After wrapping up the Rookie Series with a sweep of the Rangers, the Flyers’ rookie camp is in the rearview mirror now, and the Flyers training camp starts later this week. A few players made strong impressions over the weekend, while a few others appeared they were just happy to be there. That’s not to say those who had good camps last week are guaranteed spots with the big club. Far from it. However, there are a handful of players, both in terms of forwards and defensemen, who enter this coming camp with the possibility of surviving the final cuts, and being one of the Flyers when the season opens Sept. 30 against the Penguins.
A few things have to line up for that to happen, but it’s possible. For some, it’s maintaining a level of play that keeps them in the loop, much like they were last year. Others have to simply wow each and every time on the ice. Here then (in no particular order) are eight players — some much longer in the tooth than others — who could make the grade and find themselves in Philadelphia instead of Lehigh Valley.
Jett Luchanko
Although he wasn’t at the final practice Monday that wrapped up Rookie Camp, Jett Luchanko should’ve silenced a lot of critics or naysayers with his play over the two games against New York. Granted, playing with four of the better wingers available to him over the weekend certainly didn’t hurt his cause. And the Flyers are hopeful that whatever ailment was bothering the center’s development the last season or two is now in the rearview mirror following surgery. Regardless, Luchanko looked a heck of a lot more like the guy John Tortorella fell in love with than the forward who at times seemed lost in parts of 2025-26.
Should Luchanko come into this week’s camp riding that momentum, and begins to impress head coach Rick Tocchet and Flyers general manager Danny Briere with strong practices (and some exhibition game action), then he might stand a boxer’s chance of keeping himself around the team heading into late September. The Flyers certainly aren’t teeming with quality, speedy, two-way centers. They also want to see Luchanko turn things up offensively while still delivering steady play away from the puck.
Like any player mentioned in this article, the brevity of this year’s camp is a double-edged sword for the individual in question. You have less time to impress. By the same token, you also have less time to screw up. The decisions might already be leaning towards those who have proven themselves previously. Yet, if Luchanko enters camp with a lot of people taking notice, it will go a long way towards possibly being a very difficult final cut. Or finding himself wearing #77 in a Flyers jersey.
Alex Bump
Bump doesn’t have the pedigree of a Porter Martone or even, arguably, Denver Barkey. But he has promise and potential, the type that only comes with more playing time. Bump looked strong when he arrived last season, registering 26 points in 36 games with Lehigh Valley before getting the call up, and earning nine points in 17 games. A pair of goals in the playoffs didn’t hurt either. Bump looked quite good, even though he hit a wall like a lot of other Flyer players the deeper they went into round two.
Should Bump enter this training camp with the same pizzazz he displayed in his first handful of games with the Flyers last year, he’s going to have a very good chance of sticking around and ensuring he’s no longer short-listed in terms of callups. But he’s going to have to show that same level of play. If he’s even mediocre over the course of some practices, or however many exhibition games he gets, he’s leaving himself open to a possible last-minute demotion to the Phantoms. That wouldn’t mean Alex Bump wouldn’t be seen again in Philadelphia this year. It’s just not a predicament Bump really wouldn’t want to entertain a few weeks from now.
Nikita Grebenkin
Nobody really knows what Nikita Grebenkin is capable of. He moved a bit up and down the lineup, from the fourth line into the middle six occasionally. He wasn’t a complete liability in his own end, yet couldn’t muster much in the offensive zone. Grebenkin played 55 games, scored four goals, had 10 points. And 46 minutes in penalties to boot. Not hugely impactful. The season was curtailed by injury, then some uncertainty regarding the injury into the summer. Whatever transpired, Grebenkin was thought to have been okay and eager to enter training camp to keep a spot. Or at least be the thirteenth forward.
With a guy like Noah Powell looking to fill in a depth role as pest or irritator, and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed (even wearing two different jersey numbers), Grebenkin might not be in the clear regarding surviving training camp. If he’s overshadowed by Powell or another youngster who manages to fill that role, while also chipping in a bit more offensively, Grebenkin could be in danger of being one of the odd men out.
It was a rather short sample size, and you can’t truly judge a player based on 55 games with one club. The forward is going to have to demand more of himself, because it appears the coaching staff and Briere are probably going to want a bit more from him in 2026-27.
Carl Grundstrom
Carl Grundstrom had a multi-game goal-scoring streak. And that was pretty much it. He was a veteran role play who the Flyers got in exchange for unloading Ryan Ellis and his contract to the Sharks. Grundstrom did a lot of good things, but was primarily suited to a third-line player on an average club, or a fourth-liner (or extra forward) on a playoff-heading team. There wasn’t a whole lot to get excited about. When you toss in the fact he’s the oldest of the four players mentioned here at 28, he’s a player who doesn’t seem to fit into the future of the Flyers as well as the others. Grundstrom could still have a great camp, and the coach and general manager might decide to go with the veteran over a younger player. But it appears Grundstrom might be the player who is far from a sure thing. Father Time is not in his corner compared to the other three.
Oliver Bonk
Bonk got in two games last season as a Flyer. One was the finale of the regular season, the other was the finale of the playoff run. Bonk held his own in both games, and hopefully was able to take those accomplishments into the summer after what was a rather trying season. On Monday during the homestretch of Rookie Camp, Bonk said he spent the summer working on all aspects of his game to get better. He’s hoping to take the jump to Philadelphia, but as long as the Flyers are dressing Rasmus Ristolainen (and have nobody who is injured), that might be a harder hill for Bonk to climb. And unlike forwards, who sometimes can yo-yo up and down between the NHL and the AHL, generally teams are more cautious in moving defensemen up. You need to be far more seasoned to get that nod. At least that’s often the rule.
Should Bonk show that rover-ish trait he showed in Sunday’s game against New York, take control over certain game situations with smart plays and, perhaps more important, no dumb miscues, he could be maintaining a spot as the 46-man roster dwindles slowly but surely to its final version. There’s no rush with Bonk to make the Flyers this season. However, the Flyers might look like a better club overall if he was show those two games in 2025-26 weren’t a fluke.
Hunter McDonald
We’re not tossing Hunter McDonald out. There’s no reason to suggest he’s on the proverbial outs with Flyers President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones. Jones was nearly drooling last year over the big, rugged blueliner who took no prisoners and provided an edge to his game. However, McDonald didn’t take huge strides forward last year in Lehigh Valley. His points total in 2024-25 was just 18. Last year it was a third of that total, all of them assists in 65 games. So while he was never known for his offensive prowess, the fact it took a step back probably didn’t help him much. As well, while he has no control over other players, there’s another defenseman (more about him later) who might be the shiny new toy that both Briere and Tocchet have a lot of time for.
McDonald will be given a chance to show his wares alongside 15 other defensemen starting Thursday. The blueliner shouldn’t be forgotten about given he’s still 24, and defensemen sometimes need time to establish themselves as being both durable and dependable. What might actually work for McDonald is that nobody is really talking about him. Perhaps he lets his play on the ice do the talking for him, putting him into the mix when the last few tough decisions are needed prior to game one.
David Jiricek
You got to feel for David Jiricek. He was a first-round pick for Columbus just four years ago. Columbus didn’t pan out, so he was sent to Minnesota. The development there didn’t quite measure up, and the Wild landed Quinn Hughes. With that, so did hopes of Jiricek making the Wild home. Earlier this year, with the glut of Flyer wingers reaching foolish levels, Briere pulled a deal to land Jiricek and send Bobby Brink to his home state. The idea was taking a reclamation project like Jiricek, getting his confidence back, and ideally making him into a piece of Philadelphia’s future in the coming years.
The one fly in the ointment? Well, Jiricek is no longer waiver-exempt. So, if he doesn’t make the Flyers starting off this season, Philadelphia will have to roll the dice and put him on waivers in order to send him down to the Phantoms. It’s not that Jiricek would be automatically claimed by a team if that situation arose. After all, this would mark the fourth NHL team for Jiricek should Philadelphia lose him to waivers. But to possibly lose an asset in Brink for essentially nothing a few months later might rub a few people the wrong way.
So, while Jiricek looked strong in his short stint with Lehigh Valley last year (13 points in 15 games), he’s going to have to show that and more to ensure he makes the decision for Briere and Tocchet easy for them. And in the way Jiricek wants, namely staying with Philadelphia. He still needed things to work on, and it will be intriguing to see how he fares in camp. But Jiricek may never have a better opportunity to prove himself than this chance just days away.
Ty Murchison
It seems that Ty Murchison can’t do much wrong. According to Phantoms coach John Snowden on Monday, Murchison even irked former Flyer Garnet Hathaway with his style of play. The coach recalled Hathaway being pissed at how antagonistic the youngster was. When Hathaway was reminded he was playing like a younger Garnet Hathaway, nothing more was said.
Murchison made life hellish for a lot of opponents last season. And he also impacted Oliver Bonk’s season due to a training camp collision that cost Bonk some time. But that style of play is something a lot of people in the Flyer organization have a lot of time for. In your face, knock down, drag out physicality. He has an edge that he’s rarely gone over. After his performance during the first game of the Rookie Series, where he mixed things up a few times, Murchison did nothing to drop his stock. Coming into this camp, Murchison might be both the darling and the dark horse to make a great impression. He might be the one defenseman of the four mentioned who has the most momentum at the most opportune time.
