2024 NHL Draft Player Profile: Jett Luchanko, A Maple Leafs Fan Who Models His Game After Montreal Centerman

Top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft, Jett Luchanko, has the makeup of a future two-way forward in the NHL, and could be a first round draft pick

Guelph Storm centerman Jett Luchanko is a candidate to go in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft with scouts applauding his versatility and ability to play at both ends of the ice. NHL teams will love Luchanko’s competitive and mature attitude on and off the ice.

The Storm finished sixth in the West at the end of the regular season and had a tough first round matchup against the Soo Greyhounds, ending up in a sweep for the Northern Ontario team. But a highlight from this past year for Guelph was the emergence of a top-line forward in their 2022 first-rounder.

After his OHL season ended, Luchanko went overseas to play for Canada at the U18 IIHF Men’s World Championship. He had a terrific tournament and really got to showcase his reliability as a player as he was tasked to perform in a shutdown role against the powerhouse Americans in the Gold Medal Game. Also, putting up seven points in seven games.

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How did Jett feel his season went? “I thought it was good. Personally, I had a good and fun year, had a big role, and would’ve been nice to see our team go further (in the playoffs). I felt I was pretty consistent throughout the year, which is something I’ve taken a lot of pride in,” said Luchanko at the NHL Draft Combine.

I think a lot of NHL teams were also happy with the season he had as he told us he interviewed with 28 teams at the combine. Additionally, Luchanko was a stand-out in the fitness tests at the event held in Buffalo two weeks ago. 

Of course, we had to ask if he received the “What kind of animal would you describe yourself as?” question, which his answer was a jaguar. “I said I kind of play like a jaguar. I was going to say lion but I guess they (NHL teams) said they’ve heard that too many times so I had to choose something else.”

Luchanko is a terrific two-way centerman and had to deal with going up against the top players in the OHL on most nights. “He identifies his responsibilities quickly in the defensive zone. He’s hard in on the forecheck, hard on the backcheck, and he understands his position because of how smart of a player he is,” said one scout as per The Hockey News 2024 draft preview.

As per THN scout Tony Ferrari, “He isn’t a dynamic player, but he attacks the tough areas and consistently works to keep possession. He may not have the ceiling of the players above him, but he is a hard-working bottom-six center.” Luchanko didn’t answer how he feels his game translates to the next level and said he’s not focused on that. He mentioned that he is the type of person who focuses on the day-to-day, and believes that good fortune will come if he continues with that mentality.

Later in the media scrum, he mentioned that he believes it only makes you a better player to do the little things right and takes pride in being a responsible player and has worked hard in that area of his game. He speaks like he’s a seasoned veteran in the NHL already.

When you read those descriptions of Luchanko as a player, it makes sense considering he told us at the combine that he likes to model his game after Montreal Canadiens center, Nick Suzuki. “I’ve always watched his (Suzuki’s) game closely, he’s from the same town as me. I like the way he plays the game. He does everything right for his team, his coaches really trust him, and there’s really no area of his game that you could say is flawed.”

Luchanko and Suzuki are both from London, Ontario and have won the OHL’s William Henley Trophy for the Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year (Suzuki won it three years in a row). Speaking of another London connection, he said that his favorite team growing up was the Toronto Maple Leafs and his favorite player was London Knights alumni, Mitch Marner.

His skill level at the junior level is high and he’s a playmaking threat on the powerplay. Jett’s 30 assists on the man advantage tied for second in the OHL this past season. However, he recorded only 125 shots (scored 20 goals) and recognizes that he will need to develop more willingness to use his shot.

“I think try to use my shot more. I think I have a good shot, but kind of the mentality to put more pucks on net and that will help open up the rest of the game more,” Luchanko said on what he plans to improve in his game moving forward.

The combination of his vision, puck distribution skills, and above-average skating ability makes him an offensive threat. If Luchanko starts using his shot more often, defenders will have to be wary of him as a shooter instead of just a passer.

Luchanko and his family will wait to see if he will be a Day 1 or Day 2 pick next week in Sin City, but either way, one NHL team is getting a playmaking, competitive, two-way forward who already has the maturity of a pro player.