ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Philadelphia Flyers open their 2026 rookie camp Friday with a practice at PPL Center, the first of five days of on-ice work that includes back-to-back games against New York Rangers prospects in downtown Allentown this weekend.
The Flyers announced the 27-man roster and schedule on Sept. 3, attributing them to General Manager Daniel Briere. Camp opens with a 4 to 5 p.m. session Friday, then games Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday at 5:05 p.m. Both will be streamed on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com. Camp then moves to the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, for sessions Monday and Tuesday; those are free and open to the public.
“The series has become an important part of our evaluation process, giving our young prospects the opportunity to showcase their development in a high-level environment,” Briere said when the club announced the dates in June.
This is the sixth Rookie Series between the two organizations, the Flyers said, and the fifth straight one held at the home of the Phantoms, the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate. What is new is the practice: Bob Rotruck, the Phantoms’ director of communications and broadcasting, wrote on X that it is the first time the series’ opening practice has been held in Allentown.
The roster is 16 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders. Seven players have already suited up for the Flyers — Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, Alex Bump, Devin Kaplan, Jett Luchanko, Ty Murchison and Porter Martone — and 12 have played for the Phantoms in the past two seasons.
Martone is the draw. The sixth pick in the 2025 draft put up 50 points in 35 games as a Michigan State freshman, then 10 points in his first nine NHL games. He added five points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including game-winners in the first two games of the first-round series against Pittsburgh.
Bump had 26 points in 36 games with the Phantoms before nine points in his first 17 NHL games. Barkey was an AHL All-Star in Lehigh Valley before his call-up. Bonk had 19 points in 46 games on the Phantoms blue line.
Five members of the 2026 draft class will make their first appearances in orange and black: first-round defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii, the 27th pick, listed at 6-foot-7 and 238 pounds after a season with the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights; second-rounder Brek Liske, who had 17 points in 18 postseason games as Everett won the Western Hockey League title; goaltenders Marek Sklenicka and Martin Psohlavec; and forward K.J. Sauer. The Phantoms said the roster carries a Rookie Series record four first-round picks — Bonk, Luchanko, Martone and Sokolovskii.
The names likelier to matter to Allentown ticket-holders come further down the sheet: the Phantoms said forwards Alex Ciernik, Cole Knuble, Noah Powell and Riley Thompson could become familiar faces in Lehigh Valley this season — the same path Bump, Barkey and Bonk took before their promotions. The Flyers list Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates among the NHL regulars who played in the series first.
Philadelphia holds a 5-4-1 all-time record in the series, both clubs said. The teams split last September’s pair, with the Flyers winning 4-3 in overtime before the Rangers took the second game 5-2. The first Rookie Series games at PPL Center, in 2022, went to Philadelphia 2-1 in overtime and 5-1, on a Foerster overtime goal and a 36-save night from Sam Ersson.
Tickets are on sale through PPLCenter.com and Ticketmaster. PPL Center, open since 2014, seats more than 8,500 for Phantoms hockey.
Flyers training camp opens Sept. 17. The Phantoms host preseason games Sept. 26 against the Hershey Bears and Sept. 29 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, according to the arena’s calendar, then open the AHL season Oct. 3 at home against the Hartford Wolf Pack — the Rangers’ affiliate.