The 46-man roster that was set to begin the Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp Thursday morning has now become a 57-man roster. The team announced that they’ve added 11 players to the roster, all of whom participated in some form or fashion at the team’s Rookie Camp that concluded earlier this week.
The 11 players include seven forwards, a pair of defensemen, and a pair of goaltenders. The forwards are as follows: Brady Berard, Alex Ciernik, Matthew Gard, Owen McLaughlin, Ilya Pautov, Nathan Quinn, and K.J. Sauer. On the blueline, Brek Liske and Luke Vlooswyk will participate in training camp (at least for a few days) before the pair most likely head back to the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League. And finally, goaltenders Martin Psohlavec and Marek Sklenicka, both drafted by the Flyers in the 2026 NHL Draft, will also attend the initial stages of the abbreviated 13-day camp.
Flyers bringing in some more prospects to training camp
Obviously, nobody is expecting any of these aforementioned players to realistically be in the Flyers lineup when the regular season opens against Pittsburgh on Sept. 30. However, considering that most of these players fared well or looked good in rookie camp, perhaps it’s a bit of a reward to experience a National Hockey League training camp, and to participate in various drills and scrimmages with NHL pros and veterans. Giving them a taste of what’s possible could be extra incentive for them when they return to play either in Europe or somewhere in North America, most likely returning to a junior team.
It is an interesting group though. If the motive is to get a closer look at these players, it’s a group that makes some sense. Alex Ciernik and Ilya Pautov are two smaller wingers who are questionable to have full-time roles on the Phantoms team next season. Pautov has the option to head to the QMJHL after coming over from Russia last summer, and it’s a big question what exactly Ciernik’s role will be next season.
Even players like Matthew Gard and Nathan Quinn. Two young centermen who are heading back to the CHL — Gard to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and Quinn back to the QMJHL’s Quebec Ramparts — but are also committed to colleges to play in the NCAA for the 2027-28 season. Both have longer development paths but could certainly have massive seasons, and it starts with getting in some training camp time.
As well, adding the 11 players to the mix now nearly gives the Flyers three nearly full practice teams to work with over the early stages of camp. Heading into today’s activities, the Flyers will have six goaltenders, 18 defensemen, and 33 forwards from which to work with. With no word as to when the first round of cuts will be, and the first exhibition game set for Monday night against the Capitals, it’s most likely the 57 players will be in camp at least for this first weekend. After the opening game, all bets are off as to when or how many players will be cut. But with the majority of the roster spots all but guaranteed to be spoken for, it’s an extra perk for these youngsters to spend some time with the big club.
Another factor is the brevity of camp, meaning a lot of players on the proverbial bubble or looking to make a lasting impression have nearly zero room for error. And even then, things will have to fall into place almost perfectly for such players to eventually end up surviving the final cuts. In short, it certainly doesn’t hurt any of these 11 players to spend some time with the Philadelphia Flyers.
