There are a lot of prospects in the Flyers' system that could be ready to make an impact. Fans are hoping that Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Spencer Gill, Denver Barkey, and/or Alex Bump could be arriving soon. Who they'd be replacing is unknown. The additional draft picks this year of Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt only serve to increase the anticipation of a strong youth movement ahead.
One of the names that people keep forgetting is Nikita Grebenkin. One of the reasons many Flyers' fans forget him is that he hasn't been in the system long. He arrived in March as a part of the Scott Laughton trade to the Maple Leafs.
Grebenkin was a fifth-round pick in 2022. Most fifth-rounders don't initially make headlines. Now and then, however, you find one who stands out. In Philly's case, you get guys like Noah Cates, Sam Ersson, and Oskar Lindblom.
Grebenkin is 6'2", 210 lbs, and is comfortable playing either wing position. He has a lot of tenacity to match his size, but isn't recklessly throwing around his body and racking up penalties. In short, he's a young, Russian version of what Rick Tocchet was as an older veteran.
Scoring-wise, Grebenkin hasn't found his touch yet. His career high was 19 goals in 2023-24 for Magnitogorsk Metallurg in the KHL. With the Toronto Marlies last year, he scored nine goals with 12 assists. Keep in mind that time included a seven-game stint with the Leafs and 11 games playing for the Phantoms.
While in Lehigh Valley, he scored three goals and added four assists. That's a pretty decent point total for such a small body of work. It's been speculated that since he is Russian, he could form a bond with Matvei Michkov, and the two could take off.
As of right now, other prospects are most likely ahead of him on the depth chart. Again, the Flyers may not have had time to look at him yet. If he comes into camp with the same energy he had when he joined the Phantoms, watch out.
Grebenkin is also just 22. We may not have seen how good he can truly become. He could surprise everyone at camp and be better than everyone imagines. We just have to wait and see.