1. Hockey Ops sorts out a slew of picks
The Flyers Way cameras take viewers inside the war room at the team's draft weekend headquarters in Atlantic City. General Manager Daniel Briere and Assistant GM Brent Flahr discuss their options, poll the assembled scouts one last time and make their final selections.
Before the draft begins, Briere tells the scouts to scour the internal player rankings carefully because "there's a good chance things are going to move around."
By the time all is said and done on draft weekend, the Flyers make nine picks. This included two selections in the first round (right wing Porter Martone and center Jack Nesbitt) and four in the second round (defenseman Carter Amico, center/winger Jack Murtagh, winger Shane Vansaghi and center Matthew Gard).
The first round of the 2025 NHL Draft was chock full of centers. Four of the first five selections -- and nine of the first 12 were centers or center/wing swingmen.
"Who we get at sixth will dictate what we do after that, and how aggressive we'll be," Briere tells producers before the first round.
When high-scoring winger Martone is still on the board after five picks, the Flyers pounce. With center being an organizational need and the availability of highly rated center prospects dwindling, the Flyers staff discuss the possibility of moving up to take Nesbitt of the Windsor Spitfires.
Jones tells Briere that he spoke to a trusted confidant about Nesbitt. "He knows the family well. He said [Nesbitt] is tough and mean. I said, 'Would you ever trade up to get him?"
The Flyers do just that. They trade the 22nd and 31st overall selections in order to obtain the 12th overall pick. Briere and company choose Nesbitt.
"He looks like a Flyer to me," Jones says.
Nesbitt himself adds, "I didn't think they would trade up to try and draft me, but I'm very happy about it. I'm very honored."
In the second round, the Flyers obtain an extra pick. Assistant General Manager Flahr says that he very much wants to be able to draft both Murtagh and Vansaghi. The board works out favorably. After taking Amico with the 38th pick, the Flyers tabbed Murtagh with the 40th pick and Vansaghi with the 48th. Later, the Flyers take hard-nosed Western League checker Gard with the 57th pick.
2. Tocc meets the kids
New Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet greets all of the attendees at the summertime Development Camp.
"I don't care what pick you are, whether you're a free agent or what your story is," says Tocchet, who himself was the 121st overall pick in his draft year and went on score 440 goals and play in 1,144 NHL games.
"Sitting here is a plateau you guys made. Now, we've got to get to the next plateau...Whatever your talent level is, it's our job [as coaches] to maximize it."
3. A surreal feeling at Development Camp
The Flyers Way introduces viewers to many of the different first-time camp attendees. Nesbitt recounts how his parents shed tears of happiness when he was taken in the first round by the Flyers. Others such as Amico talk about how much sacrifice their families made for them to chase their dreams.
Fifth-round pick Luke Vlooswyk talks about how surreal it felt to be at the draft and development camp after years of working toward these possibilities.
"I have a name plate and a Flyers jersey with my name on it. I'm looking and I'm, like, 'Wow! This is crazy'," Vlooswyk says.
Amico, a projected first-round pick who slipped to the second round due to an injury last season, says that it took a full day after the draft until reality hit him:
"I was like, 'Holy cow! I just got drafted in the NHL,' something I've been looking at and thinking about my whole life," Amico adds.
4. It's a partnership
Apart from greeting the prospects at development camp, Tocchet held a conference call with NHL rostered Flyers for the first time. The bench boss discussed how much he and his staff are eager to prove doubters wrong. He doesn't care what outsiders and pundits predict for the 2025-26 season. All that matters to Tocchet is the belief of the people in the room.
"From here on in, it's a partnership. Let's kick some ass this year, boys!" Tocchet says.
