The legendary forward will coach for Canada at the 2027 World Juniors.
After making the decision to commit to college for his development, top Philadelphia Flyers center prospect Jack Nesbitt will be receiving even more wisdom to help him on his NHL journey from a modern day hero of the game.
Nesbitt, 19, has quietly emerged as a favorite to make Canada's roster for the 2027 World Junior Championships. The 2025 No. 12 overall pick has been learning to play a role on a deep Canadian team that features all kinds of dynamic players; that's not his game.
The 6-foot-5 center will continue to grow into his body and spend time in the gym when he heads to the University of Michigan for his freshman season in the fall, but he will be learning as much on the ice as he will off the ice this coming year.
Nesbitt spent the last week at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario, playing for his Canada and working to cement his case for a roster spot for the real thing a few months from now.
One of his coaches, a new addition to the Canadian coaching staff, is Anaheim Ducks legend Ryan Getzlaf, a four-time gold medalist (including two at the Olympics) and a Stanley Cup champion.
Getzlaf, 41, has been out of hockey for four seasons now, having last played for the Ducks in the 2021-22 season and taking on a variety of advisory roles since.
In 2023-24, Getzlaf was a development coach and player coordinator for the Ducks, and the 17-year NHL veteran served as a senior advisor and player relations advisor for Canada in 2024-25 and 2025-26 for the 4-Nations Faceoff, Men's World Championships, and Olympics.
This year, though, the former Ducks captain is taking on a new role, returning to the ice as an assistant coach for Canada's U20 World Juniors squad, where he'll be working directly with Nesbitt and the other young centers.
"I'm watching video on all of them. I'm learning them, learning their tendencies and stuff too. We'll work through it all the way through December and into the tournament. But it's a matter of being prepared for what you're doing. Each guy's going to need something a little bit different. Some guys are stronger in one thing than others," Getzlaf remarked to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman regarding faceoff work.
For the Flyers, this is nothing but good news. Nesbitt is a big, powerful center like Getzlaf was, though he has work to do to become as physical and filled-out as Getzlaf was in his heyday.
But, on that note, the young Flyers draft pick's future in the NHL is going to be as one of those kinds of centers: tough, defensively reliable, and adept at using his size and playmaking to help teammates in the offensive zone.
It's true that Nesbitt will need to put in significant work to improve his skating and add muscle, but on the whole, his playstyle and best traits are not far removed from those that served Getzlaf well at the NHL level.
Nesbitt has already done well enough at the Summer Showcase to be recognized as his team's Player of the Game, even in a 7-2 loss to the United States that he didn't record a point in.
The big center may not ever live up to his draft slot and/or expectations Flyers fans have placed on him, but there is value in the kind of player Nesbitt is, and working with Getzlaf over the next few months while playing for Canada will undoubtedly prove to be a valuable experience for him.
