Back in August, eight Flyers-affiliated prospects represented their countries in the 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase. Now, with the annual IIHF World Junior Championships looming in late December, four of the eight players so far have earned invitations to their national team selection camps for the WJC.
Left winger Denver Barkey, goaltender Carson Bjarnason, defenseman Oliver Bonk and center Jett Luchanko are among the 30 players invited to participate in Hockey Canada's selection camp in Ottawa from December 10 to 13. Four goaltenders, 10 defensemen and 16 forwards will attend the camp to compete for roster spots.
Two Flyers prospects who played in the Summer Showcase -- defenseman Carter Sotheran (Canada) and winger Noah Powell (USA) -- did not receive selection camp invitations. Neither the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation nor the Finnish federation have announced their selection phase rosters yet. During the summer, Swedish center Jack Berglund (Flyers 2024 second-round pick) and Finnish center Heikki Ruohonen (Flyers 2024 fourth-round selection) both took part in the Summer Showcase.
Following is a look at the four Flyers prospects selected for Team Canada's WJC selection camp. For a Flyers-related recap of the 2024 Summer Show click here.
Denver Barkey (W): At last December's selection camp, Barkey was one of the final two cuts from Canada's WJC roster. This time around, the 19-year-old Barkey stands a greater chance of nailing down a coveted World Juniors roster spot. Barkey's ability to play up or down in the lineup, and especially his penalty killing prowess and knack for creating shorthanded scoring chances, work in his favor in the competition for spots.
Coming off a 102-point regular season and 27-point playoff run in the Ontario Hockey League in 2023-24, Barkey was set back late in the summertime by a bout with mononucleosis. The illness contributed to a slow start this season for the newly minted London captain, but he's since regained his form. Through 21 games played this season, Barkey has posted 28 points (four goals, 24 assists), 14 penalty minutes, and a +13 rating.
The Flyers drafted Barkey in the third round, 95th overall, in the 2023 NHL Draft. If selected for the WJC, it would be the second time he has represented Canada internationally. Prior to the 2022-23 season, Barkey played in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament before his Draft-eligible junior season.
Carson Bjarnason (G): The Flyers' 2023 second-round pick impressed in the team's Rookie Camp in September and has gone on to have a strong draft-plus-two season to date for the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings (6-6-2 record, 3.02 goals against average, .913 save percentage, one shutout).
Bjarnason, 19, represented Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF Under-18 World Championships. His roster spot competition for a 2024-25 WJC roster spot consists of 18-year-old Carter George (LA Kings 2024 second-round pick) of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, 19-year-old Scott Ratzlaff (Buffalo Sabres 2023 fifth-round selection) of the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds, and 17-year-old Jack Ivankovic (2025 NHL Draft eligible) of the OHL's Brampton Steelheads.
Oliver Bonk (D): The Flyers' 2023 first-round pick (22nd overall) has an apparent inside track for a 2024-25 World Juniors roster spot because he's a returning player from last year's Team Canada WJC squad.
"Bumper Bonk" has posted six goals, 15 assists, and a plus-14 rating this season for OHL powerhouse London. He plays in all game situations for the Knights. Fellow London defenseman Sam Dickinson (2024 San Jose Sharks first-round pick) is likely to join Bonk on Team Canada's WJC blueline. Along with forwards Barkey and Easton Cowan (2023 Toronto Maple Leafs first-round picks) the Knights could have four players at the World Juniors this year.
Jett Luchanko (C): The Flyers 2024 first-round Draft pick (13th overall) has only helped his case for a WJC roster spot in the months since the Summer Showcase. The 18-year-old center became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Flyers in a regular season NHL game when he made the opening night roster and appeared in four games for head coach John Tortorella's club.
After returning to the OHL's Guelph Storm, it took Lunchanko a week or two to get back in the swing of things at the junior hockey level. Since that time, he's been dominant (five goals, 11 assists, plus-three in 13 games) for a 7-14-3 club that is in last place in the OHL's Midwest Division.
Although known much more as a playmaker with blazing speed than as a goal scorer, Luchanko has shown increased willingness to shoot the puck this season. His two-way game is exceptionally mature and is a major part of the reason he cracked the Flyers' opening night NHL roster. Despite being a Draft-plus-one player, Luchanko has a very strong chance of staking down a WJC roster spot at age 18.
