It was a busy day for Lehigh Valley Phantoms transactions, but none is bigger than the news about defenseman Oliver Bonk.
Bonk, a Flyers 2023 1st round (22nd overall) draft pick, will be joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to start his pro hockey career after being cleared of injury and officially activated. He could make his Phantoms debut for the squad as early as this weekend.
Bonk has spent the previous three seasons starring for the London Knights, including being a part of two consecutive OHL Championships and a Memorial Cup triumph in his final junior season. He's also taken two turns as one of Canada's best, representing the country in the 2024 and 2025 World Junior Championships tournaments.
Bonk will be reunited with his Knights teammate in Denver Barkey. He also spent time with other Flyers top prospects during his team Canada tenure, cruising with Carson Bjarnason, Jett Luchanko, and 2025 1st round selection Porter Martone.
Bonk's junior career saw him play 189 games, accounting for 45 goals and 105 assists for 150 points, and also getting an additional 63 games of playoff experience with the Knights, where he added another 42 points to his already stellar resume.
Then you can tack on NHL genetics. His father is Radek Bonk, a former 1st round pick himself who played with the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadians, and Nashville Predators. Bonk played 969 games, scoring 497 points, bringing experience and reliable production to all of his stops. His experience and guidance have clearly been useful to the younger Bonk, who made an impressive rise up the standings and seems to be on the verge of a successful pro career.
He was projected as a top-four style defender during his draft season, with a high hockey IQ, strong defensive instincts, and a plus contributor with a good shot and strong passing ability. His skills and tools are impressive, but need some refinement. But he's developed solid size (6'2" 180) that allows him to jump right into a pro-style game and not be outmatched.
The biggest worry with Bonk will be if his skating can catch up to the rest of his game. In the AHL, he'll be tested early and often, as the league features fast physical hockey that should give the 20-year-old plenty of dangerous situations to work his way out of.
He'll be going to Lehigh Valley just as Adam Ginning clears waivers to report back to the Phantoms full-time. In addition, the Phantoms have also recalled forward Sawyer Boulton from the Reading Royals of the ECHL and have loaned defenseman Carter Berger to Reading.
Ginning played in five games this season, recording no points, and didn't impress enough to be the guy who stays up. Boulton is a right-handed shot forward who specializes in throwing right hands in fights. He has 39 penalty minutes in six Reading Royals games this season. Berger gets edged out of town as the defenseman to go down.
Bonk has the chance to make his season debut Friday against the rival Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins or the Utica Comets on Saturday.