VOORHEES, N.J. – The decision to keep 18-year-old rookie Jett Luchanko on the opening night roster was easy for general manager Daniel Briere because it was practically made for him.
Luchanko played so well in the preseason and displayed maturity beyond his age to the point where the Flyers basically had to make him the youngest player to dress for an NHL game (on Friday at Vancouver) in team history.
At Monday’s press conference at the Flyers Training Center, Briere said there are no guarantees Luchanko, a center, will stick with the team for the season. The Flyers have the option of letting him play up to nine NHL games before sending him back to his junior team (Guelph, Ontario Hockey League).
“Going into training camp I never thought he had much of a chance,” said Briere, who took Luchanko with the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft at Las Vegas. “There was more of a small, outside chance to be honest.
“But he’s blown us away from day one. I mean the speed is one thing that really jumped out, top NHL speed already at such a young age. That’s impressive.”
In recent practices, Luchanko has centered a third line with Joel Farabee at left wing and Bobby Brink on the right side.
Luchanko caught Briere’s eye right off the bat.
“You start watching him play, the little details in his game,” Briere said. “The way he supports everybody, the way he makes everybody around him better was very impressive. I know we have a tendency to just look at points when we evaluate but if you dive deeper and watch all the little details in his game, especially defensively, he’s always in good position.”
Offensively, Luchanko seems to have a knack to find the open man, an invaluable resource on a Flyers team which is a little shallow at the center position.
“He supports his teammates,” Briere noted. “Keeping plays alive. At the same time, there’s nothing guaranteed. He might be here one day or he might be here the whole season.
“So far he’s earned the right to stay and start with us.”
The GM reiterated the evaluation of Luchanko won’t be based solely on point production.
“It’s not just about points,” Briere said. “Points are important because they help you win. When you score goals and set up plays. . .sometimes you will set up plays and your teammate doesn’t finish.
“So it’s his overall game that we’re going to be looking at. Just like we did in training camp. We’re going to evaluate the full spectrum. It’s not just in the moment.”
Luchanko was all smiles as he entered the locker room after the midday workout.
He agreed the decision to keep him here was based more on his overall, two-way game than just his offense.
“It’s something that I’ve always taken pride in,” he said. “I’ve tried to be someone who the coach can throw over the boards in any situation. I’ve tried to do that from a younger age. I think it just makes the game more fun. It helps to try to help the team win more.”
When Briere broke the news to Luchanko, it didn’t come as a complete surprise.
“Danny just called me in and kind of talked to me,” the player explained. “He just kind of congratulated me. It (playing in the NHL) has been my end-goal since I can remember. No matter what I was doing in my life, it was kind of toward that, it’s been my goal.”
Like Briere, coach John Tortorella indicated Luchanko’s skills and work ethic speak for themselves.
“He just played well,” Tortorella said. “You could see his maturity right away. Where he is right now, he deserves. Just through his play and how he’s handled himself.”
With Tortorella, the decision to keep Luchanko beyond nine games will have a number of factors.
