Although reporting from a few days ago that Philadelphia Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk was dealing with a milder upper-body injury, it doesn’t appear he’ll return for the team’s preseason. The Flyers announced that Bonk remains approximately two weeks out from returning, which will take him past the opening night of the NHL and AHL seasons.
It’s an unfortunate circumstance for the Ottawa native who had an outside chance of making the Flyers’ opening night roster, albeit on a short leash. Still, he’s expected to begin the first professional season of his career with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
After being drafted with the 22nd overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2022 NHL Draft, Bonk has spent the last three years with the OHL’s London Knights. He has been exceptional with the renowned OHL program, scoring 45 goals and 147 points in 179 games with a +82 rating. He’s sustained that high level of play in the postseason, scoring nine goals and 41 points in 56 playoff contests over that span.
Despite not having yet registered a game at the professional level, Bonk had a legitimate opportunity to make Philadelphia’s opening night roster, largely due to the poor play of his peers on defense. Head coach Rick Tocchet has reportedly become disenfranchised with the available defense options, telling NHL contributor Bill Meltzer that nobody has stepped up enough to grab one of the team’s bubble spots on defense.
Should that disappointing play continue into the first few weeks of the regular season, the Flyers could conceivably use Bonk’s first few games with the Phantoms as a makeshift training camp. If he excels through the first few weeks, Philadelphia could recall him for an opportunity at the NHL level.