some analysts assessed that Michkov was the second-best player behind Connor Bedard in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. Selected seventh overall in the draft, Michkov’s draft position undoubtedly dropped due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as sanctions that prevent Russian players from competing in international tournaments against other top prospects. Much of what scouts and front office personnel know of Michkov’s skills and abilities have been observations from his professional play in the KHL.
One certainty is that Flyers fans will not see Michkov in the burnt orange and white until the 2026-27 season due to his current professional contract with the KHL’s SKA Saint Petersburg. He opened the 2023-24 season on loan from SKA Saint Petersburg to HK Sochi. In his first 14 games of the season, he tallied 14 points from seven goals and seven assists. Flyers executives consider him to be a “dynamite player,” and hope the young winger will be a productive goal scorer for the club when he finally makes it to the NHL.
Cutter Gauthier
Cutter Gauthier is a Swedish-born American forward who just started his second season with NCAA Division I Boston College. The Eagles’ preseason ranking in the top five can be attributed in part to Gauthier, the 2022-23 team leading scorer and Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection. Last season, the left wing and center appeared in 32 games for Boston College, recording 37 points, 16 goals, and 21 assists. He also represented the United States at the U20 World Junior Championships, helping the team to capture a bronze medal. In an Oct. 21 game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Gauthier scored two goals in the first period.
Gauthier was selected fifth overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old appears to have all the fundamentals the Flyers need to upgrade the quality of their forwards; he has the speed, strong skating, big shots, and defensive capabilities needed for a top-tier left wing. Adam Kimelman of NHL.com expects that Gauthier will play one more season of college hockey to tune up his skills prior to transitioning to the professional ranks next season.
Tyson Foerster
The 23rd pick overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Tyson Foerster started this season with the Philadelphia Flyers. An excellent 2022-2023 season with the Flyers AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, earned Foerster a late-season call-up to the parent club. Following his March 9th NHL debut, Foerster made a strong case for a permanent spot on the Flyers roster during the 2023-2024 season. In eight games, Foerster tallied seven points, three goals, and four assists. The Canadian right wing will turn 22 years old in January and is expected to be a big goal scorer for the franchise. Foerster recorded his first point of this season, an assist, in an Oct. 14th game against the Ottawa Senators.
Oliver Bonk
Described by one scouting report as a “prototypical shutdown” defenseman, Oliver Bonk finished second in scoring among Ontario Hockey League (OHL) defensemen last season. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound blueliner scored ten goals for the London Knights during the 2022-2023 season on the way to his selection to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team. In his first eleven games with the Knights this season, Bonk tallied ten assists. He also has international experience, having played at the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup when the Canadian U18 team captured a gold medal. On August 21st, Bonk signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Philadelphia. The Flyers anticipate Bonk will join the team by the 2025-2026 season.
Emil Andrae
Swedish blueliner Emil Andrae was selected by the Flyers in the second round, 54th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for ten games during the 2022-2023 season, Andrae spent time playing professional hockey with the Swedish Hockey League Club, HV71. During his final season with HV71, Andrae had six goals and 20 assists in 51 games. Prior to turning pro, Andrae represented his home country at several international tournaments. Highlights of his international play include bronze medals at the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2022 U20 World Junior Championship. On March 27, 2023, Andrae signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Philadelphia. The smart defender earned a spot on the Flyers roster to start the 2023-2024 season.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Orr Brink was drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, 34th overall. The 22-year-old native of Minnesota was a member of the United States’ 2021 U20 World Junior Championship-winning team. During the tournament, he recorded six points in seven games. The right wing starred at the NCAA Division I University of Denver, where he wore the alternate captain “A” during the 2021-2022 season. That season he played in 41 games for the Pioneers, collecting 57 points by scoring 14 goals and tallying 43 assists.
Brink appeared in ten games for the Flyers after the conclusion of the 2021-2022 University of Denver season. He had four assists for the Flyers that season. Brink spent the 2022-2023 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, tallying 28 points in 41 games. His performance in training camp earned him a spot on the Flyers roster to kick off the 2023-2024 season. Brink is known as a gifted playmaker, a skill that the Flyers hope he will successfully employ on the big league roster.
Flyers Future Looks Bright
The current pool of Flyers prospects should have fans excited for the future of the franchise. The Flyers rebuild could mean big things for prospects like Michkov, Gauthier, Foerster, Bonk, Andrae, and Brink. These players will be called upon to make significant contributions for a new look Flyers franchise that strives to become competitive again in a tough Metropolitan Division and overall Eastern Conference. All six men have proven at junior, minor, and to some extent professional levels, that they have the necessary skills to become the team’s next group of star power players in a city that demands excellence from its professional athletes.
