The Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their development camp on day two with a BONK. Oliver Bonk was a standout during yesterdays’ practice. The team drafted the defenseman 22nd overall in the 2023 draft and he is currently playing for the London Knights of the OHL. The speedy right-handed prospect has been making significant progress this past season, with the Knights with 60 games played, putting up 24 goals and 43 assists with a total of 67 points.
Flyers’ prospect Oliver Bronk takes a huge step in his development
Bonk’s performance on Tuesday made it clear that he is a two-way defenseman, excelling not only in defense but also on offense. Riley Armstrong, the director of player development spoke highly of the young skater: “One of his standout qualities is his ability to join the offensive play. He has a good understanding of when to push forward and we are excited to see him create scoring opportunities once the game transitions to five-on-five.”
Watching Bonk take the ice for his second development camp, it was clear he worked on his offensive abilities, which was already evident this past season saw with the London Knights. “I got a lot of trust from my coaches to try the offensive side more,” Bonk shared following day two of camp.
When Bonk talked about next season and potentially making the team or going back to London, the two-way defenseman shared, “You got to believe you’re going to make the team. Probably, I will go back. They (Flyers) didn’t tell me you’re going back, and they didn’t tell me I’m staying here. You have to put it in your head you want to stay here. You can’t lose any battles- you must battle every guy. You have to do your best because if you already think you’re going back, you will probably end up back there.”
Bonk’s confidence this year is showing. The son of Radek Bonk, who was the third overall pick to Ottawa in the 1994 draft, Bonk knows the standards of making it to the NHL. Bonk shared that his dad thinks he will end up back in London, but with Bonk’s hard work, anything can happen. Bonk is only 19 years old and has a great mentality when it comes to the process of making the Flyers.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File
