The Philadelphia Flyers may have been without some of their big name prospects for the first game of their Rookie Series against the New York Rangers' young guns, but that didn't stop them from turning what could've been a sleepy September exhibition into a classic chippy rivalry game.
After falling behind 2–0 in the first period, the Flyers stormed back, clawing out a 4–3 overtime win that was equal parts grit, patience, and sheer youthful audacity.
There were plenty of contributors in orange and black, but a few names stood out in particular: Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Carson Bjarnason.
Three players, three different positions, and three very different paths ahead—but all with performances that suggest the Flyers’ pipeline is stocked with more than just potential.
Denver Barkey: Small Frame, Big Game
The Flyers know what they have in Barkey: relentless energy, an engine that doesn’t stop, and the kind of fearlessness that makes opponents twice his size look uncomfortable.
What’s changing now is how he delivers it.
Against a big, physical Rangers lineup, Barkey didn’t just buzz around the ice—he looked stronger, sharper, and more in control than ever.
“He's a smaller guy, but he plays like he’s six-four,” Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach John Snowden said postgame, a remark that somehow feels less metaphorical every time Barkey steps on the ice.
His speed has always been his calling card, but there’s a noticeable maturity in the way he picks his spots now. Such an abundance of spirit and verve can easily bleed into recklessness for a 20-year-old, but this game showed a player who’s learning to harness that intensity into pro-ready efficiency.
This wasn’t just another night of Barkey being Barkey—it felt like a step toward the most realized version of himself.
Alex Bump: The Case for One Rookie
If you were building a shortlist of Flyers rookies who could force their way onto the NHL roster this fall, Alex Bump has been on it for months.
On Friday night, he underlined the point in bold.
Bump has the profile coaches love: big enough to hold his ground, skilled enough to create, and increasingly confident enough to dictate play. Against New York, he didn’t just keep up with the pace—he often drove it. Every shift felt like a reminder that if one rookie is going to break camp with the Flyers, it’s probably going to be him.
The stat line won’t tell the whole story, but the tape will. His decision-making looked sharper, his puck touches more deliberate, and his ability to sustain pressure in the offensive zone kept the Rangers on their heels, making him one of the important contributors to the Flyers' comeback.
Carson Bjarnason: Weathering the Storm
It’s easy to forget how young goaltenders are until they’re down 2–0 before the first period’s even settled. Lesser goalies might have unraveled. Carson Bjarnason did the opposite.
Yes, those early goals stung. But from that moment on, Bjarnason delivered the kind of calm, focused performance that had scouts nodding in approval. His movements tightened, his reads sharpened, and he gave his teammates the stability they needed to climb back into the game.
For a goalie preparing to step into the AHL, it was an encouraging display of what matters most: not technical perfection, but resilience. “Locking in” is an overused phrase in 2025, but that’s precisely what he did. He gave the Flyers’ rookies permission to believe a comeback was possible—and then backed it up save after save.
Every goaltender has to prioritize refining their mental game, but it's not every day you see such an advanced level of focus and resilience from a netminder that's not even old enough to have a drink (in the U.S., at least) to take the edge off after an intense performance.
This is what the Flyers need from their next wave in the crease: not miracle workers, but goaltenders who thrive under pressure instead of breaking beneath it.
Honorable Mentions: Nikita Grebenkin and Sawyer Boulton
Nikita Grebenkin might still be one of the newer kids on the block, but he's quickly becoming a fan favorite—in both personality and playing style.
His overtime winner wasn’t just a finish—it was a capstone to the high-energy effort he carried all night. Grebenkin doesn’t play quietly, and when the game tilted late, he was among the loudest voices with his play.
And then there was Sawyer Boulton. Hockey doesn’t always need nuance. Sometimes it just needs a cinematic fight that leaves the bench and the crowd roaring. Boulton delivered one of those, and in a game defined by resilience, his gloves-off moment of fire was as much a turning point as any goal.
A Night That Meant Something
It’s always tricky to assign too much weight to rookie showcases. These Flyers rookies had less than two days of practicing together before having to play this game, and for many, this is the first real game atmosphere they've had in months. But they put together an exciting performance that illuminated just some of the talent fans should be keeping an eye on.