For the second straight season, Flyers’ prospect Jett Luchanko has been returned to his junior team, the Guelph Storm in the OHL.

Luchanko made it four games in the NHL in 2025, just like he did in 2024, before the Flyers decided to send him back to the OHL. Flyers general manager Danny Briere said it was less about how he played during his second four-game stint in Philly; Instead, it was how much he played.

“He could have stayed here,” Briere said. “He showed that he can play, but we want more than that for him in the long run. We felt at this point, it was time for him to start playing high minutes and more of an offensive role. Get back to playing power play, playing killing penalties, and facing top opposition on the other team on a nightly basis.”

It’s not about the right now for the Flyers and Luchanko. Briere and company are looking more towards the future with Luchanko, wanting what’s best for his long-term development.

Playing at World Juniors is playing a role in the Flyers’ decision as well. Briere had made it sound as if the Flyers would be willing to let him go play, even if he was still on the roster. However, there would have been a big adjustment going from playing his Flyers’ minutes to Canada minutes.

“We also want to prepare him for the World Junior Championship,” Briere said. “It’s, it’s tough if he’s playing seven, eight minutes a night for the first three months of the season. Then, you send him to the World Juniors, and they expect to play him 15 to 18, maybe 20 minutes. It’s a really tough adjustment to change like that.”

Read More: Flyers Send Jett Luchanko Back to Guelph

Luchanko’s Progression

This is the second-straight season where Luchanko played in four NHL games and failed to register a point. His stats were almost a mirrored reflection of those from the season prior. Penalty minutes, points (or lack of), games, they all lined up.

Even the date on which he was sent back was almost spot on. In 2024, it was October 26th; In 2025, it was the 27th.

One thing that was not similar was his shots and minutes. Luchanko had three shots on goal in 2024, compared to just one in 2025. However, he had a lot more opportunity in 2024, averaging just over 5 minutes per game more than in 2025.

Luchanko was dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of rookie camp and the rookie showcase. He was certainly behind a little bit this season compared to last year.

Briere said he knew the missed rookie camp would mean Luchanko needed a little more time to progress in the preseason. Eventually, he found his legs and made a push for the roster.

However, it was last season when Luchanko joined the Phantoms in their playoff push, where Briere said he saw the most improvement, and they’re looking to replicate that.

“We saw a big progression last season when he came in to play in Lehigh. He was pretty impressive; he was arguably our best player down the stretch and into the playoffs. That was really encouraging to see. He was able to put up points as well, but that was the product of playing heavy minutes in juniors, to feeling comfortable on the ice.”

It sounds like that is the plan again.

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Flyers Made the Right Decision

At the end of the day, the Flyers made the right decision, sending Jett Luchanko back to the OHL.

There are certainly layers to the decision. It still feels like Luchanko is a little too good to be playing in Guelph, but he is definitely not NHL-ready. It’s been mentioned many times already, but if the AHL rule allowing 19-year-olds to play had gone into effect this season, it would have been perfect here.

However, that’s not the case, and the Flyers had to make a tough decision. Sure, a trade could come into effect, sending Luchanko to an OHL contender. Banking on that should not have played into the decision.

What made this the right choice is the playing time.

Keeping him out of Guelph felt like a priority. However, having Luchanko playing eight minutes a game was nowhere near ideal – like, not on the same planet of ideal. If he is going to develop into the player the Flyers hope he can be, Luchanko needs to be playing meaningful minutes.

He clearly was not going to get those minutes in Philadelphia this season, so what other choice did they have?

Now, Luchanko will get top-line minutes, an opportunity to prepare for the World Juniors, and a chance to continue building on what he learned in his second NHL stint.

Not to mention, there is still a real chance that he returns to the Phantoms at the end of the season, barring a miracle run by the Storm. He could even be eligible to join the Flyers on the back end of the season. There are still five games before he burns the first year off his ELC.

While it’s unfortunate that Luchanko couldn’t play in the AHL this season, he never would have gotten the minutes he needed to develop. The Flyers made the right decision.

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