Photo Credit: Our very own Rob Windfelder
The Flyers first round selection of Jett Luchanko “The Speedster” is exactly what the doctor ordered. One can watch tape after tape on him. Other teams had their eyes set on Luchanko, as well, and the main reason is his speed. He doesn’t shy away from physicality, as he gets to the dirty areas to pry away the puck.
One thing that he’s become apparently good at is the pace of the game. Flyers’ Head Coach John Tortorella praised Luchanko with playing a good pace yesterday, “He continues to skate,” said Tortorella. Tortorella sure didn’t seem like a guy that was ready to cut Luchanko anytime soon. He said that the guys overall have been affected with pace, but one guy that hasn’t been affected and does a good job with the pace of the game is Luchanko.
Luchanko turned 18 on August 21, 2024. He stands at 5’11 and weighs in at 187 pounds. He is a native of London, ON, CAN, and really is making a name for himself at training camp. Not only is he excellent at the skating drills, he’s ramping things up physicality wise. He is proving he can handle himself against men.
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He had a wonderful game against the Washington Capitals. Luchanko played well at both ends of the ice, and he created offense. He made some nice little poke checks, back checked well, any registered two assists. Luchanko is elusive, and that was made evident on a Sunday afternoon. Since then, his totals offensively have dipped, but it’s not for lack of effort. Sure, he hasn’t popped since the first pre-season game, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t doing the little things well.
Luchanko says he wants to further developing his shot. He has elite speed, now couple that with a good shot and he becomes that much harder to play against, “It’s definitely something that I want to work on and get better at.” Luchanko said at Developmental Camp. “For me, it’s just trying to work on the total package.”
Here in the next few days they will have a tough decision to make, either send Luchanko back to the Guelph Storm, or keep him up with the big club for at the very least a nine-game tryout, before they burn a year of his ELC (Entry-Level-Contract).
These are some good, tough decisions to make. On one hand, it would be great to see him further develop in the OHL for a full season, but at the moment he is earning a rightful nine game tryout. There really isn’t anything to lose on the Flyers end if they choose the nine game tryout route. Luchanko would get his NHL debut out of the way, and maybe he could help elevate this team on the road for the first five games.
Now more on the player in Luchanko. The Flyers ended up coming away with the guy they wanted all along, per Danny Briere. Luchanko was one guy the Flyers wanted, and had eyes for as Briere noted to our very own Vasili Gianarakos after the first round was complete. They loved his shot, hands, size, and more importantly his skating abilities.
Luchanko has a high motor, and can turn the jets on when he wants to. He has a high-end hockey IQ, which cannot be taught. His vision of the ice is impeccable. “Jett’s a player we are really excited about. A centerman who brings speed, very smart and very detailed at both ends of the rink. As he gets stronger, he’s going to be more and more dynamic. We’re really excited about his potential,” said Brent Flahr, Vice President and Assistant General Manager following the draft.
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This young man can score too, it’s not just about his skating abilities. Yes, he’s an elite skater, but he has good hands too. He netted 20 goals last season, so he has the knack for the net a bit. How this will turn out as anyone’s guess, but the future is bright for Luchanko.
Cal Petersen
Cal Petersen was placed on waivers yesterday. He wasn’t at practice yesterday, and when he clears waivers at 2pm there is a possibility he could play in tonight ‘s final exhibition game against the New Jersey Devils.
Other Camp notes
John Tortorella says the Flyers will not bring eight defensemen with them on the opening road trip, “I don’t want to bring 8 because someone is sitting that should be playing.”
Tortorella is disappointed with some of the other young defensemen, not named Emil Andrae, that they haven’t made the decision for them. He said Adam Ginning had a bad camp, but he seemed a bit disappointed with Ronnie Attard, Oliver Bonk, Ethan Samson, and Hunter McDonald.
