As it turns out, Porter Martone may not be the only first-round pick from the Philadelphia Flyers to head over to the NCAA to develop.
On Sunday night, Daily Faceoff's Jeff Marek, formerly of Sportsnet, reported that top Flyers prospect Jack Nesbitt appears to be heading to the University of Michigan next season, moving on from the OHL Windsor Spitfires.
In addition to Nesbitt, Nashville prospect Cameron Reid will be joining the Wolverines as well.
With Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage making waves this week with his decision to return to Michigan next season, the college hockey powerhouse is suddenly looking like an early NCAA championship favorite next season.
The Flyers will get to see Nesbitt, 19, perform alongside other NHL-caliber talents like Hage, Will Horcoff, Reid, 2026 prospect J.P. Hurlbert, Jack Ivankovic, Malcolm Spence, Henry Mews, and Jayden Perron, among others.
Martone, who has seven points in seven games with the Flyers, praises the staff at Michigan State every chance he gets for preparing him to jump in and play at the NHL level this late in the season.
If Michigan's program is remotely similar (hint: it's very good as well), Nesbitt's development should go swimmingly in 2026-27.
To temper expectations, the 6-foot-5 center is still largely a project and nowhere near as NHL-ready as Martone is or was, but a move to the NCAA should help Nesbitt fill out his frame and become a pro contributor faster.
The two biggest knocks on the 2025 No. 12 overall pick are his lanky frame (just 185 pounds) and awkward, slow skating.
Spending time in the gym and having dedicated time to work on the skating will do wonders for Nesbitt, who already plays a fairly complete two-way game with adequate puck skills and scoring ability.
Nesbitt has a long way to go before he becomes an NHL player, but the skillset and hockey IQ are there.
With time and proper care, Michigan should help turn the big pivot into a quality middle-six NHL center.