Jett Luchanko and Alex Čiernik join Lehigh Valley; Flyers sign defensive prospect Ty Murchison to ELC
The 18-year-old Luchanko, who just concluded his junior season with Guelph, will join the Phantoms for their playoff run.
It’s been a whirlwind 11 months for Jett Luchanko, highlighted by stops in Philadelphia with the Flyers, Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League, and Ottawa for the World Junior Championships.
On Thursday, the 18-year-old added one more stop to his travels: Allentown. As The Inquirer reported earlier in the week, Luchanko has officially been reassigned to the Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League for the remainder of their season and playoff run. Luchanko will be available for the Phantoms beginning Friday night against Belleville.
The 2024 first-round pick just wrapped up a 56-point campaign (in 46 games) while captaining his junior team in Guelph.
» READ MORE: The Flyers have lost 11 of 12 games, but struggling now is likely the best thing for the team’s future
Luchanko, who played four games for the Flyers in October before returning to junior, is already signed to his entry-level contract so he can be reassigned to the Phantoms. Typically, because he is under the age of 20, the 18-year-old would not be able to play in the AHL, but because Guelph’s season is over, he can make the move to Allentown.
Fellow prospect Alex Čiernik has also joined the Phantoms, signing an amateur tryout contract with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
The Flyers’ fourth-rounder in 2023, Čiernik played 46 games for Nybro Vikings IF of HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest pro league in Sweden, and tallied 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists). He also added a goal in two qualification games.
It was a solid rebound year for the 5-foot-10, 180-pound winger who missed almost three months last season because of multiple head injuries.
“When I got back after the second time, I didn’t really think about it,” said Čiernik at Flyers development camp in July. “I trusted that I did everything the right way and felt that my head was doing good. So it wasn’t really a problem for me when I came back.”
At the camp, the lefty Čiernik showcased his high-end speed, hockey sense, and a good stick, especially when he pressured the opposition deep in their end. He scored during three-on-three action and said he was excited to join the Vikings and show off the hard work he had put into his game.
Now the unsigned draft pick, whose dad Ivan played for the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals, will bring his skills to the Phantoms.
Flyers sign draft pick Murchison
The last few months have been mostly about subtraction for the Flyers, who have said goodbye to longtime roster staples Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, and Morgan Frost. But Wednesday saw the Flyers add to their ranks as the team signed defenseman Ty Murchison to an entry-level contract.
Murchison, 22, was a 2021 fifth-round pick by the Flyers and recently completed his senior season at Arizona State. His two-year contract, which will carry a salary-cap hit of $860,000 according to Puck Pedia, will begin next season and run through 2026-27.
» READ MORE: The Flyers have lost 11 of their last 12 games but struggling now is likely the best thing for the team’s future
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound blueliner, primarily known for his skating ability, was recently named the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s top defensive defenseman. Murchison’s 98 blocked shots this season were a program record and over 20 more than his next-closest competition in the conference. The California native logged four assists and 48 penalty minutes and finished with a plus-6 rating this season for the Sun Devils. For his career, Murchison tallied nine goals, 24 points, and 279 penalty minutes in 146 games over four seasons at ASU.
He was far from guaranteed to earn a contract with the Flyers, but Murchison’s defense, skating, and physicality earned him a longer look. The United States National Team Development Program product participated in Flyers development camps in 2022, 2023, and 2024, and now will try to prove himself in the minors as he seeks to become just the fifth ASU player to play in the NHL.
Murchison is unlikely to be the only college player signed by the Flyers in the coming weeks. Western Michigan winger Alex Bump, who was named the NCHC’s top forward this season after posting 23 goals and 46 points in 38 games, is expected to sign after the conclusion of the Broncos season. Bump, a fifth-round pick by the Flyers in 2022 (No. 133), and Western Michigan are the top seed in the Fargo Regional and will open the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against Minnesota State.
The Flyers are also one of the favorites to land Michigan State center Karsen Dorwart, one of the top undrafted college free agents available, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. On Monday’s episode of Friedman’s podcast 32 Thoughts, he reiterated that the Flyers have “the inside track” on Dorwart. The 6-1, 195-pound Dorwart was Michigan State’s second-leading scorer this season with 12 goals and 29 points in 34 games and will line up for the No. 1 seed Spartans on Thursday against Cornell in the NCAAs.