In the 2024 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers made one of the more surprising picks of the class by taking center Jett Luchanko with their 13th overall selection. Despite freshly being an 18-year-old and thus one of the youngest players affiliated with an NHL club, there’s a real chance he could compete for a roster spot with the Flyers. His performances specifically in the month of September suggest he might end up on the final roster, even though it’s not likely at this moment.
Luchanko’s Play So Far & What He Can Provide
I’m far from the first person to suggest Luchanko could be ready for the NHL in 2024-25, but I’ve compiled my own reasoning here. Let’s take a look at his play early on.
In both his preseason for the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and his Rookie Series debut against the New York Rangers’ prospects on Sept. 13, one of Luchanko’s best traits was getting to pucks. Whether it was between the skates of a defender or he was at the right place at the right time to come away with a turnover, he forced a change of possession very often. In those instances specifically in the Flyers’ Rookie Series contest, he created countless high-danger looks for his teammates.
On top of his ability to create dangerous chances out of pretty innocent plays, Luchanko has elite speed. That was one of his standout traits in the draft, and he has certainly displayed it in the early stages of his 2024-25 play. Plus, he was involved defensively with some key zone exits as well as penalty-kill usage.
Lastly, Luchanko (No. 17) is an intelligent playmaker. He tends to find the best options, which included Matvei Michkov’s (No. 39) first tally as a Flyer in the aforementioned Rookie Series. Luchanko can shoot, but he excels when he’s setting up other players for chances. He showed some great chemistry with Michkov specifically, which is worth noting.
MATVEI. MICHKOV. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/imaFTVyvvR
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 14, 2024
Barring injury, it seems as though Luchanko is set to dominate the OHL if he stays in juniors. He has a similar career trajectory points-wise to star center Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, who was elite in the OHL after being drafted and then became a full-time NHLer at 19—if that’s the model, Luchanko is already close speaking historically.
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