Johnson's mentoring of Luchanko part of the path to 1,000 games

VOORHEES, N.J. — When Erik Johnson was selected first overall at the 2006 NHL draft, Jett Luchanko wasn't alive yet.

The Flyers' young center prospect was born almost two months after Johnson heard his name called by the Blues as a teenager headed to Minnesota for college.

This season, the two became NHL teammates — Luchanko as a freshly-turned 18-year-old and Johnson as a 36-year-old with a Stanley Cup ring. When Luchanko defied the odds and made the Flyers' roster, Johnson knew his duty.

No more hotel, kid.

"It's funny, because there were some guys around the room who had been chatting about Jett and what should possibly be happening," Travis Konecny said Saturday after morning skate. "It just speaks to E.J.'s experience and his veteran presence that he was 10 steps ahead of us and [Luchanko] was already moved into his house."

And it speaks to Johnson's journey to 1,000 career NHL games, a milestone the defenseman will hit Saturday when the Flyers host the Sabres (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). Johnson was once that youngster making the daunting jump to the best league in the world. As a 19-year-old rookie in St. Louis, he lived with Al MacInnis, the Blues' vice president of hockey operations at the time.

With Luchanko, consider it Johnson paying things forward.

"I knew he was in the hotel for a long time and just asked him to go to dinner, just chat with him and see if he wanted to move in for however long he was going to be here," Johnson said 12 days ago. "Whether he was going to be here all year or just a little bit, I know what it was like. I kind of had a person to lean on like that. It can be overwhelming as a teenager coming in and just focusing on hockey, so I think if that's handled away from the rink, I think it makes your on-ice a lot better."

Luchanko, the Flyers' first-round pick this summer, played four games for the big club before being returned to his junior team Guelph three weeks ago. His stay at the Johnson residence was over, but the Flyers appreciated it.

"I'm sure he appreciated it, too, being stuck in the hotel," head coach John Tortorella said Saturday. "It's not like we went to Johnny, he just knows that stuff. He has gone through it. He has been in the league for 100 years. He has gone through so many different situations, high pick, everything that comes with it, the pressures that come with it.

"He has his ups and downs on the ice, as he should at this stage in his career with some of the speed in today's game, but he's such a good pro and he's just a good person."

The Flyers saluted Johnson at morning skate, forcing him into the middle of the stretch circle. Players tapped their sticks and roared before congratulating him.

"I think I have tinnitus now, it was so loud after that," Johnson said with a smile. "But no, it was cool, great group of guys here. It was special to share a moment with them."

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Johnson came to the Flyers from the Sabres last season at the March trade deadline. The rebuilding Flyers liked his influence on their team so much that they re-signed him this summer to a one-year, $1 million contract.

He has given them stability on the back end, with Saturday night already being his 13th game of the season.

And he has given them an ultimate pro.

"He's one of the best ones I've seen," Tortorella said. "I watch his interactions just with his teammates, it's important, especially with what we're trying to do here as far as building. He understands his role with us this year and I think he has taken a responsibility — not just what's on the ice, but I think maybe even more responsibility as far as off the ice."

There's a ton of pedigree with Johnson. A former teammate of general manager Danny Briere, Johnson played parts of 13 seasons in Colorado and won the 2022 Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. But his climb to 1,000 games didn't come without roadblocks. In the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, he was limited to four games because of a concussion.

"I had like 700-and-something games and I was fully content with retiring just because of the concussion and the injuries as a whole," Johnson said Saturday. "Thinking back, what has happened since then, it's just amazing all that has gone right. The great moments I've been able to share and accomplish with my teammates. A lot of people to thank along the way just to get me to this point from where I was then.

"I think that's what's great about team sports is I wouldn't have had these 1,000 games without any of my teammates or fans or staff or coaches. So it truly takes everybody to get someone to this milestone."

More: IGot you — Johnson helping Michkov prepare for transition to Flyers

The schedule worked out perfectly that the Avalanche make their one and only trip to Philadelphia on Monday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP+). The Flyers will hold a pregame ceremony to honor Johnson's accomplishment.

"It should be pretty special just to kind of thank those guys and thank my teammates here, the fans in Philly, the fans in Colorado, just everybody who supported me," Johnson said. "It means a lot for me to just say thank you."

Well down the road, Luchanko will be the one looking back. Johnson enjoyed spending time with the quiet and unassuming prospect.

"I liked hanging out with him, kind of struggled to get some words out of him at times, but he was a super nice guy," Johnson said with a laugh. "You can tell he was wise beyond his years and mature. ... He's going to have a bright future here, the Flyers are lucky to have him."

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