The Philadelphia Flyers have made their first selection of the 2024 NHL Draft at 13th overall, taking center Jett Luchanko from the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
The Flyers made a trade on the draft floor to move down one selection, with the Minnesota Wild moving up to 12th overall and taking defenseman Zeev Buium, in exchange for 13th overall and a 2025 third-round pick.
Through 68 games for the Storm, Luchanko scored 20 goals and 74 points, leading his team in scoring. An additional bit of context is that Luchanko is one of the youngest players in the 2024 NHL Draft, having an August 21 birthday and could certainly explode during his post-draft season.
What does Luchanko bring on the ice? We turn to our friends at Elite Prospects.
As soon as he steps on the ice, Luchanko increases the pace of the game two-fold. One second, he’s on the heel of an opponent carrying the puck in the neutral zone, and the next, he’s piercing right through the opposing formation with the puck on his own stick. His speed makes him a retrieval and pressure machine, and his precise position and attention to details, one of the better defensive forwards in the class.
2024 Elite Prospects Draft Guide
Luchanko was ranked anywhere from 12th overall to deep in the second round. He appeared to be one of the true high-energy centers who can score some points, available in the first two rounds, so this appears to be the Flyers addressing a deep area of need.
On the Sportsnet broadcast, Flyers general manager Danny Briere confirmed that this is exactly that.
“We’re excited,” Briere said. “We’re a little short as far as the depth pool of centermen throughout the organization. We saw him play. We just loved what he brought to the table, complete player. We’re really, really excited to see him wear the uniform down the years.”
That certainly is true. The Flyers are desperately thin at center, both at the NHL level and when it comes to prospects. While they addressed this issue with the 13th overall pick, and arguably reached to get a player that plays a position they need, it certainly is not absolutely crazy to think they Luchanko could become a dynamic player at the professional level.
While it might be the consensus favorite to use their first selection on a player that is preferred because he plays down the middle, Luchanko is certainly no slouch. According to some scouts, the 17-year-old center just oozes energy and overwhelms almost every single defender he comes across with blazing speed and ability to make plays at an incredibly high pace.
It really seems like he is the ideal center you want, but maybe he just didn’t get the chance to show a whole lot in the OHL this season. Even some scouts are calling it now that Luchanko will be a fan favorite because of what he can do on the ice.
Now the Flyers will coordinate their plans and prepare to make the final pick on Friday night at 32nd overall. Rounds two through seven all start at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
