The 2024 World Junior Summer Showcase series of exhibition games featured eight different Flyers prospects: a record level of representation for draftees affiliated with the organization. All eight reps had moments where they stood out.
Playing in the Summer Showcase is simply a first step toward a player potentially representing one's national team in the IIHF Under-20 World Championship (World Junior Championships). The next four months leading up to WJC roster selection camps in December will be more telling.
With much of the Flyers' Hockey Operations brass in attendance as the Showcase progressed -- including president of hockey operations Keith Jones.
Here is a recap of how each Flyers prospect fared at the 2024 Showcase.
TEAM CANADA
Denver Barkey: Primarily a winger over the last year for the Ontario Hockey League champion, Hockey Canada took a look at Barkey at center in a game against Finland and back on the wing in the finale against Team USA. A top penalty-killer in the OHL (especially as a shorthanded scoring threat), Barkey saw time on both ends of special teams for Canada including some second power play unit shifts. As one of the last cuts at last December's WJC roster selection camp, Barkey has a strong chance to make the roster this year. If he does, it will most likely be in more of a bottom-six and penalty killing role than his top-of-lineup usage in London. Barkey's most notable moment in this year's Showcase saw him score on a transition rush two seconds after a Canada penalty expired in the final game against Team USA (a 5-4 shootout victory for USA).
Carson Bjarnason: The Flyers' 2023 second-round pick got the start in goal for Canada against Team Finland. He played roughly the first 30 minutes of the game, stopping eight of nine shots. In the next game, Bjarnason began as the backup and then came in midway through regulation. In arguably the best goaltending performance by any netminder in the Showcase, the Flyers' prospect stopped 27 of 28 shots including several consecutive high-danger chances in one sequence. The goalie was 4-for-6 during the shootout.
Oliver Bonk: Bonk is very likely to represent Canada in the 2024-25 WJC after playing in last year's tournament. Some Flyers fans were concerned that Bonk dressed only in one "official" game at this year's Showcase (a 3-2 shootout loss to Sweden in Windsor, Ontario). However, every Team Canada returnee from last season's WJC was only used in a single match at the Showcase. Hockey Canada wanted to look at as many potential first-time WJC candidates as possible. Returning players such as Bonk didn't have much to prove in the summer exhibition series.
Jett Luchanko: The Flyers 2024 first-round Draft pick played in the intrasquad Canada White vs. Canada Red game and later dressed as Canada's fourth-line center at five-on-five in games against Finland and Team USA, The 17-year-old center (he won't turn 18 until August 21) showed off his blazing speed several times during the Showcase and generated various scoring chances. Luchanko's lone point at the Showcase was a power play tap-in goal against Team USA in the finale. He was unsuccessful on a shootout attempt. Against Finland and USA, Luchanko was very involved in the play on both sides of the puck, As one of the youngest players on Team Canada, he played lower in the lineup than he may in the future. He's not a lock for the 2024-25 WJC but depending on how the first half of his OHL season and a potential Selection Camp invite go, it's not far-fetched to say that Luchanko could land a WJC roster spot in his Draft-plus-one season.
Carter Sotheran: A bubble candidate for the WJC in his Draft-plus-two season, the Portland Winterhawks defenseman used the Showcase as an opportunity to show a feisty side of his game on the right side of Canada's third defensive pairing against Finland and Team USA.
TEAM USA
Noah Powell: USA Hockey took a long look at the 19-year-old power forward at the Showcase. He appeared in four games during the split squad and combined roster portions of the schedule. He collected three assists. With the combined roster, Powell played right wing on the fourth line. His physicality, competitive drive and willingness to drive to the net or battle along the walls stood out. If the incoming Ohio State freshman ultimately earns a spot on the Team USA roster for the 2024-25 WJC, it will likely be those traits that land him a role on the Under-20 national team.
TEAM SWEDEN
Jack Berglund: The Flyers 2024 second-round pick is only entering his Draft-plus-one season but he started to build a case for a WJC spot in 2024-25 for a spot on Sweden's fourth line as a center or left winger. He played higher than that as the Showcase progressed and displayed some puck skill, two-way awareness and grit. Twice, he suffered facial cuts -- including one against Team USA that requires stitches -- but quickly returned to play and kept right on competing. He also scored a goal in a 7-5 loss to Team USA.
TEAM FINLAND
Heikki Ruohonen: The young center is more of a project player than Berglund in the bigger picture but he made himself noticeable both during a pre-Showcase prep camp in Finland -- including goals in back-to-back games against Switzerland and Czechia and during the Showcase itself. Ruohonen started out as the Finns' third-line center and later was bumped up to the first line at 5-on-5 against Team USA and Sweden. He was physical, although it's notable that he took a dangerous-looking boarding penalty in the neutral zone against fellow Flyers prospect Powell in the game against the combined USA squad, Earlier in the showcase, Ruohonen had a two-assist game in a 3-2 opening loss to USA White. Perhaps the most notable traits Ruohonen displayed at the Showcase were his motor and tenacity. He won some battles and lost others, but he never gave up on plays.
