The Philadelphia Flyers have made no secret about how high they are on prospect Jett Luchanko, and as the final round of roster cuts could be happening any day now, it’s looking increasingly likely that the team’s first-round draft pick could be making the Opening Night roster.
Luchanko has had an impressive camp, to say the least, and has gained a legion of fans with his skillset—including, it seems, the Flyers higher-ups. Head coach John Tortorella has lavished praise upon the 18-year-old, highlighting his speed, maturity, and conditioning as reasons why Luchanko has remained with the NHL group.
“I think, in general, he has a maturity about him,” Tortorella said. “We know he’s 18, [but] he carries himself in a different way. [He’s] a bright player, a good 200-foot player…I think he deserves to be where he’s at…He has a lot to work on as an 18-year-old, but I think he deserves to be with us right now.”
Luchanko’s consistent placement with the NHL group during training camp is extremely telling of where the organization sees him fitting, even going as far as ending the first episode of the Flyers’ training camp docuseries The Standard on a cliffhanger meeting between Tortorella and the front office about where they want to place Luchanko once the regular season comes around.
The possibility of Luchanko being the youngest player to ever debut for the Flyers has, naturally, sparked plenty of debate over whether throwing the young center into NHL action would hurt or help his development.
For some, his camp performance has been convincing enough to warrant him a place in the group. It’s easy to see why—he’s one of the, if not the, fastest skaters in this Flyers group, and has displayed an incredibly high hockey IQ that has treated fans to some flashes of offensive brilliance in the games he’s played.
On the other hand, there are arguments that putting Luchanko in the NHL right out of camp would be rushing him, and that even giving him the nine-game audition allowed by his entry-level contract would mess with his mindset, as getting used to the NHL stage would mean that once he gets sent back to juniors, it will take him longer to adjust back to that level of hockey.
Despite the noise that is seemingly constantly surrounding him, Luchanko has been able to stay focused on learning from the top NHL players in this camp and bettering his game every day that he’s here.
“It’s always nice being with this group,” he said. “I’m just trying to take it in every day and learn from it as much as I can.”
Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News
In answering a question about offensive lines during his post-practice media availability, Tortorella said, “Hopefully we can find the right combination. I think [Matvei] Michkov is going to be involved in all of them. [We’re] still a little worried as we talk about [Luchanko] and how much we give him, what happens when the real stuff happens.”
Saying “when the real stuff happens” heavily implies that Luchanko will be involved in NHL action in some capacity, bringing more depth to the center position and providing a fresh burst of speed and energy that Tortorella has highlighted as an essential part of the game the Flyers want to play this season.
No official roster announcements have been made yet (final rosters must be submitted by Monday, Oct. 7), but when they do come out, don’t be surprised if you see Jett Luchanko’s name on the Flyers’ list.
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