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Corey Pronman details what to expect from the Philadelphia Flyers’ new prospects and how they fit into the farm system. This page will be updated throughout the 2024 NHL Draft.
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2024 Draft Grade: C+
Jett Luchanko projects as an NHL center. No. 13 was a tad high for me, even though I knew plenty of scouts who had him around that range. He’s a third-line center for my money, but I could see him become a 2C if a lot goes right. Jack Berglund, Philly’s next pick, has a lot of NHL traits and could be a bottom-six forward, too. I couldn’t get there with the Spencer Gill hype this season, even though I knew some scouts who liked him a lot. If I’m off on Luchanko and Gill, this class could be better than I’ve graded it.
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Draft Class
13. Jett Luchanko, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)
August 21, 2006 | 5′ 11″ | 187 pounds
Tier: Middle of the lineup player
Skating: Above NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: Above NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Below NHL average
Player comparable: Yanni Gourde
Analysis: Luchanko took significant steps forward this season into a legit NHL prospect. He is one of the better skaters in the draft. He has an explosive stride and when he winds up he’ll be able to get plenty of controlled entries in the NHL. He competes very hard at both ends of the ice and attacks the tough areas. He has skill and excels as a playmaker. Luchanko often creates chances for his teammates can do so on the move, in tight and off the edge. His finishing touch could use work as he didn’t convert on a lot of chances this season. As a smaller forward, whether his offense is special enough is a minor question but it lessened for me over the course of the season. He looks like a potential third-line center or second-line wing.
Pick grade: B
Thoughts on the pick: Luchanko gives Philly some much-needed center depth in their pipeline. He’s a well-rounded player whose stock kept going up this season. He plays hard, is a great skater, and has offense in his game. He projects as a middle-six center in the NHL.
51. Jack Berglund, C, Färjestad BK J20 (J20 Nationell)
April 10, 2006 | 6′ 3″ | 209 pounds
Tier: Projected to play NHL games
Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: NHL average
Analysis: Berglund showed good progression over the course of the season, which ended with a strong U18 worlds for Sweden. Berglund is a big forward who can play center or wing but looks more like a pro wing. He has strong puck skills and vision. I don’t think he’s going to blow you away offensively, but he makes quick decisions, is creative with the puck and can create both off the perimeter and in tight. He doesn’t shy away from using his big body in physical play so maybe he can become a bottom-six forward given he has a bit of a sluggish skating stride.
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59. Spencer Gill, RHD, Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
August 17, 2006 | 6′ 4″ | 185 pounds
Tier: Has a chance to play games
Skating: Below NHL average
Puck skills: Below NHL average
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: Below NHL average
Shot: Above NHL average
Analysis: Gill showed good progress in his second QMJHL season, scoring a good amount of points and playing a notable role for Rimouski. Gill’s toolkit as a big defenseman who skates well enough and has some skill is intriguing. He can skate pucks up ice. He sees the ice well enough at the QMJHL level to make plays and be on a power play, although he doesn’t project to do that at the pro level. He’s a big man, but he doesn’t use his body as much as you’d like to see, and his defensive play is just OK. It’s unclear what his NHL role would be, even if he has the components of an NHL defenseman.
107. Heikki Ruohonen, C, Kiekko-Espoo U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
June 19, 2006 | 6′ 1″ | 196 pounds
Analysis: Ruohonen is a center with a strong individual skill level. He competes hard, is solid defensively and can kill penalties. He drives the net often to create offense and thrives in the hard areas of the ice. I don’t think he’s a natural playmaker, though, and he has so-so hockey sense. His skating is also just OK and lacks the pullaway speed for the NHL level.
148. Noah Powell, W, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
February 2, 2005 | 6′ 0″ | 201 pounds
173. Ilya Pautov, RW, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL)
May 3, 2006 | 5′ 10″ | 165 pounds
205. Austin Moline, RHD, Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep (USHS-Prep)
November 21, 2005 | 6′ 4″ | 194 pounds
Analysis: Moline is a mobile defenseman, especially for a big man. Scouts have issues with his skill and sense with the puck.
Beat writer’s analysis
The Flyers’ 2024 draft was as much about setting themselves up for the 2025 draft as it was the seven players they selected at the Sphere. After swapping their late first-round pick to Edmonton for the Oilers’ first-rounder in 2025 (top 12 protected), the Flyers now have 12 total picks in next year’s draft — including three in each of the first two rounds.
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It’s important to keep in mind the Flyers are looking at the 2023, 2024 and 2025 drafts as a whole more than individually, based on their timeline to compete again. General manager Daniel Briere explained that philosophy last week.
“When we talked about the rebuild last year, the three following drafts from the time we started … those are really critical drafts for us. When you’re doing a rebuild, especially now in a cap era where it’s really tough to go out and sign free agents, that’s what we hope to be the base for us moving forward,” Briere said.
Still, the Flyers were unable to replicate what transpired in 2024, when potential future star Matvei Michkov fell to them at No. 7. Perhaps first-round pick (No. 13) Jett Luchenko ultimately develops into an NHL-quality top-line center, but it’s safe to assume the Flyers’ aggressive attempts to trade up in the draft were to land a more highly regarded prospect.
One player of interest over the next few years will be highly rated (by some) defenseman Zeev Buium, who the Flyers could have taken before they swapped places with the Minnesota Wild. Briere explained that the Flyers weren’t all that keen on Buium due to their having some undersized defensemen in the organization already like Cam York, Jamie Drysdale and Emil Andrae. It’s worth mentioning, too, that Buium is represented by the same agent as Cutter Gauthier, who forced his way out of the organization in January.
It was unsurprising, though, that the Flyers used their first two picks on centers in Luchanko and Jack Berglund, a 6-foot-4, 210-pounder from Sweden, as well as a fourth-rounder on 6-foot-2, 204-pound Heikki Ruohonen out of Finland. That was a distinct area of need for their pipeline.
“The one thing we wanted to focus on from the start of the draft was (to) secure our center position a little better,” Briere said. “That’s where Berglund and Ruohonen came into play today.”
As for looking ahead to 2025 and their abundance of selections, Briere said: “We had the chance to upgrade the draft next year. The tough part is to be patient. … I think it’s clear we’re trying to do it the way we had planned from the beginning.” — Kevin Kurz
(Photo of Jett Luchanko with the Flyers organization: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
