Oliver Bonk

{{Infobox ice hockey player

| name = Oliver Bonk

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|1|9}}

| birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 2

| weight_lb = 176

| position = Defence

| shoots = Right

| league = NHL

| team = Philadelphia Flyers

| prospect_league = OHL

| prospect_team = London Knights

| ntl_team =

| draft = 22nd overall

| draft_year = 2023

| draft_team = Philadelphia Flyers

| career_start = TBD

}}

Oliver Bonk (born January 9, 2005) is a Canadian ice hockey player for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) while under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 22nd overall by the Flyers in the 2023 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

During the 2022–23 season, in his first full season with the London Knights, Bonk recorded ten goals and 30 assists in 67 games. He ranked second among rookie defencemen in the OHL with 40 points, and ranked first with 17 power-play points and four short-handed points.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/news/2023-nhl-draft-prospect-oliver-bonk-profile/c-344877530 |title=Bonk focused on all-around game ahead of 2023 NHL Draft |website=NHL.com |first=Mike G. |last=Morreale |date=June 16, 2023 |access-date=June 28, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.inquirer.com/flyers/flyers-draft-defenseman-oliver-bonk-london-knights-ohl-20230628.html |title=Flyers draft defenseman Oliver Bonk with their second pick of the first round |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |first=Giana |last=Han |date=June 28, 2023 |access-date=June 28, 2023}} Bonk was named to the league's Second All-Rookie Team.{{Cite web|url=https://ontariohockeyleague.com/article/ohl-announces-2022-23-all-star-and-all-rookie-teams|title=OHL Announces 2022-23 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams |website=Ontario Hockey League|access-date=June 2, 2023|archive-date=June 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602205221/https://ontariohockeyleague.com/article/ohl-announces-2022-23-all-star-and-all-rookie-teams|url-status=dead}}

Following the conclusion of the season, Bonk was drafted 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers. Bonk was one of two of Philadelphia's first-round selections, the other being Matvei Michkov. The Flyers had acquired the 22nd pick from the Columbus Blue Jackets via trade, who in turn had acquired the pick from the Los Angeles Kings at the {{nhly|2022}} trade deadline.

Bonk missed several weeks of the 2023–24 season while participating in the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with the Canadian junior team.{{cite web|url=https://lfpress.com/sports/hockey/junior-hockey/oliver-bonk-has-new-resolve-after-medal-less-world-junior-experience |title=Oliver Bonk has new resolve after medal-less world junior experience |newspaper=The London Free Press |first=Ryan |last=Pyette |date=January 5, 2024 |access-date=May 28, 2024}} After a lengthy goalscoring drought that had begun in the final months of the 2022–23 season, coach Dale Hunter shifted Bonk's power play position, resulting in a significant increase in goalscoring for the remainder of the season.{{cite web|url=https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/farm-report-bumper-bonk-causing-a-sensation |title=Farm Report: 'Bumper Bonk' Causing a Sensation |website=NHL.com |first=Bill |last=Meltzer |date=February 1, 2024 |access-date=May 28, 2024}} He finished the regular season with 24 goals and 43 assists in 60 games, and was named to the OHL First All-Star Team.{{cite web|url=https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/two-flyers-prospects-named-to-ohl-all-star-teams |title=Two Flyers Prospects Named To OHL All-Star Teams |magazine=The Hockey News |first=Siobhan |last=Nolan |date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=May 28, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Sweetland |first1=Josh |title=OHL Announces 2023-24 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams |url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/ohl-announces-2023-24-all-star-and-all-rookie-teams/ |website=Canadian Hockey League |date=May 28, 2024 |access-date= May 28, 2024}} The Knights received the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the top team in the regular season,{{cite web |last1=Sweetland |first1=Josh |title=London Knights claim Hamilton Spectator Trophy as OHL Regular Season Champions |url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/london-knights-claim-hamilton-spectator-trophy-as-ohl-regular-season-champions/ |website=Canadian Hockey League |date=March 24, 2024 |access-date=May 28, 2024}} and in the playoffs reached the OHL Finals for the second consecutive season, where they defeated the Oshawa Generals to hoist the J. Ross Robertson Cup.{{cite web|url=https://lfpress.com/sports/hockey/junior-hockey/a-london-knights-championship-built-on-one-gold-plated-ohl-draft-crop |title=A London Knights championship, built on one gold-plated OHL draft crop |newspaper=The London Free Press |first=Ryan |last=Pyette |date=May 18, 2024 |access-date=May 28, 2024}} Bonk had 7 goals and 9 assists in the championship run, and was cited as a key part of the "core" of the team. He thereafter played in the 2024 Memorial Cup, where the Knights lost the championship game to the Saginaw Spirit.{{Cite web|title=Spirit win their first-ever CHL championship title by defeating the Knights 4-3 in the final of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow|url=https://chl.ca/article/spirit-win-their-first-ever-chl-championship-title-by-defeating-the-knights-4-3-in-the-final-of-the-2024-memorial-cup-presented-by-dow/|last=Séguin|first=Christopher|publisher=Canadian Hockey League|access-date=May 25, 2025|date=June 3, 2024}}

Bonk returned to London to start the 2024–25 campaign, before being named an alternate captain on October 16, 2024.{{cite news |title=Knights Announce 2024-25 Leadership Group |url=https://chl.ca/ohl-knights/article/knights-announce-2024-25-leadership-group/ |access-date=October 17, 2024 |work=Canadian Hockey League |publisher=London Knights |date=October 16, 2024}} The Knights won a second consecutive Robertson Cup.{{cite web |title=London Knights win second straight J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions |url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/london-knights-win-second-straight-j-ross-robertson-cup-as-ohl-champions/ |website=Canadian Hockey League |date=May 15, 2025 |access-date=May 25, 2025}} Bonk was named a Second Team All-Star.{{Cite web|title=OHL Announces 2024-25 All-Star and All-Rookie Teams|url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/ohl-announces-2024-25-all-star-and-all-rookie-teams/|website=Canadian Hockey League|date=May 30, 2025|access-date=June 2, 2025}} The Knights competed at the 2025 Memorial Cup, ultimately defeating the Medicine Hat Tigers for the title.{{Cite web |title=London Knights edge Medicine Hat Tigers to secure a historic third Memorial Cup title |url=https://chl.ca/article/london-knights-edge-medicine-hat-tigers-to-secure-a-historic-third-memorial-cup-title/ |last=Séguin |first=Christopher |date=June 2, 2025 |access-date=June 2, 2025 |website=Canadian Hockey League }}

International play

Bonk made his debut with the Canadian national junior team at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. With the quarter-final game against the Czech Republic tied eleven seconds from going to overtime, a puck redirected into the Canadian net off Bonk's stick, and as a result Team Canada was eliminated. He remarked that it was a "bad bounce," and vowed to use the overall experience as motivation, saying "we're not going to mope about it and feel bad about ourselves. It was a world-class atmosphere."

Personal life

Bonk is the son of Czech former player Radek Bonk.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4615172/2023/06/28/oliver-bonk-nhl-draft-2023/ |title=What are the Flyers getting in Oliver Bonk? We watched a game with his dad, Radek |publisher=The Athletic |first=Sarah Jean |last=Maher |date=June 28, 2023 |access-date=June 28, 2023}} Oliver was born in Ottawa, Ontario while Radek was playing for the Ottawa Senators.

Career statistics

=Regular season and playoffs=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em"

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Regular season

! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" |

! colspan="5" | Playoffs

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Season

! Team

! League

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2021–22

| St. Thomas Stars

| GOJHL

| 32

| 5

| 27

| 32

| 14

| 6

| 0

| 1

| 6

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2021–22

| London Knights

| OHL

| 10

| 0

| 3

| 6

| 7

| 1

| 0

| 1

| 2

2022–23

| London Knights

| OHL

| 67

| 10

| 30

| 40

| 38

| 21

| 0

| 11

| 6

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2023–24

| London Knights

| OHL

| 60

| 24

| 43

| 67

| 32

| 18

| 7

| 9

| 16

| 8

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="3" |OHL totals

! 137

! 34

! 76

! 110

! 76

! 46

! 8

! 20

! 28

! 16

=International=

border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em"

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! Year

! Team

! Event

! Result

! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff"|

! GP

! G

! A

! Pts

! PIM

2024

| Canada

| WJC

| 5th

| 5

| 0

| 3

| 2

bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 2025

| Canada

| WJC

| 5th

| 5

| 1

| 2

bgcolor="#e0e0e0"

! colspan="4"|Junior totals

! 10

! 1

! 4

! 5

! 4

Awards and honours

class="wikitable" ! Award ! Year ! Ref
colspan="3" \|CHL
Memorial Cup champion \| 2025 \|
colspan="3"\|OHL
Second All-Rookie Team \| 2023 \|
J. Ross Robertson Cup champion \| 2024, 2025 \| {{cite web \|url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/tournament-field-set-for-2024-memorial-cup-presented-by-dow/ \|title=Tournament field set for 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow \|website=Canadian Hockey League \|date=May 19, 2024 \|access-date=May 19, 2024}}
First All-Star Team \| 2024 \|
Second All-Star Team \| 2025 \|

class="wikitable"

! Award

! Year

! Ref

colspan="3" |CHL

Memorial Cup champion

| 2025

colspan="3"|OHL

Second All-Rookie Team

| 2023

J. Ross Robertson Cup champion

| 2024, 2025

| {{cite web |url=https://chl.ca/ohl/article/tournament-field-set-for-2024-memorial-cup-presented-by-dow/ |title=Tournament field set for 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow |website=Canadian Hockey League |date=May 19, 2024 |access-date=May 19, 2024}}

First All-Star Team

| 2024

Second All-Star Team

| 2025

References

External links

{{Ice hockey stats|elite=590255|hockeydb=250657}}

{{succession box | before = Matvei Michkov | title = Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick | years = 2023 | after = Jett Luchanko}}

Category:2005 births

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen

Category:Canadian people of Czech descent

Category:Ice hockey people from Ottawa

Category:London Knights players

Category:NHL first-round draft picks

Category:Philadelphia Flyers draft picks

Category:21st-century Canadian sportsmen