Could OHL Champion Oliver Bonk Make the Philadelphia Flyers Opening Night Roster Next Fall?

Since being drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers last June, Oliver Bonk has continued to prove why he is one of the most mature defensive prospects in hockey. Could he be ready to make the jump to the NHL?

2005-born defender Oliver Bonk was selected 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in Nashville at the 2023 NHL Draft. Could he already be ready to take the next step to the professional level?

Projectability. A large reason why the Flyers took Bonk so early in the draft was because of his projectability as a mature, reliable defenceman at the NHL level. Bonk's combination of defensive awareness, positioning, and puck movement make him a translatable defender to professional hockey right now.

Defensively, it is his active movements and rush defending that make Bonk an effective defender. His stick positioning is always accurate, and he's often able to eliminate opponent's opportunities immediately off of the entry. He closes quickly on the rush and suffocates opponents with his pressure.

With the puck on his stick, Bonk is always moving it appropriately. He's a sound decision maker with the puck, and his first pass out of the defensive zone is always looking to find a stick to create an offensive zone entry. 

In the 2023-2024 season with the OHL Championship-winning London Knights, Bonk became known as "bumper Bonk" on the power play. His positioning and ability to make quick decisions with the puck in front of the net makes him a great bumper on the man advantage — though it is not typically a position occupied by defenders.

He totalled six power play goals in the playoffs with London, which is good for second-best on his own team. 

Bonk's consistency to find the right play makes him a mature defender at his age, and it begs the question; Is Oliver Bonk ready to make the next step to the NHL level?

The Philadelphia Flyers are still "re-tooling" their team despite having a season that exceeded expectations. One area they lack depth in — defence.

The Flyers have defensive-minded defenders Travis Sanheim and Erik Johnson, but they don't really have a ton of players that can "eat" minutes on the blue line. Oliver Bonk can eat minutes, and he will be able to eat a lot at the NHL level.

At his potential, Bonk projects as a top four minute-munching defender who can be relied upon in virtually any game situation. 

Philadelphia could certainly use a defender of this calibre, and it is difficult to see why they wouldn't give Bonk a look at the main roster at the start of next season.