The Flyers moved down one spot in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft on Friday night and selected Jett Luchanko, a center from the OHL’s Guelph Storm, with the 13th overall pick.
In the trade with the Wild, the Flyers acquired a third-round pick in 2025.
Luchanko, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 187 pounds, is a speedy, play-making center who has 74 points (20 goals, 54 assists) in 68 games this season for the Storm.
At the 2024 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship a month and a half ago, he had seven points (two goals, five assists) and a plus-5 rating in seven games for a gold-medal-winning Canadian team.
Luchanko is very young for his draft. He won’t turn 18 until August 21.
Several scouting services didn’t rate him as highly as other players who were still on the roster when the Flyers made the pick. Luchanko was ranked 34th by EliteProspects.com and NHL Central Scouting ranked him 20th among North American skaters. He was considered the 18th best player by TSN’s Craig Button and 19th by TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Finnish center Konsta Helenius was drafted after the Flyers selected Luchanko. Helenius was ranked sixth on Button’s list and third among European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.
Minnesota traded picks with the Flyers to take Denver defenseman Zeev Buium, who was ranked No. 7 by EliteProspects.com and McKenzie.
The Flyers were clearly bullish on Luchanko, who has plenty of upside at just 17 years old. Center is a premium position and the Flyers’ thinnest area of the organization. Morgan Frost is the only first-round center the Flyers have taken in the previous 11 drafts who is currently on their roster.
“Let’s be realistic, we’re short on centers throughout the organization,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said a little over a week ago. “We haven’t tried to hide it; it’s a reality.”
Luchanko will have an opportunity to give the Flyers a boost at center as they rebuild. The club has been looking to identify and develop a top-tier center to play alongside 19-year-old winger Matvei Michkov, its top prospect.
The Flyers concluded Friday night by trading their second first-round pick to the Oilers in exchange for a future first-round pick.
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