"That was a huge motivator for me. Not getting drafted has made me a better player," said Luchuk about not hearing his name called at the NHL Draft. "I saw a lot of guys that I grew up playing with get taken and that definitely put a chip on my shoulder. It made me want to sign an NHL contract even more and I pushed myself incredibly hard over the past few years to achieve that goal."
After three full seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, where his goals and point totals rose each year, Luchuk admits that this season has been a "perfect storm". The combination of his skill and opportunities lead to a breakout offensive year for the 20-year-old centre who currently leads the OHL in goals (43) and points (95).
"I was given more of a checking role in Windsor prior to this season and I never really had the full opportunity to showcase what I could do offensively," said Luchuk. "This is the first year where I was getting full opportunities from my coaches in Windsor and now in Barrie where they relied on me to be an offensive guy."
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That type of production was sure to draw Luchuk some attention from NHL clubs and by the end of December, he inked an entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators.
"With all the hard work I've put in these past couple of years it was definitely nice to finally achieve that goal that I had set for myself when I didn't get drafted," Luchuk said about signing his NHL contract. "I know there's still a lot of hard work in front of me but just to sign that deal was a pretty validating experience."
Luchuk grew up just a short drive from Canadian Tire Centre in Kingston, ON and recalls making the trip to Ottawa many times to watch Sens games as a kid.
"My first game ever in Ottawa was the Senators hosting the Maple Leafs and I remember just how bitter the Battle of Ontario rivalry was at the time," Luchuk recalled. "It was the game where Darcy Tucker jumped in to the Senators' bench way back in the day."
The game in question was a 4-1 Sens win over the Leafs on March 4th, 2003 where 163 penalty minutes were dished out between the two teams.
"I remember how big the arena was was and how passionate the fans were," he said about his experience as kid at Canadian Tire Centre. "It was a special rink for me growing up and I'm hoping to play a game there someday soon."
As he gets set for his first pro season, Luchuk can look forward to traveling up and down the 401 again as his hometown of Kingston falls between the Senators' NHL and AHL teams.
"It's really exciting. For the past 4 and a half years, I've been playing in Windsor which is 7 hours away from home," he said. "It just so happens that now I'm starting my professional career either 45 minutes away in Belleville or an hour and 45 minutes away in Ottawa so that's going to be nice for my family in Kingston."
Luchuk has even more ties to the Senators beyond childhood memories and his geographical location. While with Windsor, Luchuk became good friends with Ottawa's 2016 first-round pick Logan Brown and the two stay in touch regularly since both were dealt by the Spitfires this season.
"Logan is one of my really good friends so it was exciting for me to sign where he's at. He was definitely happy for me when I signed with Ottawa," Luchuk said. "We're looking forward to continuing our journey together."
