Flyers’ GM Danny Briere ‘disappointed’ in Canada’s usage of Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk at World Juniors

The head of the Philadelphia Flyers has let it be known he was not happy with how some of his prospects were put on display at the recent IIHF World Junior Championship.

During a mid-season media availability on Monday, general manager Danny Briere gave his thoughts on how Hockey Canada used Flyers’ prospects Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk at the recent tournament over the holidays.

Luchanko, a member of the Guelph Storm and a 13th overall pick in last year’s NHL Draft, played in all five games for Canada in Ottawa, scoring just one goal.

Briere didn’t like that Team Canada didn’t use Luchanko more often, citing that several parts of his game would’ve helped Canada achieve better success.

“We were disappointed in the role they gave him,” Briere said. “When you look at the role they gave him, he performed great. We have higher expectations for him. He’s probably the best skater in the World Junior tournament, and he barely played.”

Briere acknowledged the fact that his team has no control over how much a particular player appears in tournaments like the WJC.

Bonk was by the Flyers 22nd overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. The London Knight star has been one of the top players in the OHL over the past couple of seasons, and was a key part in helping the Knights win the J. Ross Robertson Cup and move within one win of the Memorial Cup.

Briere noted that Canadian head coach Dave Cameron was playing Bonk quite a bit but thought the spots he was put in weren’t beneficial for the team, given Bonk’s strengths.

“It’s kind of the same thing. He had a big role, but they put him in positions that are not going to be his strengths moving forward, which was really weird to us. Again, we really don’t have control over that. Overall, I thought he had a really good tournament in what we expect from him…shutting down the opposition and playing against the top lines and tough matchups.”

Briere says the Flyers are excited for when Bonk turns pro with the organization for the 2025-26 season.

Canada was eliminated by Czechia in the quarterfinals at the World Juniors for the second year in a row.