October 07, 2024
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Jett Luchanko, the Flyers' first-round pick this past summer, will start the season with the team.
The Flyers' roster is set. Matvei Michkov is set to make his official NHL debut and Jett Luchanko made the cut.
The Flyers' 13th overall pick in the draft this past summer, Luchanko, a speedy center out of Guelph in the OHL, might not stick for the whole season, but at least from the outset, he'll be skating with the orange and black.
Here's the full roster via the Flyers:
🔶 It's a New Era of Orange. 🔶
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 7, 2024
Our 2024-25 Opening Night Roster is set. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/EGe9PwlR7K
Surprisingly, Luchanko, who was expected to be at least a couple of years away from the NHL when he was drafted, jumped way ahead of schedule himself.
The 18-year old only had a couple of assists through the preseason, but his relentless skating and early commitment to checking caught and kept the front office's attention long enough to keep him around for at least a little bit longer.
"It's not just a stat or numbers that keep him in mind," head coach John Tortorella said last week. "There are so many other things that he's brought to us here already, just with his speed up the middle of the ice, his awareness away from the puck, he's very mature in that aspect as far as a 200-foot game. He's killed some penalties, he's done some really good things. Does it go into goals and assists? Sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't, but there are still really good plays he's made, so we'll continue to evaluate and see where we go."
Now he's here, and the Flyers will have nine games to decide whether they keep him as a full-time NHLer, activating his entry-level contract, or send him back to Guelph in juniors.
General manager Danny Brière said Monday morning that there are no promises as far as whether Luchanko sticks or not, but he's earned his shot.
"Going into training camp, I never thought he had much of a chance," Brière said. "More of an outside chance, small outside chance, to be honest. But he's blown us away from Day 1. The speed is one thing that really jumped out, top N NHL speed already at such a young age, that's impressive. Then you start watching him play, and it's just the detail, all the little details in his game, the way he supports everybody, the way he makes players around him better, it was very impressive."
Luchanko just turned 18 in August, and when the Flyers finally do open their season Friday night out in Vancouver, he'll become the youngest player to skate for the team in franchise history.
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