Prospect Notes: Luchanko, Yurov, Marrelli
Flyers top center prospect Jett Luchanko spent most of the summer rehabbing a groin issue, Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. It kept him out of development camp and, depending on where he’s at in his recovery, may cause him to miss a chunk of rookie camp as well before full training camp gets underway next week. The team remains hopeful he’ll be able to participate in rookie camp, Hall says, although it only kicks off in three days.
This training camp cycle is an important one for Luchanko, who surprised many by making Philly’s NHL roster out of camp last season – just one month after his 18th birthday. The 5’11” pivot was the 13th overall pick in the 2024 draft and, after going pointless in four games for the Flyers, returned to juniors. He had 56 points in 46 games for the OHL’s Guelph Storm before finishing the season with Philly’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley, where he had six assists in seven playoff games.
That strong finish could be a stepping stone to another opening-night job for Luchanko, who the Flyers likely prefer to have in a professional environment based on their generous usage of him thus far in his development. That would mean another NHL stint – the proposed exception to the NHL-CHL transfer agreement that bars him from reporting to Lehigh Valley on a full-time basis isn’t expected to be approved before the start of the season.
There’s more on some other notable NHL up-and-comers:
- On the heels of signing his entry-level contract and his anticipated NHL debut this fall, Wild 2022 first-rounder Danila Yurov spoke to The Athletic’s Michael Russo about his offseason preparation. The 21-year-old forward arrived in North America from Russia in mid-July and has been living in New York with one of his U.S.-based agents, he said. He’s been making friends and training with several NY-based NHLers, including Ducks marquee trade pickup Chris Kreider and star Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. The lengthy acclimation period will hopefully boost his chances of making an impact in his rookie season after posting a 34-40–74 scoring line in 108 KHL games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk over the past two seasons.
- Blue Jackets defense prospect Luca Marrelli will be out until at least mid-December after having offseason shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear, general manager Don Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. The 19-year-old righty signed his entry-level contract midway through last season and, thanks to his October birthday, will be making his pro debut with AHL Cleveland whenever he returns to health. A 2024 third-round pick, he had an offensive explosion with OHL Oshawa last season, posting 74 points in 67 games before leading his team in playoff scoring with a 6-30–36 line in just 21 appearances. He was named to the CHL’s Third All-Star Team, the OHL’s Second All-Star Team, and led the league in playoff assists.
Latest On Tyson Foerster
The Philadelphia Flyers are at risk to start the season without top winger Tyson Foerster, after an elbow injury he sustained at the World Championships became infected. Foerster underwent surgery earlier this month and will further receive a follow-up MRI next week that should make his timeline clearer, per NHL.com’s Kevin Kurz.
The Flyers would have a major role to fill in Foerster wasn’t ready for the start of the year. He found a comfortable role on the team’s second-line and second-power play unit, but routinely stepped up as an X-factor for the team’s offense. He finished the season with 25 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Only Matvei Michkov (26) scored more goals than Foerster. The two could very well directly compete for top-line minutes next season, though Michkov would assume the runway should Foerster miss time.
Despite a potential top-six hole to fill, Kurz adds that Philadelphia likely won’t turn towards a veteran free agent for insurance. Instead, he expects they’ll lean on some of their young prospects, or a potential professional try-out during training camp. Philadelphia has a long list of top prospects who could win out an NHL role at training camp, headlined by Porter Martone, Jett Luchanko, and Alex Bump.
All three forward could offer interesting upside in Philadelphia’s bottom-six. The Flyers drafted Martone with the sixth-overall pick this year. He’s long been lauded as one of the top wingers in his age group, and managed 98 points in 57 OHL games this season, while serving as the Bramtpon Steelheads’ captain. He also appeared in three games at the World Junior Championship and two at the World Championships. His aggression and puck-handling could warrant a chance to make an immediate impact.
Luchanko did as much last year, making the Flyers’ roster out of camp and playing through his first four NHL games before being reassigned to the OHL. He went on to score 56 points in 46 games as the captain of the Guelph Storm. He finished his year with 16 games, and nine points, in the AHL. Luchanko more often fills the center role, but can be rotated to right-wing. He’d be a hard-nosed addition to Philadelphia’s mix of skill in the bottom-six.
Bump may offer the most unique upside, though. The left-wing is coming off a starring role in Western Michigan University’s run to their first NCAA National Championship. He recorded 23 goals, 47 points, and a plus-11 in 42 games during the run. It was a major step up after Bump scored 36 points in 38 games as a freshman last year. He finished his season with five points across nine games with Lehigh Valley. He’s a former fifth-round pick, compared to first-rounders Martone and Luchanko, but could make the same push with the momentum of a strong season.
All three young forwards would have to earn their jump to the NHL roster with an impressive training camp. Should they underwhelm, the Flyers are hopeful enough about Foerster’s outlook to not look beyond a minor addition. That will set Foerster up for a clear return to the Flyers’ top-six as soon as he’s back to full health. He faces an uphill battle in repeating his 17.6 shooting percentage from last season, but he has a track record of finding more goals than assists. He scored 20 goals and 33 points in 77 games as a rookie in 2023-24, with a 12.0 shooting percentage.
Flyers Assign Jett Luchanko To AHL
The Flyers announced Thursday that they’ve assigned top center prospect Jett Luchanko to AHL Lehigh Valley to finish the season. His major junior campaign with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League is over after they failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Selected 13th overall in last year’s draft, Luchanko was a surprise inclusion on Philadelphia’s opening night roster after a strong training camp. He appeared in four of Philly’s first five games of the season, going without a point and posting a minus-three rating. The 18-year-old did well in the dot for such a young player, winning 17 of 37 draws (45.9 FO%), but didn’t have good possession impacts at even strength (39.5 CF%, 43.8 xGF%).
Clearly in need of more development time, the Flyers’ only option was to return Luchanko to juniors. He won’t be eligible for a full-time AHL assignment, at least while the OHL season is going on, until the 2026-27 season. The 5’11” righty put up a solid performance captaining a conference-worst Guelph squad, posting 21-35–56 in 46 games to lead the team in points per game. He posted a minus-three rating that stands out in a good way on a team with a -75 goal differential and also scored once in five games for Canada at the World Juniors.
Luchanko is the No. 2 prospect in the Flyers’ system and the 50th-ranked prospect in the NHL, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic. He’ll get his first taste of minor-league hockey over the coming weeks before looking to repeat a strong camp performance en route to cracking the Flyers’ opening night roster for a second time in 2025-26.
Flyers Return Jett Luchanko To OHL
Few expected prospect center Jett Luchanko to make Philadelphia’s roster in training camp but his training camp performance allowed him to do exactly that. However, the team has decided that returning to junior is the best move for development; the team announced that they’ve assigned him to OHL Guelph. GM Daniel Briere released the following statement on the move:
The decision to send Jett back is something we strongly believe is the right path for him and his development. His work-ethic, preparedness and play during training camp and preseason was something we were extremely impressed with and felt he earned the right to make our roster and start the season with us. Ultimately, we feel it is more valuable for Jett to be put in the best possible position to prepare himself for an NHL career, and right now that is with his team in Guelph.
The 18-year-old had a strong showing with the Storm last season, notching 20 goals and 54 assists in 68 regular season games along with three assists in four playoff appearances. That had him rated by many outlets as a first-round pick outside of the lottery. But the Flyers felt differently about his upside, ultimately selecting him 13th overall, signing him to an entry-level contract less than two weeks later.
Luchanko got into four preseason games with Philadelphia, picking up two assists and playing his way onto the opening roster. He suited up in four regular season contests as well – making him the youngest player in the league – but was held off the scoresheet while playing just over 14 minutes per game on average. However, after being scratched for three of their seven games, it seemed likely that he’d eventually return to junior where he can play significant minutes in all situations and push for a spot at the World Juniors in December.
Since Luchanko won’t get into ten or more NHL contests this season, his contract won’t officially begin this season after all and he will still have three years remaining on it with a slightly lower cap hit heading into 2025-26. The Flyers now have one vacancy on their active roster and can either promote someone from AHL Lehigh Valley to fill it or operate with 22 players for the time being.
Jett Luchanko To Begin Season In Flyers’ Top Nine
Center Jett Luchanko is projected to start the 2024-25 season in the Flyers’ top nine after officially cracking the opening night roster Monday. The rookie pivot has most recently taken rushes as Philadelphia’s third-line center between Bobby Brink and Joel Farabee, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor.
Barring injury, when Luchanko makes his NHL debut in the Flyers’ season opener against the Canucks on Friday, he’ll be the youngest player ever to appear in a regular-season game for the franchise, relays Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The 13th overall pick in this summer’s draft didn’t have his 18th birthday until late August.
It’s not like he was given a spot on a silver platter, either. Luchanko will start the season in a higher role than more established third-line center options like Noah Cates and Scott Laughton. All signs point to Laughton starting in a fourth-line role with Cates in the press box, while his emergence in camp also forced Philly to expose roster hopeful Olle Lycksell to the waiver wire.
Luchanko checks in at 5’11” and 187 lbs and plays a well-rounded game offensively. He’s regarded as defensively sound, although not in an overtly physical way. His point production in juniors last season was strong at 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games with the OHL’s Guelph Storm, but few, if any, expected him to contend for an NHL roster spot this early in his development. He signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers back in early July.
The Flyers can still return Luchanko to Guelph after nine NHL appearances without burning the first year of his ELC. He can’t head to AHL Lehigh Valley this season on a full-time basis, only for a few games on a conditioning stint if he meets those requirements. Even if Luchanko plays more than nine NHL games this year, Philadelphia can still return him to the Storm later on – they’ll just still burn the first year of his contract.
Luchanko will be a lock for Canada’s World Junior roster in December if the Flyers make him available. For Guelph, it’s the second year in a row they’ve unexpectedly lost their top center to an NHL club – the Bruins’ Matthew Poitras unexpectedly cracked their opening night roster last year and remained in the NHL for the entire season.
East Notes: Luchanko, Panarin, Guhle
Some thought the Flyers took too big a swing at this year’s draft when selecting center Jett Luchanko with the No. 13 overall pick. They’ve been impressed by the 18-year-old pivot so far in camp, though. Assistant coach Rocky Thompson told Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports on Thursday that Luchanko has “opened our eyes” as one of the biggest risers thus far.
Line rushes now still indicate it’s unlikely that Luchanko begins his post-draft season on the Flyers’ NHL roster. However, the well-rounded center prospect has perhaps accelerated his timeline to NHL minutes with a potential nine-game trial (or longer) in store for him in 2025-26. He’ll likely get one or two more games worth of preseason action before being returned to his junior team, the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He had a team-leading 74 points (20 G, 54 A) in 68 games last season with a -13 rating.
More notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Rangers star Artemi Panarin still carries a day-to-day designation with a lower-body injury and won’t play in Thursday’s game against the Bruins, per The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. But the high-flying winger did skate today and doesn’t project to miss much more time. He was hurt in Tuesday’s 6-4 win over the Islanders, a game that also saw defenseman Ryan Lindgren sustain a longer-term upper-body injury that has his availability for the beginning of the regular season in doubt.
- Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle skated Thursday morning for the first time since having his appendix removed on Sep. 18, the team said. He’s now listed as day-to-day and could see action over the course of Montreal’s four remaining preseason contests. There’s no indication he’ll still be hampered by the time their regular-season opener hits on Oct. 9 against the Maple Leafs.
Flyers Sign Jett Luchanko To Entry-Level Contract
The Philadelphia Flyers have put pen to paper with their first-round pick of the 2024 NHL Draft as the team announced it had signed forward Jett Luchanko to a three-year, entry-level contract. Luchanko was the 13th overall pick of last week’s draft and the Flyers organization did not seem comfortable letting him walk away from the team’s development camp without a deal in place.
Luchanko’s immediate attribute whenever he hits the ice is his energy. During his time in the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm Luchanko is consistently seen tailing opposition players with the puck and transitioning the play into offense. Throughout his second year in the Storm program, Luchanko scored 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games while leading his team in all major offensive categories.
Even though he consistently steals pucks from his opponents, Luchanko appears to be in their good graces as he won the OHL’s William Hanley Trophy as the league’s most sportsmanlike player. Outside of the regular season, Luchanko has been unable to generate much playoff production as he’s tallied four assists over 10 postseason contests throughout his major junior career. The young forward is bound to return to Guelph for the 2024-25 OHL season as he could still use some seasoning before turning professional.
Luchanko also has some experience at the international level as he suited up for Team Canada in the 2024 Under-18 World Junior Championships. The London, Ontario native quickly became one of the top players in the tournament as he scored two goals and seven points in seven games en route to Team Canada winning their first gold medal since the tournament in 2021.