The Flyers went off board a bit and drafted Jett Luchanko with the 13th overall pick, after trading the 12th pick at the draft. Some were thinking and scratching their heads…who in the World is that??? While replaying Michael Buffer “Let’s get ready to rumble.”
Luchanko turned 17 on August 21, 2023. He stands at 5’11 and weighs in at 187lbs, according to Mark Scheig of the Hockey Writer’s who attended the Scouting Combine. This is somewhat of a raw build for a pro hockey player and gives him a bit of room should he want to add strength this Summer. Fans could get their first opportunity to see him at Developmental Camp on Tuesday, “The way he plays, the way he works. He’s a complete player first of all. He’s very young still,” said Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere. “What he did and how he got better and better as the season went on. We feel that ‘yes, he’s a center.’ We feel he’s just starting to tap his potential. We’re really excited about him.”
Now why did the Flyers pass on Buium, “I think Zeev Buium is gonna be a great player, and he’s someone we considered strongly, but with Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae at some point. It gets tough to go with the smaller guy, but he’s a fantastic player,” Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere said last night.
It appears that speed could have played a factor, as well, forward wise. The top brass has heard it before, the Flyers just look slow, well Jett Luchanko is a speedster with top six potential if he reaches those heights, “He’s going to be able to log heavy minutes because of his skating and conditioning,” Briere said to our very own Vasili Gianarakos last night following the first round of the draft.
There is no denying the Flyers had a need down the middle. It should also be noted that Buium has the same agent as Cutter Gauthier.
