A trend might be starting with Philadelphia Flyers draft picks, and it could be a great developmental step for a player who is one of the team's most debated projects.
On Thursday evening, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jack Nesbitt announced that he will be leaving the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL for the NCAA and the University of Michigan Wolverines.
Nesbitt has played the last three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, and his size at 6'4" combined with his strong offensive output in the 2024-2025 season was enough to convince the Flyers to draft him 12th overall in the 2025 NHL draft.
In 2025, he put up 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) along with 74 penalty minutes. He played with snarl and found ways to score, and showed good offensive vision. His skating and skills needed some finer points, but there was promise. He went higher than expected in the draft, and it raised a lot of eyebrows.
His 2025-2026 OHL season was put under a lot of scrutiny, and Nesbitt responded. He was just above a point per game pace with 58 points in 55 games (he played 65 in the previous season), matching his goal output and adding 33 assists. He still had some nastiness in his game with 67 penalty minutes, but in the playoffs, he really popped off the screen.
There's an example of his physicality at play. Below are two nice goals from his run at the end of the season.
In 13 games, he had 7 goals and 3 assists while consistently driving play and being a physical force. He was asked to do a lot in his draft +1 season and showed he could handle the increase in workload, but now he's making an even bigger jump.
The NCAA is becoming the choice for top major junior players to refine their skills in their draft years or afterwards during the process of making their pro transitions. It also offers them incredible training and practice facilities, more practice ice, and a shorter schedule. Nesbitt is a player who can greatly benefit from that. He could add more weight and muscle to his frame, and the extra ice for rounding out his game.
His choice of Michigan is also a strong one. The program at the University of Michigan is historically strong, and as of late, has been producing some incredible NHL talent. There are currently 25 former Wolverines playing in the NHL, among them Jack and Quinn Hughes, Adam Fantilli, and Dylan Larkin. Current Flyers Luke Glendening and Cam York are University of Michigan alumni.
This year's rookie and playoff sensation, and sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft, Porter Martone, also made the jump to the NCAA for a year between pros and the major junior. His year at Michigan State was dominant, with 50 points in 35 games.
Nesbitt might not produce as much, but he should be able to deliver a strong offensive season, and we might see him in the running for Canada's World Junior Championship team.
Nesbitt's path to the pros is heading to Ann Arbor, which may turn out to be his best move yet.
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