Jett Luchanko, Denver Barkey, and Oliver Bonk say ‘it’s tough’ to sit out Flyers development camp

As the Flyers’ development camp rolls on, three big names are watching from the sidelines.

Forwards Jett Luchanko and Denver Barkey, and defenseman Oliver Bonk were unable to participate this week. Luchanko is dealing with a groin issue while Bonk and Barkey, whose season didn’t end until June 1 with the Memorial Cup championship, are healing from bumps and bruises and a high-ankle sprain, respectively. Barkey suffered the injury in the Ontario Hockey League final before he returned to help London win the Canadian Hockey League final with a pair of goals against the 2026 draft’s projected No. 1, Gavin McKenna, and Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League.

It’s hard on all three to be nonparticipants.

“[Barkey] always comes to me every morning, ‘Hey, do you think you can get me out on the ice?’ No, no, you’re done,” director of player development Riley Armstrong said with a chuckle.

Added Bonk: “It’s hard not being out there with the boys. You love these guys, and they’re all beauties, so you want to be out there with them. It’s tough.”

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There’s no reason to risk further injury to three guys who could play key roles in the upcoming season. Each player will push for NHL jobs as Bonk and Barkey officially turn pro and Luchanko aims to crack the opening night roster for the second straight year. Luchanko will either be on the Flyers or return to the OHL’s Guelph Storm in the CHL; Bonk and Barkey have the options of the NHL or Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

So it’s no wonder they are “antsy” about watching, as Barkey said. They all have big summers coming up.

“Continue to get bigger, stronger,” Barkey said of his summer plans. “It’s a big jump next year. I’m going to be playing against older men and strong guys. So, continuing to get stronger, faster, and I think the biggest thing is just using my brain and then finding a way to adjust. It’s a different game in pro.”

Indeed. Luchanko got a taste of the pros with his four NHL games at the start of the season and a 16-game stint with the Phantoms, which included seven playoff games, at the end. He didn’t score in the AHL, but the 18-year-old (who turns 19 in late August) had nine assists, including two in the first-round series clincher against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the playoffs.

“Of course, there’s never a time where I can be satisfied with where I’m at,” said Luchanko, adding his focus is on just working hard and seeing what happens in September. “I think there’s always improvements to be made, and especially just all around you can only just get better at everything, individually, every little thing, so there’s still lots to work on.”

Bonk, 20, knows the shift to the pros won’t be easy too, and that some will question his drop in production from 24 goals and 67 points in 60 regular-season games in 2023-24 to last season’s 11 goals and 40 points in 52 games — “I just felt like this year, I wasn’t getting too many bounces,” he said — but he knows he did play some of his best hockey on the road to the Memorial Cup. He chipped in 14 points in 17 playoff games after London got some retribution from losing in the 2024 final. He is fully focused on one thing come the fall.

“Going [in] with the expectation that you’re going to make the team,” he said about his plans for Flyers training camp. “You can’t be aiming that you’re going to go to the A, because then you will be going to the A no matter [what]. If you already set that bar, I don’t want to say low, but lower than it should be, you’re going to end up there. … And some people will say it’s not really realistic, but I think it is, and you’ve got to aim high.”

His buddy Barkey, who was also the captain in London, had 25 goals and 82 points in 50 regular-season games before adding another nine goals and 20 points in 11 postseason games. The 20-year-old is focused on building up his game at the pro level and proving to Hockey Canada — again — that it made a big mistake by not taking him for World Juniors.

“There’s no third chance now at that team,” said Barkey, who was among the last cuts for the second straight year and has aged out. “It’s just adversity. There’s ups and downs through [your] hockey career, and, yeah, obviously it was tough again.

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“But just continuing to use people that don’t believe in me, and they kind of doubt me, just use it as fuel to my fire and motivation every day. And I kind of keep that in the back of my head, in the gym lifting weights, it helps me maybe push a bit heavier weights, and motivates me.”

The Flyers held a three-on-three mini-tournament on the newly branded ‘67 Arena on Saturday afternoon. The fast-paced action saw several high-flying goals, big-time stops from the camp invitees in net, and a comeback victory in the championship game by Team LeClair/Stewart. Jack Murtagh, who was selected by the Flyers in the second round a week ago, scored two goals in the final round, including the game-winner with around 50 seconds left in the 10-minute running-time game. … They may all be Flyers, but there were several monster hits — notably Noah Powell crushing Alex Bump clean in open ice and Shane Vansaghi nailing camp invitee Tim Lovell in the corner with the forearm — and there were some slashes, and some general unhappiness, especially between Hunter McDonald and Spencer Gill. … The two defensemen will be on opposite sides on Sunday during the finale of development camp, a five-on-five scrimmage that pits Team Brière against Team Jones. Originally scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, it has been moved up to 4 p.m. Porter Martone, the Flyers’ top pick in the 2025 NHL draft, highlights the general manager’s team while Bump skates for Keith Jones’ squad.