Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko showing ‘why he was a high pick’ with impressive run in AHL playoffs

ALLENTOWN — Jett Luchanko’s jersey fluttered behind him as he skated around the ice at the PPL Center during the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ series-clincher in the first round of the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup playoffs.

It was noticeable because the 18-year-old center was, well, not hard to notice. The kid was everywhere.

Centering a line with captain Garrett Wilson and fellow speedster Anthony Richard against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Luchanko showed off his high hockey IQ, speed, and quickness. He was first on pucks, skated through the Baby Penguins’ defense — coach Ian Laperrière said he looked like Mike Modano out there with his jersey waving in the wind — and finished the night with two assists for the second straight game.

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His first assist was a nifty backhand pass from the boards to a streaking Richard to open up the scoring in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. His secondary apple was even prettier as he threaded the needle to Richard backdoor before Helge Grans buried the game-winner from his knees with two minutes left in a regulation.

“It’s really fun,” Richard said postgame of playing with Luchanko. “His hockey IQ and hockey sense is off the charts and that’s why he was a high pick.”

He’s just a baby, as Laperrière chuckled, but he doesn’t play like one. Richard, who has more than 500 AHL games under his belt, said it feels like Luchanko is a grizzled veteran with three or four years in pros. Not someone who was drafted less than a year ago.

Maybe it’s because, as Luchanko recently told The Inquirer with a smile, “It’s been busy.”

You can say that again, kid.

In the 306 days since the Flyers called his name as the 13th overall pick — technically, it was boxing announcer and Philly native Michael Buffer, which is way cooler than anyone in the Flyers brass doing it — Luchanko has participated in development, rookie, and Flyers training camps, before wearing a jersey for the Flyers, Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League, Canada at World Juniors, and now the Phantoms.

“It was pretty crazy and I don’t know if all that’s even sunk in yet,” he said of playing four NHL games, including one against the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid. “Wasn’t really expecting much of that, and to be able to kind of see the guys that you grew up watching was definitely surreal.”

Luchanko played a little more than 56 minutes across his NHL games and left a good impression with his skill, speed and work ethic. Although he can come across a bit soft-spoken and reserved, his high-octane game and confidence forced then-Flyers coach John Tortorella to keep him around. Even if Tortorella relayed that former Flyers defenseman Erik Johnson told him Luchanko only packed 10 days’ worth of clothes; Luchanko lived with the Johnsons during his time in Philly.

But it was a “tough transition” going back to junior hockey.

“I think there’s definitely some good speed there, but I think, yeah, kind of just waiting for plays to kind of happen and you’ve got to be a little bit more patient,” he said. “Sometimes I think you’ve got to think a little bit more because in the NHL you kind of know where most guys are going be, and kind of think on the same page.”

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Guelph did not qualify for the playoffs but Luchanko was able find success on the ice. Named the team’s captain in January, he led the Storm in assists (35) and was second in points (56) despite playing 22 fewer games than the team leader Charlie Paquette, who finished with 70 in 68.

And his time in Guelph wasn’t just to go through the motions. Luchanko got to work and it paid off. In between developing his play with the puck, taking more risks, and making moves around defenders in Ontario, Luchanko showed his progress by beating out many of the best players in his age group to play at the World Juniors.

Although the Canadians, who included fellow Flyers prospects defenseman Oliver Bonk and goalie Carson Bjarnason, finished a disappointing fifth, Luchanko was a bright spot. He finished with a goal in five games but not for lack of trying, as Luchanko was utilized in a depth checking role, despite being the team’s best skater. At his midseason press conference, Flyers general manager Danny Brière criticized Hockey Canada, saying he was “disappointed” with his center’s usage.

Through it all, the work the 5-foot-11, 180-pound pivot has put in is now shining bright at the AHL level.

“He’s a very responsible two-way center, lot of speed, his speed is the thing that sticks out,” Laperrière told The Inquirer recently. “He has great speed, great stick, great details. That’s why he made the team at the beginning of the year, because he’s so detailed. I see that in his game right now.”

It’s why he plays with top wingers and is getting power-play time on the second unit.

The one thing Laperrière still wants to see from Luchanko is for him to be a little more selfish. In 11 AHL games including playoffs, he has seven assists but zero goals on 10 shots.

“I wouldn’t say shooting’s his thing,” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong told The Inquirer. “I think that’s one thing that we’re working on with him. He’s always been kind of that pass-first guy.

“I know a lot of guys in the NHL are pass-first guys, and they develop that shooting threat later on in their career. And a lot of it is confidence, having confidence that you can beat a goalie. I think some guys want to try and get in really tight to beat the goalie and I think once you can develop that shot, you can start to beat goalies from the top of the circles area and you kind of rely on it a little bit more.”

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The hope is that with the confidence to shoot, coupled with his speed, he will become a dual threat on the ice. But it’s clear he’s starting to understand the pro game better and he looks like a more confident skater than he did last October with the Flyers. The longer the Phantoms, who open up their second-round series against Hershey on Wednesday, continue to advance, the better for Luchanko’s development and comfortability.

Luchanko’s focus this summer will be preparing for next season, wherever he plays. Whether he skates for the Flyers or heads back to juniors — he cannot play in the AHL due to age restrictions — he’ll continue to work on his game.

He also said he’ll maybe finally get a chance to soak in his roller-coaster year ... before his 19th birthday in August.