VOORHEES, N.J. – Four games of NHL experience might not seem like a lot but they can prove invaluable to a 19-year-old kid like Jett Luchanko.
The Flyers have whittled their roster down to 28 players, so there’s still a ways to go to get to the necessary 23 by opening night on Oct. 9.
However, Luchanko has been showing that his unexpected appearance on last year’s first-night roster at the tender age of 18 was no fluke.
Especially with his play in Monday night’s 3-2 shootout win at Boston. Luchanko was all over the place and most assuredly caught the eye of coach Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet noticed that Luchanko looked a bit more composed in the game at TD Garden.
“He didn’t like his last couple games but (in this game) he took control a little bit more, even of his line,” Tocchet said after Wednesday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “You can tell he’s got leadership qualities.”
Luchanko was a first-round pick (13th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft. The London, Ontario native wasn’t supposed to be in the running for a roster spot at the start of last season. Now he’s facing somewhat daunting odds again.
“He’s this quiet kid,” Tocchet noted. “For a 19-year-old – it’s not like he’s a 23-year-old – so I think we just have to be patient with whatever we do with him.”
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound center went back to his junior team (Guelph) and put up some impressive numbers, including 21 goals/56 points in 46 games.
“I saw last game he took more of a “hey, I know I’m a good player,’+” Tocchet said of Luchanko’s effort in Boston. “It was ‘I want the puck.’ Or, ‘I want to be in all situations, like the four-on-three’ (power play). So the leadership is there.”
Luchanko himself says last year gave him confidence heading into this season.
“It’s good, I was able to learn a lot from that,” he said. “And kind of be more comfortable in camp and being around the rink this year. It’s definitely been a lot of help for me to have been able to feel it out before.”
The Flyers have had a number of kids in camp and there was a feeling of several jobs being open. This was similar to last year’s camp.
“There’s always going to be competition,” Luchanko said. “For everyone of us as individuals, it’s kind of just focus on yourself, come to the rink every day and work your hardest.”
Luchanko said he has learned a lot, starting with that four-game tryout last October.
“Yeah, playing in the NHL and then World Juniors – there were a lot of different players and coaches,” he said. “It’s just taking things from every guy, take in information all year. Very helpful.”
The quandry here is whether Luchanko can not only crack the lineup but earn a spot somewhere on the top three lines. Otherwise, he might end up on fourth-line duty, playing less than 10 minutes a night, which isn’t ideal for a highly skilled player.
“I have no issue if I’m not playing with the top three lines,” Luchanko said. “That’s a role I would just have to take on. I think I would bring all of my energy to play that role.
“It would be a lot of fun to play with the top three lines but at the same time, if that’s my role, then I’m ready to do that.”
>Short shots
Forward Jacob Gaucher was loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Wednesday. . .Defenseman Oliver Bonk will be out approximately two weeks with an upper-body injury. . .Reminder: Saturday’s home game (the preseason finale) vs. New Jersey has had its starting time moved up from 3:35 p.m. to 12:35 p.m. due to the Phillies playoff game. The Phillies are scheduled to start at either 6:08 p.m. or 6:38 p.m., depending on their opponent.
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