Flyers’ Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk Make Stanley Cup Playoffs Debut
The Philadelphia Flyers have made a surprising move in an attempt to avoid a second round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookies Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk made their Stanley Cup Playoff debut when the Flyers took the ice, playing over healthy scratches Matvei Michkov and Emil Andrae. Luchanko and Bonk now make 13 Flyers to play the first Stanley Cup Playoff game of their career in this postseason per NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman.
Philadelphia scratched Michkov in Game 5 of their first round win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has continued to underwhelm in four games back in the lineup since, still sat at just one point in the first eight playoff games of his NHL career. Luchanko will try to be the difference-maker in just his ninth NHL game. He began the season captaining the OHL’s Guelph Storm, then served as the two-way backbone to the all-out-offense of the Brantford Bulldogs after a mid-season trade. Luchanko ended the year with a combined 43 points in 38 games, a slight step down from the points-per-game pace he managed last year (56 points in 46 games) but still more than his 2023-24 season (74 points in 68 games). He has proved to be a tireless worker who can make a difference in the dirty areas of the ice – a knack that could make him a jammer in the Hurricanes’ breakouts.
Bonk played through his first season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year. He had quiet results on both sides of the puck, finishing the year with 19 points and a minus-14 in 46 AHL games. It was an underwhelming introduction after a productive, two-way showing in three OHL seasons. Bonk curbed expectations when he scored one goal and one assist in the Flyers’ season finale and his NHL debut. He seemed to move with a bit more confidence on NHL ice and could stand as an X-factor puck-mover if he finds the same spark on playoff ice.
Whether they win or lose, the Flyers will face tough questions on the other side of the postseason. Michkov, the 2023 seventh-overall pick, has been benched twice in his first playoff run despite reaching 20 goals and 51 points in 81 games during the regular season. His 114 points in 161 games is the highest points-per-game from a U22 Flyers skater in the last 10 years. He has clear upside, though Philadelphia will have to find a way to bring it out – a task that could become even tougher if Luchanko can flex his might in the postseason.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Jett Luchanko
The Philadelphia Flyers announced that top prospect Jett Luchanko has been recalled from his OHL team, the Brantford Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs recently lost in game seven of the OHL’s Eastern Conference Final to the Barrie Colts, ending their season. That has freed Luchanko to join the Flyers as a (likely) reserve player. The Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, did not qualify for the postseason.
The Flyers have lost the first two games of their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, and a loss tomorrow would push them to the brink of elimination. As a result, it is highly unlikely Luchanko actually gets to dress for games on this recall, but there is nonetheless some value in him getting the chance to join the Flyers in the midst of their run.
The 19-year-old is one of Philadelphia’s very best prospects. He was selected No. 13 overall at the 2024 draft, and has made the Flyers’ main roster out of training camp in back-to-back seasons. Each year, Luchanko has been reassigned back to junior hockey after playing in four NHL games.
Luchanko didn’t have the best season in the OHL this year, scoring 50 points in 53 combined regular-season and playoff contests across two different OHL teams. It’s not always the best sign for such a highly-drafted forward prospect to be scoring at below a point-per-game rate in the CHL a full two years after he was drafted, but Luchanko’s game has always been about more than just scoring. Elite Prospects, who ranked Luchanko as the No. 30 prospect in the NHL entering the season, called the forward a “mature defensive player” and “high-floor prospect.”
Now, as his junior season has come to a close, Luchanko will get the chance to soak in as much as he can by joining the Flyers for their playoff run.
Flyers’ Jett Luchanko Traded In OHL
For the second season in a row, Flyers center Jett Luchanko was returned to his junior team weeks after making Philadelphia’s opening night roster. Unlike last season, though, the 19-year-old pivot won’t be finishing the year with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. They’ve dealt their captain to the Brantford Bulldogs for draft-eligible center Layne Gallacher and four draft picks, the team announced.
The Storm moving Luchanko was a foregone conclusion. Whether the 2024 No. 13 overall pick will be a fixture on the Flyers next season remains to be seen, but it is known that this is his last year in junior hockey. It’s either the NHL or the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms for Luchanko in 2025-26. Guelph, which hasn’t advanced past the first round of the OHL playoffs since winning the championship in 2019 and missed them entirely last season, was recently awarded the 2027 Memorial Cup. Given they’ll need to put up a competitive performance at the end of next season against the OHL, QMJHL, and WHL champions, the immediate expectation was that Luchanko would be exchanged for a haul of assets that they could use to improve their outlook for 2026-27.
For his part, Luchanko took the demotion back to Guelph and his impending departure in stride. Despite playing in only 11 of their 24 games so far, the playmaking pivot had already rocketed up to third on the team in scoring with two goals and 15 assists for 17 points.
Luchanko has been one of the OHL’s best playmakers since his draft year despite toiling on an otherwise weak Guelph roster. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Luchanko’s 104 assists in 125 games rank 13th in the league. Among players with at least 100 appearances during that time, his 1.18 points per game rank 18th.
The 5’11” center was viewed by most as a reach at 13th overall, but the Flyers have been impressed enough with his early development to give him a pair of four-game trials before sending him back to Guelph. His stat line was the same each time: no points with a -3 rating. He’s totaled four shots on goal and eight hits while going 48.3% in the faceoff dot and averaging 11:31 per game.
It’ll be particularly interesting to see how much Luchanko’s production takes off in Brantford. Now in his DY+2, a major explosion should be expected – particularly on a Bulldogs offense that already boasts the league’s two leading scorers in Kraken prospect Jake O’Brien (9-31–40 in 21 GP) and Wild draftee Adam Benák (13-25–38 in 21 GP). That’s not their only star power, either. Their roster now includes five first-round picks: O’Brien, Luchanko, Chicago’s Marek Vanacker, St. Louis’ Adam Jiříček, and Toronto’s Ben Danford.
As such, the Bulldogs have yet to lose a game in regulation. They’re 18-0-5 through 23 games and are the overwhelming favorite to take home both the OHL title and the Memorial Cup at season’s end. Since being established as the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2015-16, they’ve won the OHL title twice – 2018 and 2022 – but didn’t manage to convert either of those into a Memorial Cup victory.
Metropolitan Notes: Panarin, Brazeau, Luchanko, Brown
At a time when several prominent pending unrestricted free agents have re-signed, one of the notable exceptions is Rangers winger Artemi Panarin. It doesn’t appear that will be changing anytime soon. In his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link), Pierre LeBrun reports that the sense is that New York isn’t in a particular hurry to engage in discussions, wanting to better assess how they’re faring under new head coach Mike Sullivan. Panarin just turned 34 so there’s a good chance this will be his final contract, meaning term will be important. If the Rangers aren’t willing to offer up a longer-term pact, Panarin could find himself the subject of plenty of trade speculation leading up to the trade deadline in March.
More from the Metropolitan:
- Penguins winger Justin Brazeau is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, relays team broadcaster Josh Getzoff (Twitter link). The 27-year-old has been one of Pittsburgh’s top offensive performers in the early going this season, collecting six goals and six assists in his first dozen games. That outcome was something few would have seen coming considering he entered the campaign with just 29 points in 95 career NHL games. He has provided plenty of value already in the first season of a two-year, $3MM contract but that will be on hold for now.
- The Flyers recently sent center Jett Luchanko back to junior but if the youngster has his way, he’ll be on the move again. Kevin Kurz of The Athletic mentions (subscription link) that the 19-year-old is hoping to be moved from his current OHL team in Guelph, with an eye on joining Brantford, an early-season contender. Luchanko, the 13th pick in 2024, has made Philadelphia’s roster out of training camp in each of the last two seasons but this time, he only got into four games before being sent back to the Storm where he had an assist in his first outing back with them.
- Devils winger Connor Brown will miss tonight’s game against Los Angeles with an undisclosed injury, notes team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear he’ll be out too long as he’s listed as day-to-day. Brown is off to a strong start in his first season with New Jersey, picking up five goals and an assist through his first 11 games.
Flyers Assign Jett Luchanko To OHL
For a second-straight year, Jett Luchanko‘s time with the Philadelphia Flyers is cut short after only four appearances. Earlier today, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported that the Flyers would be assigning Luchanko to the OHL’s Guelph Storm today, and Philadelphia subsequently confirmed the news.
Luchanko’s reassignment can’t be described as anything other than disappointing for the Flyers. The team drafted Luchanko with the 13th overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he surprisingly made the team’s roster out of training camp last year.
Still, with little expectations of him sticking around, the team assigned him to OHL Guelph after going scoreless in four games with a -3 rating. He was mostly productive in his return to Guelph, scoring 21 goals and 56 points in 46 games as the team’s captain. Unfortunately, the Storm finished with a 21-38-5-4 record, missing out on the playoffs.
After another year of growth, Luchanko again made the Flyers’ roster out of training camp, this time under a new head coach. This time around, his performance was arguably worse.
Again being reassigned after four games, Luchanko again went scoreless with a -3 rating. He averaged nearly five minutes less a night under Rick Tocchet, primarily centering the team’s fourth line when in the lineup. Despite being reassigned today, Luchanko hasn’t suited up for Philadelphia since October 20th.
There was some concern earlier in the year about returning him to Guelph, largely because the team wasn’t expected to be competitive this year. However, although it’s still relatively early in the 2025-26 campaign, the Storm are 6-5-2-0 through their first 13 games, holding onto the final playoff spot in the OHL’s Western Conference.
Luchanko made it apparent that he’s not ready for much responsibility at the NHL level. Although he is likely better suited for developmental time in the AHL, he has not yet reached the age where that is permissible. Still, given that the team signed Tocchet to a multi-year deal this offseason, there might be some concern about Luchanko’s overall future in the organization, given his subpar first impression.
Metropolitan Notes: Luchanko, Gostisbehere, Wood
With his usage being limited thus far, the odds of Jett Luchanko spending the full season with the Flyers are dropping. However, Daily Faceoff’s Anthony DiMarco suggests that Philadelphia will at least look to drag the decision out a little longer by assigning him to AHL Lehigh Valley on a conditioning stint at some point. While he’s ineligible to play for the Phantoms full-time, he is allowed to play on a conditioning stint for up to two weeks. Luchanko won’t officially burn the first year of his entry-level deal until he plays in ten NHL games this season. He’s at four so between his five games he can still play without starting the deal and a possible conditioning stint, he could remain with the Flyers for a while yet before returning to junior.
More from the Metropolitan:
- While the hope was that Shayne Gostisbehere’s lower-body injury wasn’t serious, it will hold him out for at least the next two games. The Hurricanes announced that they have sent him back to Raleigh for further evaluation, meaning he will miss the last two games of their road trip. The 32-year-old got off to a hot start before the injury, picking up a goal and six assists in his first five games this season, notching at least one point in his first four outings.
- There’s a chance that Blue Jackets winger Miles Wood could return by the end of the month, reports Aaron Portzline of The Athletic (subscription link). The 30-year-old was injured a little more than a week ago after taking a high stick to the eye. GM Don Waddell indicated that Wood is now able to see out of that eye but that further testing is required once all of the blood clears. That testing will ultimately determine if he’s able to come back quickly or if he’ll be out longer term.
East Notes: Luchanko, Benson, Slavin
According to a new article from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, the Philadelphia Flyers aren’t expected to retain Jett Luchanko for the duration of the season if he doesn’t rise out of a fourth-line role. While Philadelphia’s front office believes Luchanko could “hold his own” in a bottom-six role, they will need to see a breakout from him if they’re to keep him beyond the nine-game threshold, which would burn the first year off of his entry-level contract.
The breakout the Flyers were expecting to see hasn’t come yet. The former 13th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft has gone scoreless through his first two games of the season, averaging 8:15 of ice time. Still, it’s difficult to see a pathway upward for Luchanko even if he does perform better, especially if they’re adamant on keeping him at the center position.
There’s little chance of the Flyers breaking up the line of Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink, which has become a solid identity line for the team. The Flyers could conceivably move Trevor Zegras back to the wing, though they were steadfast in their belief that he could be a center when they acquired him this past summer. Further, given his defensive value and play in the faceoff dot, they’re unlikely to isolate Sean Couturier to fourth-line minutes.
Given the situation in front of him and the minimal time to accomplish such a task, it’s more than likely that Philadelphia will reassign Luchanko back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm in the next week or two. Unfortunately, despite his unenviable situation, he wouldn’t be entering a better situation in Guelph. Although he’d command far more playing time, the Storm aren’t expected to be a competitive team this season.
Other notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Although he wasn’t put on the team’s injured reserve to start the season, Zach Benson has yet to make his debut with the Buffalo Sabres this year. That’s expected to change tomorrow. According to Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, Benson is likely to enter the lineup tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately, unless he has found another offensive level to his game, Benson shouldn’t be expected to help with the Sabres’ offensive woes to begin the campaign. Through his first two years, he’s scored 21 goals and 58 points in 146 games, averaging 14:40 of ice time.
- Yesterday, the Carolina Hurricanes announced that defenseman Jaccob Slavin is suffering from a lower-body injury, but were relatively vague regarding the severity. Today, in a small update, head coach Rod Brind’Amour said, “He went for some more testing. I think we’re just going to keep him out for a while. I don’t think it’s super serious, but he doesn’t quite feel right. So, for right now, he’s not on this trip.“
Jett Luchanko To Make Flyers’ Opening Night Roster
For the second straight season, 2024 No. 13 overall pick Jett Luchanko will break camp with the Flyers, general manager Daniel Brière told reporters, including Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports.
Last year, Luchanko’s stay was brief. The 5’11” center was freshly 18 and only made four appearances, going pointless with a -3 rating, before the club returned him to the OHL’s Guelph Storm by the end of October. The situation might be the same this time around, Brière cautioned. He said that Luchanko making the team “doesn’t mean he’ll stay all year” and that he “has to earn his ice time,” according to O’Connor.
While those kinds of comments would generally mean a loan to the minors for a prospect in need of ice time, that’s not something the Flyers can do. Luchanko is still 19 and, according to the terms of the NHL’s transfer agreement with the three CHL leagues, must be returned to Guelph if he’s not on the Flyers’ active roster, unless it’s for a conditioning stint. Brière told O’Connor that the club’s wanting to keep Luchanko with their own development staff for longer, rather than sending him to the Storm, was a factor.
Luchanko was a late riser in the 2024 class, but Philly is still happy with their selection one year on. A non-top-10 pick making the team out of camp in his post-draft year is a rarity and a testament to Luchanko’s pro readiness, at least in the eyes of the Flyers’ staff. After the Flyers returned him to Guelph last year, he assumed the captaincy and dominated offensively with a 21-35–56 scoring line in 41 games on one of the league’s worst squads.
Luchanko is technically still a rookie because he played under 25 games last season. He’ll be one of two rookie forwards to break camp with the club alongside winger Nikita Grebenkin, who Philadelphia acquired from the Maple Leafs in last year’s Scott Laughton trade. The latter could be the beneficiary of greater ice time out of the gate – he’s spent a good chunk of camp as a wingman for Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny and could get a long look in the top six to begin the season as a result.
Snapshots: Blues Training Camp, Kolosov, Luchanko
The St. Louis Blues enter the 2025-26 season with the clear goal of returning to the postseason and building off of their 96-point performance from 2024-25. With Blues training camp set to begin next week, The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford shed some light on the key lineup and roster decisions the club’s decision-makers are likely to ponder over the course of the team’s preseason process. The most consequential lineup position up for grabs that Rutherford identified was the first-line winger spot alongside star center Robert Thomas and key veteran winger Pavel Buchnevich. Former University of Minnesota star Jimmy Snuggerud is considered the front-runner for the role, in part due to his performance late last season when he posted eight points in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games. According to Rutherford, 2020 first-round pick Jake Neighbours, fresh off a career-best 22-goal, 46-point campaign, is another name in the mix for that spot.
Another lineup spot Rutherford identified as up for grabs this preseason is the third-line role vacated by Zachary Bolduc, who the team dealt to Montreal in exchange for blueliner Logan Mailloux. Bolduc had a stellar 19-goal rookie campaign, and his tenacity and scoring instincts could prove difficult to replace. Rutherford named veteran Nick Bjugstad, whom the Blues signed to a two-year, $1.75MM AAV deal this summer, as a potential fit for the spot. Bugstad, 33, is just one year removed from a strong 22-goal, 45-point season. According to Rutherford, he’ll likely have to fend off challenges from players such as 2023 10th overall pick Dalibor Dvorsky and veteran wingers Mathieu Joseph and Alexandre Texier to win the job.
In other news from across the NHL:
- Philadelphia Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones told reporters in his press conference yesterday that the team expects Aleksei Kolosov to report for training camp, and today, The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz confirmed that Kolosov will indeed do so. Kurz reported that Kolosov, 23, is now in Philadelphia, ready to compete for a spot with the Flyers. Kolosov’s placement in the organization was a point of contention last season, and ultimately, the netminder played in 17 NHL games with the Flyers and 12 AHL games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Entering his second full campaign in North America, the former Dinamo Minsk starter will need to have a strong training camp and preseason to erase the memory of his .867 NHL save percentage and beat out either incumbent starter Samuel Ersson or offseason addition Daniel Vladar for an NHL job.
- Yesterday, it was reported that Flyers 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko was being held out of the start of the club’s rookie camp for precautionary reasons. Today, there has been an update on Luchanko’s status, with Kurz reporting that the young center is now expected to miss the entirety of the team’s rookie camp. Kurz added that Luchanko is also expected to be ready to return to the ice for the start of the club’s full training camp, and it is there that he will attempt to make the team’s opening-night roster for a second season in a row. Luchanko played in four games for the Flyers to start 2024-25 before he was reassigned to the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
Rookie Camp Notes: Tinordi, Luchanko, Molendyk
Although he’s a year removed from playing with the team, there’s some speculation that defenseman Jarred Tinordi could return to the Chicago Blackhawks this fall on a professional tryout agreement. According to Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio, Tinordi was on the ice before the first day of Chicago’s rookie camp in full team equipment.
Tinordi played for the Blackhawks from 2022 to 2024, primarily as a spot defenseman during the team’s ongoing rebuild, which involved phasing in young talent. Throughout two years with Chicago, Tinordi scored two goals and 17 points in 96 games with a -44 rating, averaging 16:01 of ice time per night. He provided some value with his ability to block shots and his physicality, but his spot on the roster became void as the Blackhawks continued to graduate their prospects.
Failing to find another opportunity at the NHL level, the former first-round pick spent the season with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers, affiliated with the Calgary Flames. In his first AHL action in two years, Tinordi recorded one goal and five points in 30 games with a +5 rating.
Other notes from rookie camp:
- A few days ago, it was reported that Jett Luchanko, who’s been recovering from a groin injury throughout the summer, may miss a few days of the Philadelphia Flyers’ rookie camp as he continues to rehab. Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reported earlier that Luchanko was not on the ice for the first day of Flyers’ rookie camp, but that isn’t expected to last much longer. Sharing an update from General Manager Daniel Brière, Kevin Kurz of The Athletic reported that Luchanko’s absence today was purely precautionary, and even if he can’t participate in rookie camp, he’ll be a full attendee at training camp.
- In an unfortunate incident at the Nashville Predators’ rookie camp, prospect defenseman Tanner Molendyk left the ice and didn’t return partway through practice. Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean reported that Molendyk ran into the open stanchion after delivering a hit and left after spending some time on the bench. Daugherty cautioned that Molendyk’s departure from practice is likely precautionary, but it’s a situation worth monitoring since Molendyk is one of Nashville’s top prospects.