Bonk out to make Flyers roster, improve power play

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Oliver Bonk hasn't played a game of professional hockey yet, a fact the Philadelphia Flyers player development staff has to remind itself of.

The 19-year-old defenseman, chosen with the No. 22 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has impressed the Flyers staff with his high hockey IQ, which has allowed him to maximize his skill set.

"I think just the biggest part of me is smarts and using your IQ," Bonk said during Flyers development camp earlier this month. "Not the biggest, not the fastest, not the strongest, but I think I can always use my head to outsmart guys and get better position and stuff like that. So I think overall, just like a smart, cerebral 'D' that goes two ways."

That approach stood out last season when Bonk was fifth among Ontario Hockey League defensemen with 67 points (24 goals, 43 assists) and had a plus-28 rating in 60 games with London. He also tied for fifth among all OHL players with 15 power-play goals.

The man advantage is definitely an area the Flyers can use help in, as they have finished last in the NHL in power-play percentage each of the past three seasons (12.6 in 2021-22; 15.6 in 2022-23; 12.2 last season).

"Bonk looks like he's played pro hockey already, the way he just handles himself in the locker room and out on the ice," Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said. "I just believe he knows who he is as a player. He's so smart, covers for teammates well, breaks pucks out well, and he's rewarded with the offensive opportunities."

A lot of those offensive opportunities came on the power play, and his man-advantage success earned him the nickname "Bumper Bonk" because of his position on London's power play, which was the best in the OHL last season (32.6 percent).

That's not the typical spot for a defenseman, but playing there allowed Bonk to develop the offensive side of his game a bit differently.

"You kind of get a different look at stuff," he said. "You're not the guy shooting the puck, you're the guy trying to tip it and get rebounds and stuff like that sometimes. So it's a good kind of alternative view of it."

Bonk's advanced understanding of the strengths of his game and how they potentially translate to the pro level could be his most impressive trait.

"I think he's probably one of the few that really understand it," Armstrong said. "I think a lot of them come in, whether they're first-line center in the OHL or in college hockey, and they come to pro and they still want to be that first-line center. Once they understand where they need to fit in the lineup to play, that's when they make their biggest strides. So for him to already know that, I think he's way ahead of the game."

That could give Bonk an advantage in making the NHL sooner than expected. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere has said the current plan is for Bonk to return to London for another season of development.

Bonk's plan is to change those plans.

"You've got to come in and believe you're going to make the team," he said. "It's probable that I go back (to junior). But they didn't tell me for sure you're going back and didn't tell me for sure that you're staying here. I think you've just got to put it in your head that you want to stay here."