Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jack Nesbitt has officially committed to the University of Michigan ahead of the 2026-27 season, he announced on Instagram earlier Thursday.
This bit of news confirms earlier reports from Jeff Marek that the Flyers’ former first round pick from the 2025 NHL Entry Draft will indeed be making the switch from the OHL to the NCAA.
Nesbitt will be following in the footsteps of a lot of top Canadian junior players who have successfully made the switch from the CHL.
Some recent examples include Flyers prospect Porter Martone, who went from the Brampton Steelheads of the OHL to Michigan State last year, as well as expected first overall pick Gavin McKenna, who went from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL to Penn State.
Nesbitt was a surprise selection with the 12th overall pick, especially after the Flyers traded two first-round picks with Pittsburgh to make the jump. There were a lot of questions surrounding the pick and whether it was the right choice considering some of the names still on the board.
However, Nesbitt had a quietly good draft+1 season for Windsor in the OHL, where he scored 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games, a year after he notched 64 points in 65 games. He also added 7 goals and 10 points in 13 postseason contests this year.
Nesbitt had a slower start to the season than many had hoped for, but he turned things up as the Spitfires neared the playoffs, scoring 13 goals and 21 points in his final 18 games, which also included a 4-game goal streak to end the year that accounted for 7 tallies.
The 6’5” centre is still considered a raw talent but making the jump from the CHL to the NCAA should help tremendously. Over the last few years, the NCAA has proven to be one of – if not the best – developmental junior league.
The Flyers can attest to that claim as they were extremely satisfied with how Martone transitioned and developed his game into being more physical and multi-dimensional.
Nesbitt will be joining a Wolverines team that will be looking to improve on last year’s 31-8-1 record and double overtime defeat to Denver in the Frozen Four.
He will be joining Montréal Canadiens top prospect Michael Hage, who opted not to sign his ELC after the season ended as he wanted to return to the NCAA for one last hurrah in an attempt to avenge their tournament loss.
