Sanheim makes Team Canada roster, will represent Flyers at Olympics
Travis Sanheim will be headed to the Olympics in Italy.
The Flyers’ defenseman made Team Canada’s roster, which was announced Wednesday. Other rosters are expected to be announced on later dates.
From Feb. 6-24, the Flyers will go 19 days without a game because of the NHL’s participation in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The 29-year-old Sanheim is the Flyers’ minutes leader and No. 1 blueliner. He’ll be coached by Rick Tocchet, who’s an assistant for the Canadians. The two won a gold medal together last February at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Sanheim entered Wednesday with three goals, 14 assists and a plus-4 rating in 38 games this season. He has played 24:38 minutes per game, putting him among the NHL’s top 10 in that category.
The homegrown Flyer was the club’s 2014 first-round selection when the draft was held in Philadelphia. He’s now in his ninth season with the Flyers and is one of the team’s leaders.
His path has been impressive when you consider his time in Philadelphia was once at a crossroads. Sanheim endured a rocky 2023 offseason showered in trade speculation.
“Just looking back a couple of years, where my career has kind of come, I never thought that this day would happen,” Sanheim said Wednesday in a Zoom press conference. “It just shows the work and dedication that I’ve had and put into this game, just trying to get better each and every day.
“I still continue to do that and feel like I can continue to grow my game. To be at the level that I’m at now and be able to play in an Olympic Games is really special and something that I never thought was possible.”
Travis Konecny, who played for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, did not make his country’s Olympic roster. The Flyers’ 28-year-old winger is having a strong season with 35 points and a plus-11 rating in 38 games.
But the Canadians, of course, are pretty loaded and the emergence of Macklin Celebrini didn’t help Konecny’s chances.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
