Keith Jones, the Flyers’ President of Hockey Operations, says there’s a small chance that Oliver Bonk makes the roster when the regular season begins. It’s not a certainty, but it’s not a non-starter either. He hopes that the defenseman’s play results in a hard, difficult decision being made when the final roster cuts are announced.
“Oliver Bonk is someone I think our fans are going to really appreciate watching as well,” Jones said on PHLY‘s The Anthony Gargano Show Friday morning. “His development last year was probably even greater than what we could’ve projected after we drafted him. He’s a pro. It’s going to be a difficult thing to keep him heading back to juniors but that’s ultimately where I see him going. But I want to make sure he comes in here and understands that the world is his oyster, that he can do some special things on teh ice.”
Bonk, who is slated to dress tonight for the opener of the two-game Rookie Series in Allentown against the Rangers, was quite impressive in 2023-24 for the OHL’s London Knights. Bonk had 24 goals and 43 assists for 67 points in just 60 games. Toss in the 16 points in had in 18 playoff games and you essentially have 83 points in just over a full OHL regular season. In essence, he might look like he’s ready and the Flyers shouldn’t completely close the door on any chance he makes the roster in October. But they’re also realistic in that another year of development certainly shouldn’t hurt him.
Given that Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler should all be locks for the blueline to start the season, Bonk would have to clearly be much more impressive than at least two of Egor Zamula, Rasmus Ristolainen or Erik Johnson to make the cut. It would be completely asinine to have Bonk be a seventh defenseman or a healthy scratch with the big club when getting him in game situations, albeit in junior, is more important.
Another youngster Jones mentioned was Jett Luchanko, the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick who will also play this evening against the Rangers. “The best part about his game is that it’s mature already and he’s really young, he was one of the youngest players in the draft last year,” Jones said. “He has the makings of a complete player as far as his ability to play in all three zones which is so critically important for a centerman. He is very sound defensively and he’s one of the fastest players in our organization.”
Jones also spoke about Michkov, saying his “brain is off the charts as far as he as how he sees the game offensively” and “he’s extremely committed to being great.” “There’s a willingness to do whatever it takes so far,” Jones said. “I played with great players, the same line as Forsberg, Sakic, Lindros, Leclair and they all had those qualities. But I’ve never witnessed a 19-year-old coming with it. This is kind of a neat thing to watch and try to project but at the same time keep expectations in check just because of his age.”
What seems clear is that much like the fanbase, Jones and the Flyers brass are eager to get started to see what the future might hold given the talent that seems to be in the pipeline.
