Flyers reportedly sign top NCAA free agent Karsen Dorwart

The Philadelphia Flyers just scooped up one of the biggest prizes of the college free agent pool.

According to multiple sources, the Flyers have signed Michigan State center Karsen Dorwart. The details of the signing have not been confirmed — whether it will start this year or next — but he will be signing a two-year, entry-level contract.

If Dorwart is to sign a contract that starts this season, he could play with the Flyers or down with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms as they continue this late-season push into the playoffs. And maybe the option either sign with some exciting young prospects like Jett Luchanko and Nikita Grebenkin is more enticing than playing with a team who is just trying to finish this miserable NHL season on a high note.

In the instance that Dorwart signs a contract starting in the 2025-26 season, he could sign an amateur try-out to go and suit up for the Phantoms for the rest of the season and get the professional hockey debut over and done with before this fall. Since Dorwart is one of the more premier free agents available, one has to assume that he will sign his contract that starts this season and have his rookie deal go through next season, making him a restricted free agent next summer.

But what kind of player is Dorwart? We know he’s a 6-foot-1, 194-pound center that has scored 38 goals and 92 points in 111 games through his three years at Michigan State. But beyond the stat sheet, what is he?

On the March 21 episode of Daily Faceoff Live, Steven Ellis was talking at length about the upcoming pool of free agents from the NCAA and mentioned Dorwart off the top with some high praise.

“I’ll start with Karsen Dorwart out of Michigan State,” Ellis said. “This guy is probably the best two-way center of any of the college free agents there. He really controls the puck well. I saw him a couple times in person this year, and it felt like he was just involved at both ends of the ice. He’s not going to be a high-end producer, pretty much at any level, but I think he’s got the hockey sense and that defensive responsibility that you can plug and play him in different spots, and he’s going to perform.”

For some even further praise, we turn to Elite Prospect’s 2025 NCAA Free Agency Guide, where they touched on more of Dorwart’s pace of play.

“His feet and mind are always racing. He moves from defence to offence instantly, catching the puck and exploding toward the neutral zone, and plays a fast-paced, give-and-go style in transition. He can reach teammates by using his backhand, lobbing the puck above sticks, or slipping it under them. Not only is he a diverse passer, but his feeds always seem to have the right weight and angle, falling in the right spot for teammates.”

Taking in everything that experts have to say about the player, we come away with the impression that in the NHL, he can be one of those classic energetic forwards that run amuck and love forechecking more than anything, but will be in a bottom-six role. There is the possibility to be more, but as it normally is with NCAA free agents, the most you get out of them is just being a useful NHL player — nothing much more impactful than that.

No matter what, the Flyers are adding a very high-speed center who projects more to be an NHL player than some of the other available free agents from the NCAA this year. Can’t complain about that.