Jett Luchanko was not expected to be this good yet.
After being selected 13th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers at the 2024 NHL Draft, as he walked the stage still just 17 years old — and was viewed as a controversial pick after the team passed on top college defenseman Zeev Buium and Finnish center Konsta Helenius — Luchanko was viewed as a longer-term project. He was a seen as a center that had speed to burn but needed to work on being more of a dynamic player.
And that is not to say that he is not that anymore, but his speed and tendencies around the ice has kept him at Flyers training camp much longer than anyone anticipated.