August 11, 2026

Flyers summer roundup: Jack Berglund to play one more year in Sweden

On Jack Berglund going back to Sweden, Nikita Grebenkin's new contract, and support for Jason Myrtetus in his cancer battle.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Matt Krohn/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jack Berglund will go back to Sweden for one more year.

The NHL calendar is in its true quiet period while teams wait a few more weeks to pick back up for their training camps, but the Flyers did have some activity of note going on in the past week worth a mention.

Plus, there's a valued member of both the Flyers and the larger hockey community who needs our support now more than ever.

Here's a roundup...

Jack Berglund goes back to Sweden

The Flyers announced Monday that they're loaning center prospect Jack Berglund back to Färjestad BK in the pro Swedish Hockey League for the 2026-27 season.

Berglund, 20, was a second-round pick by the Flyers in the 2024 draft who made major strides last season as a pro in his native country and on the world stage in the World Junior Championship over the holidays, where he captained Sweden to gold and looked like one of the junior national team's best players in doing so.

Berglund came over to North America and joined the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL before the end of last season, scoring his first minor-league goal within the last five games, while putting him a step away from the NHL roster in Philadelphia.

So many figured that Berglund would stay stateside and continue his development closer to the organization, especially since he signed his entry-level contract in April, and maybe even try to push after a roster spot come training camp in September.

Instead, Berglund is playing one more year in Sweden, and maybe that's a bit of a curveball, but it should hardly be a concern right now.

Berglund posted seven goals and 12 points through 40 games in his first full-time season as a Swedish pro, which really saw him round out a smart and positionally sound two-way game.

Another year in the SHL, playing against men, should afford Berglund the chance to get a bit stronger, while maybe being able to turn up the offense more, too, now that he's a bit more comfortable skating at that level.

Basically, it can't hurt, only help. And he will come back once the Swedish pro season is over, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jordan Hall, who added, according to a source, that part of why Berglund is playing one more year for Färjestad is to honor the last year of his contract with them.

Jack Berglund had another year on his contract with Farjestad (his hometown team) and wanted to honor it, according to a source. Has unfinished business.

Flyers think he'll have big role in Sweden. He'll come over when his season ends. https://t.co/z9NjMLCYKy
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) August 10, 2026

It would've been nice to see what Berglund could've challenged for in camp, for sure. But he'll be fine over there, and the Flyers should be fine over here for another year with the current center crop they do have.

MORE: The notable Flyers prospects still climbing the ladder

Nikita Grebenkin signs two-year deal

Winger Nikita Grebenkin signed a two-year, $2.2 million deal last week, the Flyers announced, which checked another one of their restricted free agents off the board.

The last one left is defensive prospect Hunter McDonald as an arbitration-eligible RFA, but at this point, it really shouldn't take much to get that deal done either.

Grebenkin, 23, was the player return in the deadline trade with Toronto for Scott Laughton two seasons ago. The Flyers got a first-round pick in the deal, which was the bigger get, but they had optimism about Grebenkin, too, as a tougher and still young forward along the walls who might've had some offensive upside to still tap into.

There were some flashes of just that last season.

Grebenkin skated in 55 games, scoring four goals and 14 points in mostly bottom-six minutes. He brought the strength and grit to check effectively in the corners and along the boards to jar pucks loose, which would've served well in the playoffs, but he suffered an injury that was never fully disclosed on March 21 at San Jose and never returned from it.

The Flyers do still have interest in Grebenkin, hence the two-year contract, but he will be coming back to a crowded roster in September, especially at the wings.

He's going to have to show that he's healthy, and that there's still a lot more to him.

Flyers change athletic trainers

Alex Ambrose is taking over as the Flyers' head athletic trainer for Tommy Alva, AllPHLY's Charlie O'Connor reported Monday night.

Alva came in as the Flyers' head trainer in 2022, under former general manager Chuck Fletcher and former head coach John Tortorella, and as the organization was trying to revamp its medical team, which included a bitter-seeming separation from the previous longtime head trainer Jim McCrossin.

At the time, the Flyers had former defenseman Ryan Ellis disappearing onto long-term injured reserve and Sean Couturier sidelined for what ended up being nearly two years from lingering back issues and a corrective surgery after the original one failed.

Tortorella had no issue openly referring to the Flyers' medical oversight as "a mess" before bringing Alva in, but credited Alva heavily for working to get things back in order.

But Fletcher and Tortorella have since been fired, too, with Danny Brière at the helm now as general manager and Rick Tocchet behind the bench as head coach.

Now the head athletic trainer role will be shifting to Ambrose, who joined the organization as an assistant trainer in 2023, with previous turns running AHL training staffs for Charlotte and Springfield.

Fight on, Jason

If you follow the Flyers, then you've heard Jason Myrteus somewhere on the airwaves, as a voice who has championed coverage of the team for years, even when interest in them was at their faintest.

And that means you're probably well aware of his cancer battle, too, as he's been open about it both on his broadcasts and social media, which now includes the fact that he'll be undergoing chemotherapy starting today (Tuesday).

I will keep it very real. I’d be lying if I said I am ready to start chemo again tomorrow. The truth is I am petrified and angry about it. That I am back in the regimen of every other week and the hellscape of chemotherapy. That being said. I am going to fight my ass off.
— Jason Myrtetus (@jasonmyrt) August 11, 2026

He's an absolute warrior.

So many have told him as much already, and will only continue to as he proceeds, because it can't be said enough.

But it's a tough fight that no one ever endures alone.

A link to Jason's GoFundMe is HERE.

Donate if you can to help with the immense medical cost his family is shouldering.

But if you can't, well wishes and encouraging messages to his email, on social media, or in the comments of his Flyers broadcasts will help, too.

As he'll tell you on his Flyers Daily streams, he does see all of them. They do mean something.

And as for one to make right here: We're all pulling for you, Jason. And I hope I can see you running around at the practice rink in Voorhees again, in that CCM hat that only a hockey player would ever have, sometime soon.

Fight this thing. Win.