Hockey Canada announced the roster for their upcoming World Junior Summer Showcase this summer and the Philadelphia Flyers will be represented by 5 prospects in goaltender Carson Bjarnason, defensemen Carter Sotheran and Oliver Bonk, and forwards Denver Barkey and Jett Luchanko.
Before heading to the tournament that is being held in Michigan this year, Team Canada will play an intra-squad game in Windsor on the 30th of July. They will then play 3 tournament games with the first being against Sweden on the 31st of July at 7:30 pm (ET), against Finland on the 2nd of August at 1:00 pm (ET), and finally against the United States on the 3rd of August at 4:00 pm (ET).
Bjarnason is one of four goaltenders invited to the showcase after posting strong numbers for the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. He went 24-17-5 with a .907 SV% and a 3.01 GAA as he backstopped a not-so-great Wheat Kings team to the postseason. They ultimately fell in 4 games but it was a good draft+1 season from the 2nd round pick in 2023.
Sotheran was drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and finished the season with 13 goals and 40 points for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, which was an improvement of 9 goals and 17 points in 2 less games from 2022-23. It’s a loaded defensive class with players like Bonk, Sam Dickinson, Tanner Moldenyk, and Zayne Parekh but it’s a great sign for Sotheran to be mentioned in the same conversation.
Bonk’s exploits are a little more well known considering he was the anchor of a great London Knights back-end. He finished the season with 24 goals and 67 points in 60 games, which was an improvement of 14 goals and 27 points in 7 less games. He would also add 7 goals and 16 points in 18 post-season contests as the Knights were crowned OHL champions. The former first-round pick is expected to play an even larger role for the Knights in 2024-25 and should certainly be a big addition to Team Canada.
Bonk’s OHL teammate and fellow third-round pick from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Barkey, had a remarkable campaign where he finished with 35 goals and 102 points in 64 regular season games before adding 21 assists and 27 points in 18 post-season contests. He exploded onto the scene and combined with Easton Cowan to propel the Knights offensively all season long. He improved from the 22 goals and 59 points he scored in 61 games the year prior and should be a shoe-in for the Canadian team this summer.
The 13th overall pick from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, Luchanko is hoping to make bring strides and impact this summer for Team Canada. Considered a late-bloomer in his draft class, the Flyers were more than happy to select him a few picks ahead of the consensus rankings ahead of some more notable names like Konsta Helenius and Cole Eiserman. The 2-way centre scored 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games, which was an improvement from the 5 goals and 14 points he collected in 46 games the year prior.
