October 07, 2024
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Jett Luchanko will make his NHL debut Friday night in Vancouver as the youngest Flyer in franchise history.
Jett Luchanko wasn't supposed to be in this spot so soon – from being drafted 13th overall in June, to turning 18 in August, then suddenly on the Philadelphia Flyers' roster in October.
There was no shot, or a slim one at best, general manager Danny Brière thought. Most had Luchanko as being two years away from potentially cracking an NHL roster, at least.
But then the speedy center out of Guelph reported to Voorhees and blazed straight through the team's development and rookie camps, then showed up for the full training camp and preseason right after and passed every test the Flyers threw at him.
So he'll be on the team to start the new season, which will begin Friday night out in Vancouver against the Canucks.
Luchanko wasn't supposed to be here this soon, but he caught everyone in the organization by surprise. He earned it.
"Going into training camp, I never thought he had much of a chance," Brière said Monday morning just after the Flyers' opening night roster was submitted. "More of an outside chance, small outside chance, to be honest. But he's blown us away from Day 1."
"You could see his maturity right away," head coach John Tortorella said after practice at the Flyers Training Center. "Where he is right now, he deserves, just through his play and just how he's handled himself."
Jett Luchanko. Philadelphia Flyer. pic.twitter.com/JsHXmI2VbB
— Nick Tricome (@itssnick) October 7, 2024
It was all the little things. Luchanko only had two assists through the preseason – both from the first exhibition against Washington on September 22 – but his speed stood out immediately, then the way he was able to support his linemates to keep the puck moving, plus the early commitment to two-way play.
"I know we have a tendency to just look at points when we evaluate," Brière said. "But if you dive deeper and watch all the little details in his game, especially defensively, in the neutral zone, he's always in good position, and offensively, just supporting his teammates, keeping plays alive. It was very impressive."
"I think it's always something I've tried to take pride in, kinda be someone who the coach can throw over the boards in any situation," Luchanko said after practice, with his name now over a stall in the Flyers' locker room. "I think I've tried to learn how to do that from a younger age, and I think it just makes the game more fun and, you know, help try and make the team win more."
He'll be there to help the Flyers try to do that out of the gate now, but nothing's guaranteed, Brière said.
While Luchanko is on the roster, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll stay there.
As a signed prospect out of the Canadian junior system, the Flyers are allowed nine games played by Luchanko before having to make a decision on him for the rest of the season. If by Game 9, or before, it's made clear that he needs more time to develop, the Flyers can send him back to Guelph in the OHL with a list of things to work on before camp next summer. But if he's holding his own and looking at a 10th game and beyond, they can keep him around for the rest of the way, though at the cost of starting his entry-level contract as a full-time NHLer.
Brière, and Tortorella, said they'll be evaluating a lot in the early going, and in the end, will make the decision that's best for the team and Luchanko's own development.
But as far as what exactly they'll be looking for to make that call when it's time...
"I'm just gonna watch him play. There's no particular thing," Tortorella said. "We do have with him that nine-game situation that we're very well aware of. We'll watch him, and the whole process will unfold. I'm not gonna predict anything, I'm not gonna be looking for that particular thing, I'm gonna let him play.
"I watched him today when we're working on our power play, he was one of the best power play guys out there today, as far as the way he was moving the puck. We start seeing him play, and if we feel what's happening is not good for his development, those are the decisions – we're gonna have a constant conversation, but we're not gonna overthink it and say 'Oh, he made a bad play, he's gotta go back.' We're gonna let the kid play and have conversations as we're playing the games and see where it goes from there."
Other Flyers have been in Luchanko's shoes (erm...skates) with the nine-game look before.
Owen Tippett, then a top prospect with the Florida Panthers after being drafted 10th overall in 2017, got his first NHL look at the start of that same season. He debuted in the Panthers' fifth game on the schedule – at Philadelphia, ironically – and played seven in total before he was sent back to his junior club. He didn't make it back to the NHL until the COVID-shortened 2021 season, and didn't find his footing as a league regular until he was traded to the Flyers at the 2022 deadline.
Scott Laughton got drafted 20th overall by the Flyers in the summer of 2012, and in a lockout-shortened season that didn't begin until January 2013, he made the team out of camp and got five games before he was lent back to his junior club in Oshawa.
Sean Couturier was the eighth overall pick in 2011 as the Flyers were doing an on-the-fly overhaul of their roster. The team at the time was stacked with offensive talent at the top of the lineup, so for the then 18-year old to stick, he had to prove himself as a checker at the bottom. He leaned into it, took on some tough minutes, and hung on well past the nine-game limit, going on to become a crucial defensive piece in the Flyers' playoff series win over the rival Penguins in 2012.
They've all been there, to varying results and trajectories, and they're each here with the Flyers now, so Luchanko won't be on an island as he sees his first NHL experience through.
"It's really hard because you feel like your dream's coming true," Couturier said. "But really, I feel when you're young, and especially the first year coming in, you almost got to take it day-by-day. You try to get better every day, enjoy the moment, and not think too far ahead, because it's almost like a trial.
"The one thing that I've learned anyway over the years is you never want to get too comfortable, and you want to keep trying to get better every day. That's kind of the mentality I think he's gotta have."
But the Flyers captain has seen the young center push so far over the past couple of months already, and there's no reason to stop now.
"He's done such a great job at coming to work every day and improving his game and showing that he's reliable on both sides of the puck," Couturier continued. "I think that's a key thing at a young age coming into the league.
"All those first-rounders, they all have great talent and a lot of high-end skill, but you gotta sometimes learn the defensive side of the game. He seems to already be ahead of other guys at that stage, so it's encouraging, it's positive, and I don't know what's gonna happen, but he's definitely going to be a big part of our future here."
The future wasn't supposed to be here for the Flyers so soon. It might not be just yet, but Luchanko earned the chance to prove different.
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