With an uncertain future ahead, top Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko is keeping everything in perspective in front of him during training camp.
Luchanko, 19, will be forced to either make the NHL outright this season, as he did on John Tortorella’s iteration of the Flyers last year, or return to the OHL with the lowly Guelph Storm.
But, having gone through it all already, and knowing what to expect in regards to his future one way or another, the 2024 first-round pick isn’t spending all that much time considering what’s ahead of him.
“Just a lot of the same as last year. Just come to the rink everyday and work hard,” Luchanko said of his current approach Friday. “No matter what, it’s never going to be easy to make a team like this, so, kind of just take it day by day.”
Flyers Training Camp 2025: Top 3 Roster Battles to Watch
The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to ratchet up the competition for NHL roster spots this year, and that starts with the beginning of training camp on Thursday.
The 19-year-old had an interesting 2024-25 campaign, playing games for the Flyers, Canada U20s at the World Junior Championships, the Storm as their captain, and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, including seven Calder Cup playoff games.
Then, heading into development camp and even the recent rookie camp, Luchanko spent time nursing a nagging groin injury.
And, unfortunately for Luchanko and the Flyers, he won’t be back in the AHL until the spring, just as last year, due to league rules.
Suffice to say, a lot can and will change during life as a top NHL prospect.
But, Luchanko’s ability to keep perspective and stay grounded is impressive and says a lot about his mentality as a player and as a person. That’s undoubtedly part of the reason why the Flyers believe in him as much as they do.
A player who’s already made an NHL team out of camp and played regular season games, Luchanko anticipates having to earn every minute of ice time, even as he’s paired with Owen Tippett and Alexis Gendron in the early goings of training camp.
Flyers Training Camp Day 1: Big Opportunities Aplenty
The vibes are high as the Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their 2025 training camp Thursday, and for good reason. The atmosphere seems to be totally different.
The Flyers are committed to giving all their young guys a fair chance in beneficial circumstances, which, of course, extends beyond Luchanko, but he’s only worried about himself and his game.
Not about competition, not about roster spots, and not about doing a repeat of last year.
Those all exist in the grand scheme of things, but the mature head on Luchanko’s shoulders will take him to where he needs to go, starting with training camp this week.
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