Alex Bump, Jett Luchanko, and Oliver Bonk headline the Flyers’ rookie camp roster

The weather in Philly has shifted slightly to a cooler, crisper air, which means that hockey season is right around the corner. But before the NHLers open up their training camp next week, the next generation of Flyers stars hit the ice for rookie camp.

Here’s everything you need to know.

The Flyers’ rookies will kick-start things at the Flyers Training Center beginning Thursday at 11 a.m. They will hold a morning skate in Voorhees again on Friday at 10:15 a.m. before heading north to Allentown, and will wrap up the camp next Tuesday in Voorhees with an 11 a.m. practice. They will not hold an on-ice session on Sunday. All events at the Flyers Training Center are free and open to the public.

» READ MORE: Inside Flyers goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason’s meticulous approach to training both his body and mind

The roster the new coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms John Snowden has to work with is stocked with up-and-coming talent, with several players expected to push for NHL roster spots in the coming weeks.

Among the notable names are 2025 draft picks Jack Nesbitt, Matthew Gard, Nathan Quinn, and Luke Vlooswyk. Nesbitt, who was taken 12th overall by the Flyers in June, was impressive at development camp with his speed and size at center. His former goalie with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League, Joey Costanzo, will also be present on an amateur tryout.

Costanzo will share the net with Carson Bjarnason, one of a handful of players who are full-time first-year pros. He will be joined by forwards Denver Barkey, Karsen Dorwart, and Devin Kaplan — the latter two made their NHL debuts last season — and defenseman Oliver Bonk. Although all are expected to be with the Phantoms, Dorwart and Bonk are projected to push for roster spots with the Flyers.

Also expected to push for NHL time beginning the following week are forwards Alex Bump, Samu Tuomaala, Jett Luchanko, and Nikita Grebenkin, who was acquired in the deal that sent Scott Laughton to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of those four, Luchanko is the only player who cannot be sent to the Phantoms if he does not make the Flyers out of camp because of the NHL-CHL agreement regarding players under 20 years old. Luchanko, who missed development camp due to a groin injury, would be returned to Guelph of the OHL if he does not break camp with the big club.

Forward Tucker Robertson will get his first chance to skate in front of Flyers fans after being acquired Thursday from the Seattle Kraken for Jon-Randall Avon.

Joining Vlooswyk and Bonk on the blue line will be Spencer Gill, a 2024 second-rounder who has continued to look impressive — and even caught the eye of new Flyers coach Rick Tocchet at development camp — as well as Ty Murchison and Hunter McDonald. Andre Mondoux, who at 18 was invited to development camp, will get another look at rookie camp on an amateur tryout.

» READ MORE: From rollerblading in California to college in the desert, Ty Murchison has taken a unique path to the Flyers

While his fellow rookies will be hitting the ice, Martone will be hitting the books. The Flyers’ top pick in June’s draft (No. 6 overall) opted to play college hockey this season. He will be skating at Michigan State, alongside fellow 2025 draftee Shane Vansaghi.

» READ MORE: Flyers’ Porter Martone going to Michigan State could be the best outcome for all involved

College hockey players are ineligible to participate in rookie camps, which means that, along with Martone and Vansaghi, Noah Powell (Arizona State), Cole Knuble (Notre Dame), Ryan MacPherson (New Hampshire), Heikki Ruohonen (Harvard), and the Boston University trio of Carter Amico, Jack Murtagh, and Owen McLaughlin will also be unable to attend.

Amico, who has not skated in a game since November due to a fractured patella that required two surgeries, will ramp up slowly as BU manages his workload under the watchful eye of head coach Jay Pandolfo.

“He’s a guy that we’re real excited about,” Pandolfo told The Inquirer in mid-August. “Obviously, it’s a little bit unfortunate that he’s coming off a pretty significant injury, but right now he’s in a really good spot. He’s done an excellent job with rehab. He’s back on the ice. I don’t have an exact return to play, but I do think he’ll be pretty close to ready at the start.”

The Terriers open their season on Oct. 4 against Long Island University at Agganis Arena in Boston. They will also host Michigan State on Oct. 17-18, and fans can catch Martone and Vansaghi a little closer to Philly on Jan. 31 at Beaver Stadium, when the Spartans take on Penn State to cap a doubleheader of outdoor games. PSU’s women’s hockey team will play Robert Morris.

Also absent at rookie camp are players skating in Europe. So 2024 second-rounder Jack Berglund (Färjestad BK), 2023 third-rounder Egor Zavragin (SKA St. Petersburg, Russia). 2025 fifth-rounder Max Westergård (Frölunda HC, Sweden), and 2023 fourth-rounder Alex Čiernik (Lahti Pelicans, Finland) will not participate. Former Flyer Sami Kapanen is Čiernik’s coach in Finland.

Netminder Aleksei Kolosov, who initially held out of training camp last season, is also not on the rookie camp roster.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospect Alex Čiernik excited to turn ‘a new page’ under Sami Kapanen in Finland

The tradition continues as the Flyers’ rookies will head up to Allentown for a two-game set against the New York Rangers’ rookies at the PPL Center. They will face off on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 5 p.m. Expected to play for the Rangers are Brennan Othmann and rising star Gabe Perreault, who made his NHL debut last season after helping USA Hockey win back-to-back golds at the World Junior Championships.