The Flyers current prospect pool is brimming with talent from all over. Whether it’s their minor league squad, those in juniors, or some playing overseas. There are quite a few names to be excited about.
Some of those drawing the biggest praise and hype come from the OHL. Jett Luchanko, last year’s first round pick, has a chance to make the NHL roster permanently next season. He has already debuted with the Phantoms, posting two points in four games.
Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk have quickly risen up the ranks in the Flyers’ system. The London Knights duo may not be ready for NHL time just yet, but they have given fans plenty to like.
All three are not just receiving praise from the organization and fans. The OHL recently released the results of their Coaches Poll and the aforementioned prospects found themselves among some of the best.
Starting with Luchanko, he finished second in the Best Skater category, receiving 30 points. That was only four points behind this summer’s potential top pick Matthew Schaefer. Luchanko’s speed has been one of his biggest attributes so it’s not a surprise to see him nearly take the title.
The Flyers have the option to send Luchanko back to the OHL next season if they want to. His 21 goals this season were his best with the Storm, though he dropped from 74 to 56 in points. That may have a lot to do with the team around him, which did get worse after the deadline.
Bonk is next as he was a finalist in two categories. He was third as the Best Shot Blocker in the Western Conference with 13 points. That was 10 points behind leader Blake Smith. The OHL doesn’t appear to track blocked shots so it’s hard to know how many he finished the regular season with. But being honored as one of the best in his conference bodes well.
Bonk also finished second for Best Defensive Defenseman with 14 points. Matthew Andonovski ran away with the award at 33 points. But it was notable that Bonk finished ahead of Schaefer in that category, even if it was only by one point.
Bonk’s high finish in that category goes along with the fact that he did finish with 27 fewer points than the previous season. His 11 goals were 13 fewer than that season as well. But it could be that Bonk is finding ways to round out his game as he is likely not going to be the same offensive powerhouse in the NHL.
Lastly, Barkey finished as a finalist in three categories. His closest finish came in the Best Stickhandker category. Even though he finished in second place, his 19 points were eight behind Ilya Protas. The other two categories Barkey earned votes in were Best Playmaker (21 points) and Smartest Player (11 points).
After exploding for 35 goals and 102 points in 2023-24, Barkey dropped to 25 and 82 in each category. But a summer case of mono likely contributed to a slow start as he was unable to participate in either Flyers’ camp ahead of the season.
If Barkey had a healthy summer and an ability to train the way he’d have wanted to, one could argue he would’ve posted similar, or even better numbers. Barkey finished the season on a nine-game point streak, posting 19 points.
He never went more than one game without a point after just two points in his first six games. And considering he has five goals and 12 points in four postseason games, there is nothing to worry about.
There’s a lot to be excited about for Flyers fans. These three alone could make up a part of the new core in the near future.