Two more Philadelphia Flyers prospects have been confirmed to be on the rosters of their respective nations for the upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan, raising the organization’s total in attendance to eight prospects.
Center Jack Berglund, a 2024 second-round pick, and center Heikki Ruohonen, a 2024 fourth-round pick, have been tapped to represent Sweden and Finland, respectively, at the 2024 Summer Showcase. The two 18-year-olds will be competing alongside fellow Flyers prospects Denver Barkey, Carson Bjarnason, Oliver Bonk, Jett Luchanko, and Carter Sotheran (Canada) and Noah Powell (United States).
Lassi Alanen, EliteProspects’s Director of European Scouting, confirmed Ruohonen’s participation in the Summer Showcase early on Tuesday morning in a post on X. A number of top Finnish players were excluded from the roster, including forwards Kasper Halttunen and Konsta Helenius and defenseman Aron Kiviharju.
If Helenius indeed does not play, it would pave a path to a glorious amount of playing time for Ruohonen. The Flyers prospect would slot in at center as Finland looks set to roll with some combination of Ruohonen, Aatos Koivu, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Julius Miettinen down the middle.
Berglund, too, should have a path to significant playing time for Sweden, as it appears 2023 first-round pick Otto Stenberg is the only center clearly ahead of him on the roster. Other notable forwards joining Berglund include Lucas Pettersson, Melvin Fernstrom, Zeb Forsfjall, and Linus Eriksson.
The Summer Showcase camp will run from July 26 to Aug. 3 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth and serves as a sort of preseason ahead of the 2025 World Junior Championships.
