Does Jett Luchanko have inside track to making Flyers’ roster? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
VOORHEES, N.J. — An interesting development occurred Thursday with Flyers training camp nearing the finish line.
As the Flyers held another practice with their big club group, this one featuring a ton of system work, Olle Lycksell took the ice on the adjacent rink for a workout. Jett Luchanko remained with the big club and centered what looked like the Flyers’ projected third line.
On Wednesday, at least on paper, Lycksell appeared to be the favorite among the bubble forwards to make the roster. Luchanko, while being the shiny, new toy who has opened eyes in his first camp, still seemed destined for a return to his junior club.
But maybe not?
The 2024 first-round pick was on a line Thursday with Joel Farabee and Bobby Brink. The Flyers wrap up the preseason tonight and don’t open the regular season until next Friday, but their decisions Thursday held weight. They had an important practice that covered defensive-zone details. Luchanko being a part of it and Lycksell being an omission was notable.
We’ll see what it all means when it’s time for final cuts. The Flyers have to submit their season-opening roster by Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
Here’s how they looked at forward Thursday, with Noah Cates and Nicolas Deslauriers as the extras:
Matvei Michkov-Sean Couturier-Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett-Morgan Frost-Tyson Foerster
Joel Farabee-Jett Luchanko-Bobby Brink
Scott Laughton-Ryan Poehling-Garnet Hathaway
Luchanko just turned 18 years old in August. Teams can give a junior hockey prospect an NHL audition up to nine games before burning the first year of their entry-level contract. Nobody really thought Luchanko would be a candidate to make the NHL jump this season after he was drafted at 13th overall in late June.
The young center won’t suit up Thursday night and he experienced a drop-off offensively as the preseason games picked up. But he can play in all situations because of his topflight speed and advanced smarts. And Tortorella has loved his conditioning and overall makeup.
“I’m sure that’s why he was appealing to a lot of teams early in the draft,” Flyers assistant coach Darryl Williams said Thursday. “Very smart, reads the play, has adjusted very well to the NHL speed. You can see he’s a thinker, he really understands the game — which he definitely benefits — and he’s athletic. So he has had a good camp.”
There has been a quiet maturity to Luchanko.
“I was a lot less mature than him at that age, for sure,” Farabee said with a smile. “It’s impressive.”
What smaller details in his game have stood out?
“For how young he is, he’s really responsible in the D-zone,” Farabee said. “I think it helps with how good he skates, he can be in a good, supportive position. Personally, I think there has been probably three or four times, whether it’s a preseason game or camp, where I’ve told him something, a read to make in the D-zone, and the next time it has happened, he has made that read.
“To be able to tell an 18-year-old kid something and for him to utilize it right away, I think it’s a really good part of his game, it shows you he has really good hockey IQ. I think as a center, that’s going to help him a lot.”
Tortorella and Williams were seen coaching Luchanko between reps as the Flyers went over their systems.
“It’s pretty standard stuff I think,” Luchanko said. “Just got to keep improving on it if I want to be able to make a difference here.”
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