Philadelphia Flyers
Starter
Guelph Storm make it obvious they don’t expect Jett Luchanko back in OHL
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...s-they-dont-expect-jett-luchanko-back-in-ohl/
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchanko is about to compete as hard as possible in training camp later this month to try and ensure a spot on the NHL roster. It’s either be with the Flyers or go back to the OHL’s Guelph Storm for him — but his junior team may have just signaled that the decision for where the 19-year-old center will be playing next season has been already made.
This January, after a team-wide poor performance from Canada at the World Juniors earlier that month, Luchanko was named the 33rd captain in Storm history. By getting the “C” on his chest, it cemented him not only as the leader for the remaining few months but it raised some questions. If Guelph is suddenly giving him such a large role — aside from being the best player on that team — then does it mean they expect him to return for his final year of junior eligibility for the 2025-26 season?
Well, now we have a coinciding piece of news. Late Thursday afternoon, the Storm announced that the captaincy has been moved to forward and Dallas Stars 2025 seventh-rounder, Charlie Paquette.
C-Paq with the C
Charlie Paquette has been named captain of the club for the 2025-2026 season, making him the 34th captain in franchise history. Charlie will be joined by assistant captains Quinn Beauchesne and Rowan Topp.
Read More | https://t.co/2bIsJs5Tgg pic.twitter.com/d2OCZ3xa8K
— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) September 4, 2025
While a junior team naming a new captain is nothing special — it’s typical for a leadership group to overturn so often since players are really only dominant or deserving of a senior role for the last two years of eligibility. The timing feels like the Storm know something, or are at the very least assuming that Luchanko is going to be making the Flyers as a full-time player this season.
There was no real reason for the Storm to make this decision on September 4. Yes, OHL training camps are taking place across the league and the preseason is already underway, but it would not be abnormal for them to start a season without a captain. They could have just waited until the Flyers made their decision regarding where Luchanko is going to spend his year, and then if he’s back in Guelph keep the leadership group the same (Paquette was already an alternate captain and it would made sense to still name defenseman Quinn Beauchesne the other). Or, if they find out Luchanko has made the Flyers in early October, then name Paquette as captain. It’s not like they haven’t already done this.
What makes this an even stronger signal of Luchanko being in the NHL, is that the Storm already did this last season. During the 2023-24 campaign, Braeden Bowman was the team captain as an overage player. That’s simple. And then, since Luchanko made the Flyers out of camp last season, the team just didn’t have a captain. They didn’t have an interim or anything of the ilk, just went without someone wearing the “C” until they placed it on the Flyers prospect in January, when they knew he was staying in Guelph for the rest of the season.
Maybe we’re going down the rabbit hole a little too far, or wanting to make assumptions while wearing our tinfoil hat tuned directly to Southwestern Ontario. But we don’t think the Storm were dying to name a captain or couldn’t continue the preseason without having one. It would be a little awkward if Luchanko goes back to Guelph and isn’t even wearing a letter as he dominates that league, right?
We will have to wait for the official declaration, but this (and the obvious reality that the Flyers need a center) could mean that the Flyers have already communicated to the junior team that they shouldn’t expect their star center back.
Or, maybe not. Who knows?
Source
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...s-they-dont-expect-jett-luchanko-back-in-ohl/