VOORHEES, N.J. – Just minutes after the Flyers development camp ended on Saturday night, the team announced it had signed 2024 first-round draft pick Jett Luchanko to a three-year entry contract.
Following a spirited scrimmage between Team Jones and Team Briere at the Flyers Training Center, Luchanko expressed his good feelings about the new deal.
“It feels amazing,” Luchanko said. “It’s obviously a great organization. You know I’m happy to be locked in here and have them behind me the whole way.”
As for timing of the contract, Luchanko admitted he was caught a little off-guard.
“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit but I’m just kind of going with the flow here,” the London, Ontario, Canada native said. “And just enjoying every moment. I’m excited and happy to be a part of it.”
Just over a week ago, the Flyers made the surprise pick of Luchanko at No. 13 in the first-round after a trade which had them switching places with the Minnesota Wild.
“I went into it (the NHL Draft in Las Vegas) kind of not really knowing what was going to happen,” he said. “It’s definitely been a bit of a whirlwind.”
Luchanko said he had fun in the scrimmage, which was won by Team Jones by a score of 7-3.
“It was a good game, a fun game,” he said. “The pace was really high, a lot of good players out there and a lot of good plays made.
“I’m going to work on everything (the rest of the summer). It’s tough to make it in this league. It’s going to take a lot of work. That’s the biggest thing they (the Flyers) want, keep putting in the work. Good things come from it.”
Assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who oversees player development, said he was more than satisfied with Luchanko’s performance in camp.
“The more you get to know him the drive that he has,” Flahr said. “He’s got kind of a quiet intensity about him, the way he conducts himself off the ice.
“This is summer hockey but you probably saw the details to his game. His speed, the skill that he has. Just a very mature game for a young player.”
The Flyers had Luchanko ranked much higher than Central Scouting, which had him 20th, and The Hockey News (29th).
“He’s a guy that just skyrocketed up the rankings the second half of the year,” Flahr said. “Anybody who’s ever coached him, been around him, has just raved about him – his approach to the game, how he handled himself on and off the ice.
“I think that lends to dramatic improvement moving forward.”
>McDonald stands out
Also during the scrimmage, defenseman Hunter McDonald, a sixth-round pick, was impressive with his physical play plus his mobility for a kid 6-foot-4, 230 pounds.
“You can see where his game is going,” Flahr said. “I have expectations for him.”
>Short shots
Flahr said he was impressed with the overall play of left wing Alex Bump, a 6-foot-1, 194-pounder 20-year-old. “He looks like an NHL player to me going forward,” Flahr said.
