Jun 26, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Anthony Stewart (left), Flyers' second round pick Carter Amico (center) and Mark Fraser pose at the NHL STREET and NHL Player Inclusion Coalition Panel Discussion at LA Live. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Whenever a hockey team is rebuilding, the common phraseology of what they need to do to become a contender again is to get bigger, stronger and faster.
At the 2025 draft, it was clear that the Flyers did a lot of the first two.
The Flyers made six selections in the first two rounds. all six players were between 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-6 and all but two weigh over 200 pounds already.
The Flyers selected right wing Porter Martone and traded up to select center Jack Nesbitt in the first round on Friday.
Had a chat with someone in the Flyers war room this AM. Couple notes:
1. They thought Martone was going to Nashville at 5. Were “fucking pumped” when he didn’t.
2. Had intel that Nesbitt was definitely being drafted by Vancouver at 15 and a likelihood Detroit would take him at…
— Anthony SanFilippo (@AntSanPhilly) June 28, 2025
On Saturday, the second round was more of the same.
The Flyers might not want to admit that size was a target of this draft - General Manager Danny Briere said it wasn't after the first round and Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr echoed the same on Saturday - but the reality is, pick after pick after pick were towering players.
And not just big bodies, but kids who play the game with a whole lot of nasty.
After trading down two spots with the Seattle Kraken and also converting their third round pick into a fourth second-rounder for their trouble, the Flyers selected right-handed defenseman Carter Amico at pick No. 38.
I've had this carter amico clip saved on my phone since like early this past season, I think I saw it somewhere on here and was like "oh man I gotta pay attention to this guy" and then he was immediately hurt pretty much the entire season pic.twitter.com/gKek1cxTJM
Amico, from Westbrook, Maine, who played for the U.S. National Development Team (USNDT - get used to that acronym), is 6-foot-6 and 232 pounds. But he skates well for a big guy and plays a two-way game.
He missed most of the 2024-25 season with a broken kneecap that required not one, but two surgeries, but the Flyers were comfortable with his medicals when selecting him.
Flahr said were it not for the knee injury. Amico would have easily been a first round pick.
He's been going through intense physical therapy, and is expected back on the ice next week.
He was ranked as the No. 41 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
Amico said he models his game after Seth Jones - who just won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers - and Alex Vlasic of the Chicago Blackhawks. He is headed to Boston University.
At pick No 40, the Flyers selected left wing Jack Murtagh from the USNDT. A skilled puck handler and strong skater with elite hockey sense, the Flyers were thinking of taking Murtagh at pick 31 before using it as part of the trade for Nesbitt.
When he was still there at 40, they pounced.
A native of upstate New York, Murtagh was ranked as the No. 31 skater available by NHL Central Scouting. Murtagh also will play next season at Boston University.
Murtagh called himself "a high-end workhorse," and that's the thing the Flyers loved most about him, which is why they were thrilled he made it to pick No. 40.
Those of you with an appreciation for violent goalscoring wingers will like Jack Murtagh from the NTDP #2025NHLDraft
He gleefully seeks out contact and hits, has a non-stop motor, and he finds soft ice well offensively: he's very involved.
Oh and he can absolutely hammer a puck pic.twitter.com/qxFIpi6II9
At pick No. 48 the Flyers went with yet another USNDT player in power forward Shane Vansaghi. Another big right wing at 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Vansaghi, who grew up in St. Louis, was ranked as the No. 33 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
The Flyers were especially excited that Vansaghi was there, as they thought he would be selected earlier, it was part of the reason they wanted to keep all of their second rounders as they felt there was real depth in this draft.
Even though Vansaghi came through the USNDT, he played at Michigan State as a freshman last season.
Vansaghi said he models his game after Matthew Tkachuk, but also admitted he needs to improve the first two strides of his skating. Getting more explosive there can make the difference between him being an AHL lifer/occasional fourth liner and being a middle six winger in the NHL.
One thing that's certain about Vansaghi is he never gives up on a play, has a lot of energy and isn't afraid to be physical - and to steal a phrase from the late great Fred Shero - arrives in ill humor.
Are you watching Shane Vansaghi yet? #2025NHLdraft pic.twitter.com/ySVSRTz64T
With their last pick in the in the second round (No. 57) the Flyers got away from the USNDT, but still cornered the market on big forwards, selecting 6-foot-5 center Matthew Gard from Red Deer of the Western Hockey League.
Gard was not at the draft in Los Angeles with all the other prospects, but that doesn't mean he wasn't highly regarded by scouts. NHL Central Scouting had him rated as the No. 37 North American skater available in the draft.
Gard had 19 goals an 17 assists in 66 games last season at Red Deer - but there are two things to note about that.
The first being that Red Deer was a terrible offensive team, so those numbers aren't bad, considering. And secondly, he doubled his point total from 2023-24, which showed a huge improvement from one season to the next.
Matthew Gard, netfront menace.
Get into it, @NHLFlyers fans 🚨@Rebelshockey | #NHLDraft | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/SXFzFXBA7O
While the Flyers may not admit they were chasing the equivalent of an NFL offensive line in the draft, the one thing they would admit is they wanted guys with a high motor and a compete level that breaks the scale.
"Just watch the playoffs," Flahr said. "To get to the NHL yuou have to have a tremendous work ethic, then to be able to have success in it, you have to have that side of it. The guys we drafted, that's part of what (head coach Rick Tocchet) wants. It's part of what (President Keith Jones) and Danny want. We want competitive people, and I think we did a pretty good job."
The Flyers finally drafted a normal-sized human (5-foot-10) when they drafted Finnish left wing Max Westergard in the fifth round at pick No. 132.
Westergard played just four games for Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League last season, but had a solid season for Frolunda's junior team with 50 points in 41 games. He impressed so much that Frolunda called him up for the playoffs where he played in 11 games and registered one goal and two assists.
Westergard caught eh eye of NHL Central Scouting too, climbing from the No. 66 ranked International skater at the midterm rankings all the way to No. 30 at the final rankings at the end of the season.
Max Westergard scores to make it 3-0. Finland in full control. #U18MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/LuuCoWvZo4
The Flyers went right back to the well of large bipeds when they drafted 6-foot-5 right shot defenseman Luke Vlooswyk from Red Deer with their second fifth round pick. A teammate of Gard, Vlooswyk had 17 points in 68 games for Red Deer.
Vlooswyk was the 72nd ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting. He moved up the board from 109th at Midterm.
Vlooswyk said he and Gard are best friends on Red Deer and said they are excited to be coming to Philly together. Vlooswyk is also a smart cookie - as he was a Scholastic Player of the Year finalist, which is basically the Canadian Junior Hockey version of being an Academic All-American.
The Vloos is loose!
With their final selection in the draft, the Flyers drafted Quebec Ramparts center Nathan Quinn in the sixth round (No. 164 overall). He was also normal-sized in that he's under 6-foot tall (He's 5-foot-11). He was the No. 66-ranked North American skater according to NHL Central Scouting. He had 46 points in 54 games. Quinn is committed to play at Northeastern University.
Towering @Rebelshockey defender Luke Vlooswyk was a force on the ice and in the classroom as a WHL Scholastic Player of the Year finalist🍎@NHLFlyers | #LetsGoFlyers |#nhldraft25 pic.twitter.com/isMdfXJ5wn
The Flyers selected Nathan Quinn with the 164th overall pick.
Quinn had 17 goals and 46 points in 54 games last season in the QMJHL. He’s listed as a 5-foot-11, 173lb center. pic.twitter.com/PP1WoT5ydP
