Jett Luchanko is looking forward to having a second shot at wearing the Maple Leaf on the World Junior stage.
The Philadelphia Flyers prospect is one of six returning players at this year’s training camp who represented Canada at last year’s tournament in Ottawa.
Despite the disappointing loss to Czechia in the quarter-finals last year, Luchanko enjoyed his time wearing the red and white and is looking forward to doing it again.
“It was really cool to be in front of a home crowd, to feed off that energy, and see what it means to everyone,” Luchanko told TSN on Wednesday. “Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but it was a great experience all around.”
Canada is facing pressure to get back onto the podium after two straight fifth-place finishes at the World Juniors. It is only the third time in World Juniors history that Canada has failed to medal in back to back years, and missing out this year would be the first time Canada has gone without a medal three consecutive years since 1979-81.
Luchanko and the rest of Team Canada recognize how important the tournament is to the country but are trying not to let the pressure get to them.
“At the end of the day, for us it’s just hockey and that’s the only thing that matters to us,” said Luchanko. “It definitely makes it a lot more fun knowing that everyone cares that much.
“I think having the experience last year, knowing how the day-to-day works will be good for us. To be able to share that with the others and my experience with the pressure, hopefully we’ll be able to get it done this year.”
The 5-foot-11 centre enters Canada’s camp just two weeks after a blockbuster trade in the Ontario Hockey League that sent him from the Guelph Storm to the Brantford Bulldogs.
Luchanko was drafted 12th overall by the Storm in 2022 and spent parts of four seasons there, recording 48 goals and 161 points in 171 games, making two playoff appearances.
His 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 campaign led him to be drafted 13th overall by the Flyers in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 19-year-old now finds himself on a Brantford squad that sits in first place in the OHL with a 23-3-5 record and has the capability to go further in the playoffs than Luchanko has ever been before.
“I was a young guy [when I first went to Guelph] and came out as more of a man,” said Luchanko. “It’s tough to say goodbye to the people who helped me, but I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me. Hopefully they got enough out of me.
“[But] it’s been great so far in Brantford for the couple of weeks that I’ve been here. I haven’t been close [to an OHL championship] but just winning anything in general would be fun and great. It’s really cool to be part of a team that definitely has a big chance to do that.”
Luchanko’s past two seasons have begun with short stints with the Flyers.
Last season, he became the youngest player in Flyers history to suit up for an NHL game at 18 years and 51 days, which surpassed forward Dainius Zubrus’ record of 18 years and 111 days. He appeared in four games with the club before being returned to the OHL.
This year, Luchanko began the season in the NHL but was sent back to Guelph after four games once again.
“[The Flyers] want me to get better at every aspect of the game,” said Luchanko. “Especially on the offensive side, they want me to be able to create more chances and use my shot more.”
He later told TSN’s Mark Masters on Sunday that he has been really focused on working on his shot and thinks that it is harder and more accurate than it was before. However, he’s more focused on getting into the areas to set himself up for shooting situations.
Luchanko was assigned to the American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms at the end of last season, after Guelph’s year had finished.
The London, Ont., native became the second-youngest player in Phantoms history and recorded three assists in nine games to wrap up the 2024-25 campaign.
“It was a great way to end my year coming off not great team success in Guelph,” said Luchanko. “To be able to have that experience of playing with some older players was a great experience and it will be helpful [in the future].”
