With the junior circuit coming to a close, several players are looking to make the jump either to the NHL or their AHL affiliates. For the Philadelphia Flyers, it’s looking more and more likely that prospects Jett Luchanko and Alex Čiernik will be joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this week, as reported by On Pattison’s Anthony SanFilippo.
The AHL playoffs are very different than what we’re used to in the NHL. 23 teams qualify and each division has a specific amount of teams that make the playoffs – not to mention that the divisions don’t have an equal amount of teams.
The 8-team Atlantic Division has 6 teams that qualify, the 7-team divisions of the North and Central have 5 teams that qualify, and 7 teams come out of the 10-team Pacific Division. As things stand now, the Phantoms are more or less locked in barring an epic collapse.
The Phantoms are currently in 5th place in the Atlantic Division with 69 points and have played 2 or 3 games more than all the teams ahead of them. 6th-place Springfield are 3 points back with a game in hand, while 7th-place Hartford are 8 points back.
Luchanko has had himself a thrilling draft+1 season, which started with the Flyers at the NHL level. His compete and work ethic was on full display all summer and by the time training camp came to a close, he forced the Flyers’ hand into giving him a shot in the big leagues.
Luchanko was a surprising selection when the Flyers nabbed him with the 13th overall pick but the front office did their homework and were more than happy to take the leap on the London, Ontario native.
He went under the radar with 20 goals and 74 points in 68 games for the Guelph Storm and many believed he would be drafted in the early to mid-teens of the first round. Nevertheless, the risk seemingly paid off a year later and he’s expected to make an impact for the Phantoms.
On the year he tallied 21 goals and 56 points in 46 games for Guelph, went pointless in 4 games with the Flyers, and represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championships and added a goal.
As for Čiernik, the Slovakian tallied 11 goals and 23 points in 46 games for Nybro Vikings IF of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier league.
Drafted in the 4th round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Čiernik has certainly gone under the radar playing in the Swedish circuit but should bring about a fresh set of skills for the Phantoms. He’s best known for his explosive speed and playmaking abilities.
Lehigh Valley is currently paced by Jacob Gaucher’s 20 goals and 36 points in 62 games, followed by Anthony Richard’s 15 goals and 34 points in 36 games, and Samu Tuomaala’s 32 points in 46 games. Olle Lycksell leads the team with 41 points in 40 games but has been with the Flyers since the trade deadline.
More offensive help is exactly what the Phantoms need at the moment and they’ll be getting that in both Luchanko and Čiernik.
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