The Broad Street Hockey Top 25 Under 25 is back. Instead of waiting until the dead of summer to look at the young crop of players on the Philadelphia Flyers, we have decided to do something we haven’t done in years: Do it in the middle of the season in a more condensed version.
Instead of going player-by-player in separate articles, we’ll take a group of them and in a roundtable format, give our thoughts and feelings about the player and where we ranked them on our own ballots. A total of 10 ballots were submitted from folks here at Broad Street Hockey but of course 10 blurbs about a player taken in the fifth round of a draft a couple years ago, might be a bit much — so if you’re wondering why the numbers may not add up, there’s that.
One more quick thing to note, since this is midseason, we gave a birthdate cut-off of Dec. 31, 1999. With that, the only player that has now officially aged out is Sam Ersson.
Enough blabbering on about the process, who made the list and who is no longer eligible, let’s get to talking about some guys.
25: Ilya Pautov, RW
Primary Team: Krasnaya Armiya Moskva, MHL
2024-25 Stats: 15 G, 45 Pts in 40 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 18
Acquired: 6th round (173rd overall) in 2024 NHL Draft
Thomas (Ranked #22): Pautov is a favorite of mine and it might just be because of what he represents. By throwing a sixth-round selection at a player buried deep in the Russian juniors and will slowly make his way up to the KHL, eventually, the Flyers demonstrate how much they have changed. We might never see Pautov in the Orange and Black (of Philadelphia or Lehigh Valley) but it’s a gamble on a very skilled player, who shows flashes of elite offensive ability, to make an impact several years down the road. He will probably need to make the KHL next season for me to keep up any optimism about him as a player.
Maddie (Ranked #17): That 17 ranking feels a little high, but I think that’s a testament to how tight the back half of these rankings are, at least for me. I really like Pautov. He’s been a little inconsistent this season, but I’m willing to forgive that to a degree in a league that’s as weird and messy as the MHL can be. But he’s still shown some of those flashes of high-end offensive ability, and that’s encouraging. And, like Thomas, I really like him for what he represents in his profile as well – a swing taken on a potentially high-upside, if pretty projecty player.
Jacob (Not Ranked): I do these rankings mostly based around players who I think have the best chance to be impact players at the pro level, and I’m still doubtful about Pautov’s ability to actually be an NHLer. The MHL is a very strange place to play hockey, and it’s hard to get a read on a lot of the players there before they actually make the KHL. If he becomes a KHLer next season, he’ll probably make my rankings.
Jason M (Not Ranked): Pautov wasn’t on my radar for this list. Nothing against him but being a sixth-round pick it’s a low-risk gamble. Then again Hunter McDonald was a sixth-round pick in 2022, so maybe he’s in the cards down the road. Pautov was third in scoring on his MHL team. It’s difficult to predict what he could evolve into, but he has plenty of time to hone his game. Let’s see what he might do on a higher-tiered level like the KHL. And as for sixth-round Flyers picks and good fortune? Rick Tocchet, Antero Niittymaki, Roman Cechmanek, Dennis Seidenberg and, more recently, Olle Lycksell have been plucked in the sixth round.
Cole (Ranked #23): Starting off the pool of not-so-great prospects on the back-end of this ranking, I’m actually quite fond of the player. Similar to Thomas and Maddie’s thoughts, the Pautov pick is a great sign about the draft process of the Flyers, and I think that Pautov is a fair gamble considering his skillset. Low-risk, long-term project that might just be something if he can find his way to the KHL.
24: Massimo Rizzo, C/LW
Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 5 G, 15 Pts in 32 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 15
Age: 23
Acquired: Trade with CAR
Thomas (Not ranked): For some reason, Rizzo does nothing for me. I was quietly excited to get him from the Hurricanes as an older college player who might explode in his first season of pro hockey and then find himself on the Flyers before he turned 24 – but, it doesn’t feel like that is happening. Rizzo is either going to be a scorer in the NHL, or hang out in the minors for the rest of his career. He doesn’t really have the other side of his game and while that led to college success in Denver, it isn’t even really helping him in his first year with the Phantoms. A big we-shall-see player, but right now I like the present and future of 25 other players.
Maddie (Ranked #23): We haven’t seen a whole ton from Rizzo this season, between the time he missed at the beginning of the season after appendectomy surgery and the time he spent trying to work himself back up to game speed on the fly, but it feels like things have started to click for him a bit more over these last few weeks. I think he definitely needs to do some polishing to his game, but there could well be something there. And between that potential and the pure virtue of his positional value in the organization (they are just so thin on centers right now), I think he’s going to get a long lead to work to figure it out.
Jason M: (Ranked #24): When you’re a seventh-round draft pick, you’re already behind the eight ball regarding an NHL career. Rizzo hasn’t lit up in Lehigh Valley with just five goals in 30-plus games. And considering he’s turning 24 this coming summer, he would probably be further down the depth chart of most teams. But the Flyers aren’t like most teams, and they need centers. He’s probably a long shot to make the big club next year, but if Scott Laughton is shipped out and/or Briere can’t land a center this summer (I think he will) he could move into the discussion with a great training camp.
Jacob (Not Ranked): There were hopes that Rizzo could use his success at the University of Denver as a springboard to jump directly into an NHL bottom six job, but he just hasn’t taken any steps in Lehigh Valley. As the Flyers forward prospect pool continues to grow, Rizzo’s path to the big club is going to become very difficult, and as a 23-year old prospect, he isn’t exactly going to demand a long look.
Cole (Not Ranked): I didn’t rank Rizzo, largely because I don’t see any long-term fit for the player on the Flyers and I don’t believe in the skillset. As currently stands, Rizzo’s a player that spent four years at the college level, and made no real improvements in his first year of the pros. That’s not an archetype that typically has that much more runway to develop – and we have seen zero evidence that Rizzo can be an NHLer as currently stands. Maybe one day, but I think the player we saw in preseason/development camp is probably pretty close to the final product for Rizzo.
23: Alexis Gendron, RW
Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 15 G, 22 Pts in 42 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 21
Acquired: 7th round (220th overall) in 2022 NHL Draft
Maddie (Ranked #20): I’m a big fan of Gendron’s game. I loved his tools last year when he was playing in the AHL, even if he often looked pretty overmatched physically, and I think he’s done really well this season to continue to build on his game at this level. His scoring is translating very nicely already, he’s proved he can be a consistent driver of offense at this level, and he’s already made positive strides on the smaller details of his game, on making sure he’s not completely scoring focused, and remaining engaged in play away from the puck when he’s not scoring. In short, he’s done everything that’s been asked of him up to this point, and he’s taken a huge leap forward in his development as a result. There’s still a lot of work for him to do yet, but dare I say, if he’s able to keep that rolling, he has a real shot to get a look at the NHL level (which isn’t something we’re often able to say about a seventh-round pick).
Thomas (Ranked #19): Gendron is the most fun name to say in the entire Flyers organization. Alexis Gendron. Gennnnnn-dron. You feel so cultured and so French-Canadian. Outside of linguistics, Gendron is making an effort to take his game to the next level in the AHL. He was an easy bet as a seventh rounder in 2022 and now is steadily improving. I feel like he just needs the right opportunity to really explode. He was the best scorer in the QMJHL while he was there, so the tools are there. We just need a coach that doesn’t care that he is short.
Jason M (Unranked): Gendron isn’t on my radar yet. He has 15 goals, tied for the team lead in Lehigh Valley. And more importantly he’s still a newish 21 years young, so plenty of time for him to turn into something valuable. Or for the Flyers to see what they have in him and can they mold him into something of value. He did have some playoff experience in the QMJHL last season with 18 points in 15 games for Drummondville. Again, a seventh-round pick isn’t something that’s guaranteed. If he can be something in terms of the rebuild then it’s a win for Briere.
22: Cole Knuble, C
Primary Team: Univ. of Notre Dame, NCAA
2024-25 Stats: 9 G, 30 Pts in 26 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 20
Acquired: 4th round (103rd overall) in 2023 NHL Draft
Maddie (Ranked #21): Knuble’s a really interesting one for me. He’s scoring a ton on a not very good team, and one that’s historically run a system that can suppress offense a bit, and that feels pretty notable. It’s a shame Notre Dame isn’t going to get into the NCAA Tournament and we won’t be able to see what he can do when the stakes pick up, but he’s already coming out of this season with a Hobey Baker longlist nomination, and that’s a significant nod for a sophomore and a fourth rounder. I still have some questions about how well his game will translate to the next level, but if he hits, that’s good news for the arc of the rebuild.
Thomas (Ranked #14): I might be a hypocrite for this one, but I do like how projectable Knuble’s skills are. He feels like a center who is good at a lot of things but master of none. As Maddie points out, he is lighting it up for Notre Dame during a breakout season which could earn him a professional contract; so there’s the offense. Mix in him being a physical threat and a creator in the offensive zone, there are traits that most prospects would need to add later on to make it.
Jacob (Not Ranked): I left Knuble off my list in favor of adding Boston University’s Devin Kaplan, but the son of Mike was probably the last cut. The Notre Dame product has looked really solid and well-rounded at the NCAA level, and looks like he has discovered a bit more of a scoring touch. 30 points in 26 games is a decent level of production, and he looks like a player who can really work himself into the mix with a strong next season.
Jason M (Ranked #22): Knuble leads Notre Dame with 30 points in 26 games. He might get a longer look or consideration based on the surname, but my guess is he’s still quite a distance from being anything other than a Development Camp invitee and an early training camp cut when the time comes to interact with the big club. He got some kudos for his 2024 development camp play. And being a center, the Flyers can’t turn the other cheek given how scarce they are in that position. He’s going to need a breakout year at some point. Hopefully it’s in 2025-26.
Cole (Not Ranked): Similar to Jacob, Knuble is #26 for me in this ranking, and that really comes down to how translatable I think his game is as currently stands. I prefer to take shots on players that are really good at one particular thing, and while Knuble has found a scoring touch this season, I don’t know if I see something that Knuble could excel at in the NHL. We’ll see, but for now, he sits just outside my rankings.
21: Helge Grans, RD
Primary Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL
2024-25 Stats: 7 G, 18 Pts in 44 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: NR
Age: 22
Acquired: Trade with LAK
Thomas (Ranked #17): I definitely see something there in Grans. Nothing flashy or capable to get someone to their feet, but just a steady guy who will serve any team well in the bottom pair. Considering he has been regularly playing pro hockey since 2019 and has just been slowly cooking away now in the AHL, he should take a jump eventually. We got to see him with the Flyers this season and he did not look out of place at all. The ceiling is low but good enough.
Maddie (Ranked #19): Sort of picking up on Thomas’s point, I see Grans as something of a higher floor, low ceiling type of player. He’s already shown himself to be pretty capable in NHL minutes, and while I don’t really think of him as a long-term depth option at the NHL level, I think he’s a guy who could be dependable in the seventh defenseman role. It’s not exactly the most exciting projection, but it is valuable for the organization.
Jason M (Ranked #13): Perhaps I’m drinking the Brad Shaw-flavored Kool-Aid but I think Grans could end up being a diamond in the rough if given the time to develop. As of Monday he was tied with Louie Belpedio for most points by a defenseman (18) although he’s second worst in terms of plus/minus among blueliners (-9). He should also end up surpassing his career-high in AHL games played this season. He already has 44 under his belt with 23 games left in the Phantoms’ season. He played 59 for the Ontario Reign in 2022-23. In short, I have hope he’ll be something down the road.
Cole (Ranked #14): Grans really impressed me in his short stint with the big club this season, and it really forced me to recalibrate my opinion on Grans. I had thought Grans would at best be a journeyman, up-and-down fringe player. That still feels like the most likely outcome, but as Thomas and Maddie mentioned, there’s a decent chance he’s a bottom-pair guy. Cool that Grans has turned into something of value for the organization.