Flyers prospects Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey have become ‘brothers and really close friends’

The bond the London Knights teammates have built a bond, on and off the ice, since they were 16. "It’s been cool to watch each other grow," Barkey said.

Denver Barkey spoke to reporters at Flyers development camp player on Wednesday.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

by Jackie Spiegel

Published July 4, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

You cannot miss Oliver Bonk.

It’s not because he’s the biggest guy. He’s 6-foot-2, and that honor belongs to 6-6 fellow blueliner Matteo Mann. But you can easily spot the Flyers’ 2023 first-rounder because he looks like he’s having the most fun.

Maybe it’s because, as the director of player development Riley Armstrong said, Bonk is exuding confidence and “looks like he’s playing pro hockey already with the way he handles himself in the locker room and on the ice.”

Maybe it’s because he’s “Bumper Bonk,” a defenseman playing the bumper position on the power play in London, Ontario, and constantly lighting the lamp. Or maybe it’s because he’s a key member of the Flyers’ future alongside his London Knights teammate Denver Barkey.

“It’s been super cool. Ever since we were 16, we’ve been in London together and [have] watched each other grow and just become brothers and really close friends. It’s been a really cool experience,” Barkey said.

“And, yeah, to come here, it helps a lot just to know him as well. He’s becoming such a fantastic player with such a bright future, and it’s been cool to watch each other grow and, hopefully, we stay together throughout the long run,” Barkey said.

The two have not only grown tight off the ice, but they also click on it. The pair were key contributors for the Knights, leading the team to the final of the Memorial Cup this season. After each was drafted in 2023 — Barkey was a third-rounder last year for the Flyers — the pair finished the 2023-24 season with Ontario Hockey League honors; Bonk was named to the All-Star first team and Barkey to the second.

Barkey, a forward who signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers in March, finished tied for fourth in the OHL in points (102) and third in assists (67) and buried the puck 35 times during the regular season.

The aforementioned “Bumper Bonk” was the top defenseman in power-play goals, scoring 15 of his 24 with the man advantage. He posted 67 points in 60 regular-season games, including five shorthanded assists, and accumulated a plus-minus of plus-28.

“Just [an] overall smart player,” Bonk said when asked to describe his game. “Two-way obviously, not just defense, not just offense, but both ways you’ve got to be good. But I think, just, the biggest part of me is smarts and using your IQ.

“Not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest, but I think I can always use my head to outsmart guys and get better position and stuff like that. So I think, overall, just like a smart, cerebral [defenseman who] goes two ways.”

Bonk and Barkey excelled this past season and also dealt with disappointment. Aside from losing to host Saginaw, Mich., in the Memorial Cup final, Barkey was one of the last cuts from Canada’s World Junior Championship team. Bonk made the team but saw Czechia’s game-winning goal go in off his stick with little more than 11 seconds left in the quarterfinals. Each rebounded, tenfold.

“The World Junior camp was a cool experience, and to not make it was heartbreaking. It was a tough couple of days; for me, it stung a bit, but you’ve got to move on,” said Barkey, who used the Christmas break to reset and was invited to the 2025 World Juniors camp for Canada.

“And my goal was to prove them wrong and use that to fuel the fire. So, after I got cut there, I kind of used it as motivation for the rest of the season to prove them wrong and just continue to grow as a player and as a person,” Barkey said.

How Bonk handled what happened in Sweden impressed Nick Schultz, the assistant director of player development.

“A pretty resilient kid. … A good thing and a big thing for us was how he responded,” Schultz said. “I think he responded all season long, watching London play, and they went through tough stretches, they responded. He was a big-time leader there, and I think it’s going to continue to grow that way as he continues through junior and gets a chance to push here for the Flyers and pro hockey.”

When the pair will don the Orange and Black jersey and hit the ice at the Wells Fargo Center is still to be determined. But when that day comes, the bond they have built on and off the ice will be a cornerstone for the Flyers franchise. And if you ask Bonk, that time may be sooner than anyone thinks.

“Yeah, you got to come in [and] believe you’re going to make the team,” Bonk said. “It’s probable that I go back; they didn’t tell me like for sure you’re going back, they didn’t tell me that you’re staying here.

“But I think you’ve just got to put it in your head that you want to stay here. You’ve got to not lose any battles. You’ve got to out-battle every single guy. Do your best, because if you’re already thinking you’re going back, you’re probably going to end up back there.”