First-round pick Jett Luchanko gets his first taste of Flyers development camp

It hasn’t really sunk in yet for Jett Luchanko.

The forward heard his name called when the Flyers made the 13th overall selection at the NHL draft on Friday in Las Vegas. The next night, he boarded a plane with the destination — Philadelphia.

And now he’s sporting an orange jersey at development camp in Voorhees under the watchful eye of guys like general manager Danny Brière, president Keith Jones, and coach John Tortorella.

“The draft doesn’t change the way that I see things or go about my business,” Luchanko, 17, said after taking his twirl on the ice among half of the forward group at Flyers development camp. “Just try to work hard every single day, and I think good things come from that. So not really worried about where I went and just kind of worried about getting the work in and getting started here.”

The first day of on-ice activities at camp is filled with drills, including some any player from mites to adults would do. But this was at another level. In addition to a high level of edgework, Luchanko showcased the speed and footwork he’s known for. He spent several drills working with and against fellow 2024 pick Heikki Ruohonen.

“Just seeing [Luchanko] out here, you can tell he’s a little bit nervous. But I think that comes with the nature of the territory too, his first little camp here and also being a first-round pick,” director of player development Riley Armstrong said. “So there’s a little bit of added pressure there.

“But, you know, that’s something that we talked with him through that stuff and help him adjust and then understand who he is as a player, really. But he looks good out here. I thought the first little skate we did, you can tell his strength is his skating and he can fly up and down the rink. So I think when you add speed into any lineup, it’s a bonus.”

» READ MORE: Flyers’ 2024-25 schedule: Matvei Michkov’s potential debut, Cutter Gauthier in Philadelphia and more

Armstrong said he went to see 2023 Flyers picks Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk play for London of the Ontario Hockey League this past season. While he was there, a certain No. 7 for the opposition kept catching his eye. He kept checking Elite Prospects, and it was Luchanko, a native of London who was playing for Guelph.

“Yeah, he’s a great player,” Bonk said. “One-man power-play break-in, that’s what we called him in London because they’d just slung it back to him, one-against-four, and he’d skate it in every time. He’s a special player.”

Matvei Michov will not be at development camp but, of course, he was a topic of conversation. Assistant general manager Brent Flahr told The Inquirer in March that, “We obviously leave him alone for the most part during the season, but Riley Armstrong communicates with him via an app that translates back and forth.”

Armstrong, who played a handful of games for Astana Barys of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2010-11, was asked on Tuesday how he thinks Michkov will adjust to the NHL.

“I think the biggest adjustment is just going to be going to the smaller ice every night. Over there, some rinks are big, and some rinks are the NHL size,” Armstrong said. “So for him, I think just being in the defensive zone, worrying about that — I think playing for Torts, he’s going to learn that pretty quick — and just little board battles; kind of the stuff we were actually doing today would be perfect for him.

“But I think the blue line out, and when he gets the puck, I think he’s going to pull all of you guys [the media] right out of your seats and along with the other fans at the Wells Fargo Center. So I don’t know how long it will take for him to adjust to the league, but once he figures it out and understands his linemates and stuff like that, I think he’s going to be a pretty special player.”

Spencer Gill’s road to Philadelphia was long and winding. And we’re not talking about anything hockey-related. Along with fellow draftees Jack Berglund and Austin Moline, Gill’s travels to his new team’s hometown were a bit bumpy.

“We [were supposed to leave] Vegas Sunday morning,” Gill said. “Flight got delayed like four or five hours there. Then we took off, and we had to stop in Chicago for fuel because of the heat. We weren’t really supposed to get off the plane in Chicago, but we ended up getting off and they wanted to take off two different times, and then, like, 11 o’clock Sunday night, they canceled the flight.

“We had a hotel in Chicago [on] Sunday night, and then we were supposed to fly Monday morning at 6, and then that only took off at 11:30. So we got in here last night, but I guess it’s good to be here now.”

» READ MORE: Flyers draft pick Spencer Gill has a connection to a Broad Street Bully

The players used Monday to bond and play paintball, splitting up into four teams. “All bruised up,” defenseman Hunter McDonald joked. ... Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, and Jamie Drysdale were spotted watching the players going through drills. ... Center prospect Massimo Rizzo was on the ice at development camp and “felt really good.” He joined Lehigh Valley after signing his entry-level contract in April but did not play in any games because of injury and had “a couple of skates” before Tuesday. Princeton women’s hockey coach Cara Morey was one of the coaches on the ice. It is her third season at development camp. ... The Flyers signed Anthony Richard to a two-way deal with an annual average value of $775,000. The center spent the majority of last season with Providence of the American Hockey League but did play in nine games for the Boston Bruins. ... Cam Atkinson, who had his contract bought out by the Flyers last week, signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning for $900,000.

» READ MORE: From sixth-round pick to the NHL? Danny Brière likes Hunter McDonald’s chances.