PHILADELPHIA — The Flyers have reassigned promising young rookie center Jett Luchanko back to his junior team in Guelph, general manager Daniel Briere announced on Saturday.
In four games with the Flyers, Luchanko, the 13th overall selection in the 2024 draft, was scoreless with a minus-3 rating and three shots on goal.
“We think it’s the best thing for his development,” Briere said ahead of the Flyers-Wild game at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon. “We’ve said it from Day 1: It’s not about how good Jett can be this year. It’s thinking three, five, seven years down the road.”
“We’re not trying to create a fourth line center,” Briere continued. “We think he has more upside than that and we want to give him a chance to become that player.”
Luchanko, who turned 18 on August 21, became the youngest player in Flyers franchise history when he dressed for the season opener in Vancouver on Oct. 11, and was the youngest player in the league at the time of his reassignment.
Flyers coach John Tortorella consistently praised Luchanko throughout training camp for his fitness level and attitude. However, the team’s 1-5-1 start to the season made him reluctant to put Luchanko into the lineup. Luchanko was a healthy scratch on Tuesday and Wednesday in a back-to-back with the Washington Capitals, both regulation losses.
“In the mess we’re in right now at the start of the year, I’m not looking for an 18-year-old to try and get us out of it,” Tortorella said on Friday. “When I’m in that situation, I kind of have to turn to the team that’s really struggling right now and go with some veteran guys.”
It’s likely that Luchanko will be a part of Team Canada for the upcoming World Junior tournament that begins at the end of the calendar year. Briere expects him to challenge for a Flyers roster spot in 2025-26, but made no promises, either, despite Luchanko leaving a good impression on team brass.
“It’s exciting, there’s no doubt about it. But there’s no guarantee that he’s going to make the team next year, either,” Briere said. “He’s going to turn pro the following year when he’s 20, but he’s going to get a look (next season). If he comes back and he takes another step, it’s going to be tough to keep him out of the lineup.”
Luchanko was one of just two first round picks from the most recent NHL draft to make their respective clubs out of training camp, the other being first overall pick Macklin Celebrini with the San Jose Sharks.
The Flyers also announced on Saturday that defenseman Cam York will be out for at least two weeks with an upper body injury. In seven games, the top-pair defenseman has two goals and one assist for three points and a minus-2 rating.
(Photo: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
