Photo Credit: Vasili Gianarakos
The first round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft is now complete and what a whirlwind it was from the Philadelphia Flyers perspective.
In the days leading up to the draft there were various rumors stating that General Manager Danny Briere and the Flyers could attempt to move up into the top ten to pursue prospects they may highly regard.
Despite the rumblings that Philadelphia was interested in possibly trading up with Ottawa for the seventh overall pick and trading for Columbus’ fourth overall pick the Flyers were unable to move up in the first round of the draft.
It appears the asking prices to do so were far too high for the Flyers liking as well as many other organizations.
Additionally, GM Danny Briere mentioned in his media availability that the Flyers were aggressively exploring moving up in the draft; however, the rumors about the fourth and fifth picks were overblown. Once again this exhibits just how rare it is for teams with top ten selections to trade their picks.
Flyers Trade Down to 13th Overall and Select Jett Luchanko
Instead of moving up in the first round of the draft, surprisingly enough the Flyers moved back a selection to 13th overall and struck a deal with the Minnesota Wild in order to do so.
Philadelphia acquired the 13th overall pick and a 2025 third round pick, while Minnesota moved up a spot and selected Zeev Buium 12th overall.
The Flyers made this type of move to acquire an extra asset in the form of draft capital while still selecting the player they coveted with the 13th pick.
With the 13th pick in the first round the Flyers selected 17-year-old center, Jett Luchanko from the Guelph Storm of the OHL. Luchanko is listed at 5 ’11, 185 pounds and registered 74 points in 68 games for a Guelph team that did not surround him with much talent.
One of the most enticing aspects of Luchanko’s game is his skating ability. The talented center’s speed on the ice is extremely noticeable. The forward had the top registered speed amongst all players invited to this past year’s CHL top prospects game.
Primarily, his strong skating strides allow him to use bursts of acceleration to beat defenders in various manners while on the ice. Just his skating alone makes Luchanko a headache for opposing defensive units especially when in transition through the neutral zone and offensively.
Along with his top notch skating prowess Luchanko has strong hockey IQ and passing skills. The center’s high hockey IQ, skating speed and playmaking ability allows him to process the game at high speeds and create scoring opportunities for his teammates while doing so.
One final thing to note in relation to Luchanko and his potential upside is that he was one of the youngest players selected in this draft (Luchanko was born less than 30 days from the cutoff and was very close to being a draft eligible player for 2025).
As a result, it leaves even more room for Luchanko to continue to develop certain facets of his game moving forward such as his shot and finishing.
Flyers Trade their 32nd Overall Pick to the Oilers
In addition to their 13th overall pick Philadelphia had a second first-round pick (they acquired from Florida in the Claude Giroux trade) that was slated for 32nd overall.
Although it appeared that the Flyers were going to select at 32nd, they made another trade to secure similar value in the form of future draft capital.
The Philadelphia Flyers traded the final pick in the first round of the 2024 draft to the Edmonton Oilers for a conditional 2025 first round pick.
Edmonton’s pick is top 12 protected and if the draft pick falls within the top 12 of the 2025 draft, then it will be deferred to 2026.
With Philadelphia acquiring a 2025 first rounder they now have three first-round picks in the 2025 draft and a total of eight draft selections in the first three rounds of next year’s draft.
Subsequently, the Flyers appear to be focused on the 2025 draft as it could be one that restocks their prospect pipeline in many different areas.
Rounds Two through Seven
Moving ahead, rounds two through seven of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft are set to take place on Saturday, June 29th from Sphere, Las Vegas.
The Flyers currently have seven picks remaining in the draft stretching between the second and seventh rounds.
Interview Content from Day 1 of the Draft
Asked Flyers 13th overall pick Jett Luchanko about how important speed is to his game and how he creates offense:
Asked Philadelphia Flyers 13th overall pick Jett Luchanko about which NHLers he compares his game to and tries to mold his game after.
He stated Nick Suzuki:
Asked Philadelphia Flyers 13th overall pick Jett Luchanko about how important the defensive part of the game is to him:
Asked Flyers General Manager Danny Briere on the staff’s thought process behind trading the 12th overall pick and their selection of Jett Luchanko at 13th overall:
Asked Flyers General Manager, Danny Briere about the speed in Jett Luchanko’s game and how that played into their selection of the talented Center:
