Flyers' Briere criticizes Canada's usage of Luchanko, Bonk in WJHC

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere questioned the way Team Canada used two of his prospects at the recently concluded World Junior Championship.

Briere wondered why forward Jett Luchanko saw limited ice time in the tourney.

"We were disappointed in the role they gave him, but when you look at the role they gave him, he performed great," the GM said Tuesday. "We have (high) expectations for him, and he was probably the best skater in the world junior tournament, and he barely played. That's out of our control, unfortunately, but in the role that they gave him, he was excellent."

The executive then pointed to Canada's deployment of defenseman Oliver Bonk.

"He had a big role, but they put him in positions that is not really what is going to be his strength moving forward, which was really weird to us," Briere said. "But again, we don't have any control over that. Overall, I thought he had a really good tournament in what we expect from him, in shutting down the opposition and playing against the top lines and the tough matchups."

Luchanko, the Flyers' 13th overall pick last year, played 11:54 in Canada's quarterfinal loss to Czechia after logging 11:27 in a 4-1 defeat to the United States on New Year's Eve. Luchanko scored a goal for his only point in five games at the event. He has 10 tallies and 15 helpers in 20 contests with the OHL's Guelph Storm this season.

Bonk, whom Philadelphia selected 22nd overall in 2023, collected a goal and an assist across five games at the tournament. He has six tallies and 19 helpers over 28 contests with the OHL's London Knights in 2024-25.