Playoffs are taking place around the NCAA and that means it might be the final games some players get to play in their collegiate career. As these young players set their eyes on signing with an NHL organization and playing professional hockey for the first time, rumors start to swirl and teams start to be linked with the top free agents around college hockey.
The Philadelphia Flyers have a decent history of dipping their toes into college free agency and it appears that they are going to be doing it once again.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Flyers are hot on the trail to acquire Michigan State center Karsen Dorwart once his season wraps up.
25. Michigan State is expected to be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Karsen Dorwart, their second-leading scorer behind Tampa’s Isaac Howard, nearly went to the Maple Leafs one year ago, but returned to school. Several teams suspect Philadelphia lusts after him like an Angelo’s cheesesteak.
Dorwart is an interesting name. The 22-year-old, 6-foot-1 center has been a mainstay in the Spartan’s top six and has been scoring at a very decent clip through his three years of college hockey.
Ten goals and 27 points in 38 games during his freshman year; 15 goals and 34 points in 38 games for his sophomore season; and this season right now has 11 goals and 27 points in 33 games. And by all accounts, Dorwart has been the heartbeat of Michigan State’s offense for a while.
Instead of acting like we’re super knowledgeable about the player outside the stat sheet, let’s turn to the experts. According to the Elite Prospects’ 2025 NCAA Free Agent Guide, Dorwart has some promise and while he is producing a whole lot in college, he has so many other tools available that could benefit him to turn into a solid NHLer.
Dorwart is an offensive driver first and foremost in college, but his overall skill level may not enable him to keep that identity in the professional game. It may be his motor that gives him the most upside there — or the way he shadows opponents in the defensive zone and pushes them back off the rush by sprinting his routes.
At the next level, he could become a dominant neutral zone player, who fuels his team’s rush offence and shuts down the opposition’s. To get there, however, he will have to continue improving his skating mechanics and physical side, becoming a more efficient checker and transporter.
Dorwart is Elite Prospects’ fourth-ranked college free agent and by all accounts seems to have that high-pace level of play that Flyers head coach John Tortorella has been trying to get all of his players to play.
Just looking at a recent scouting report from a game against Flyers prospect Cole Knuble’s Notre Dame team, there are aspects of Dorwart’s game that feels very appealing and could fill a solid role for the Flyers organization.
Karsen Dorwart never stops moving. One play blends into the other. He protects and wins pucks on the all and immediately springs to the net to become an option for a deflection or a one timer. And he attacks at a fast pace in the neutral zone with multiple crossovers. But he’s not only pacey, get-ahead-of-the-play attacker. In moments, he can slow down, attract defenders on himself, cut inside, and slip a pass behind the defensive line to a teammate sneaking there. The playmaking game is not high-end, but it’s definitely above-average at this level and the tools are good enough for him to carve out a career as an AHLer and a potential call up. His biggest asset is his motor. He should lean on that even more next season.
David St. Louis, Elite Prospects – Feb. 28, 2025 vs. Notre Dame
Of course, this doesn’t mean that suddenly he will be gifted a spot in the NHL. Like David said in his report, envisioning a solid pro hockey career for Dorwart is possible. But, as it always is with these college free agents, the most you could realistically hope for is a bottom-six forward at the NHL level.
The Flyers looking at this avenue to get an energy depth player is fun and exciting to think about. But also, maybe the most successful college free agents in recent memory are the likes of Brandon Tanev, Jimmy Vesey, and Chris Kunitz — that level of talent. From everything that we’re reading and watching Dorwart score some nasty goals for the Spartans, there might be something here but we’ll try to temper any expectations whatsoever.