Travis Sanheim

Travis Sanheim (born March 29, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sanheim was selected by the Flyers in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

Travis Sanheim
Born	March 29, 1996 Elkhorn, Manitoba, Canada
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Philadelphia Flyers
NHL Draft	17th overall, 2014 Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career	2016–present

Playing career

Junior

Sanheim, who was raised in the small town of Elkhorn, Manitoba, was selected by the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Calgary Hitmen in the ninth round, 177th overall, of the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.[2] He played midget hockey with his twin brother Taylor in the Manitoba Midget 'AAA' Hockey League before joining the Hitmen for the 2013–14 season.[3] In his first season of major junior hockey, Sanheim recorded a +25 plus-minus rating with 5 goals, 24 assists and 14 penalty minutes, helping the Hitmen earn 103 points to tie with the top placed Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL's Central Division.[4]

Sanheim attended the Philadelphia Flyers' training camp and played in one pre-season game before being reassigned to the Hitmen for the 2014–15 season. On September 25, 2014, the Flyers announced they had signed Sanheim to a three-year, entry-level contract.[5]

Professional

Sanheim made Philadelphia's final roster out of training camp and started the 2017–18 season in the NHL.[6] He scored his first NHL goal on December 14, 2017, in his 28th NHL game, to help the Flyers defeat the Buffalo Sabres 2–1.[7] He was reassigned to Philadelphia's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, on January 22, 2018, but was later recalled on March 9 due to an injury to Robert Hägg.[6][8] Sanheim made his Stanley Cup playoff debut during the first round of the 2018 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[9] He recorded his first career playoff goal on April 15 in a 5–1 loss to the Penguins.[10] The Flyers ended up losing to the Penguins in six games, after which Sanheim was loaned to the Phantoms to help them with their run in the 2018 Calder Cup playoffs.[11]

On June 24, 2019, Sanheim signed a new two-year, $6.5 million contract.[12]

International play

Sanheim was chosen to compete with the Canada Western squad at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge,[13] and he led Canada to capture the bronze medal at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships (WJC-18).[14] At the WJC-18, Sanheim led all defencemen with six points, and was named one of Canada's top three players in the tournament,[15] also earning recognition as the tournament's best defenceman.[16]

Personal life

Sanheim has a twin brother named Taylor who currently plays for the Elrose Aces in the Saskatchewan Valley Hockey League.[17]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2012–13	Winkler Flyers	MJHL		—	—	—	—	—		6	0	1	1	2
2013–14	Calgary Hitmen	WHL		67	5	24	29	14		6	1	1	2	6
2014–15	Calgary Hitmen	WHL		67	15	50	65	52		17	5	13	18	10
2015–16	Calgary Hitmen	WHL		52	15	53	68	66		5	1	5	6	8
2015–16	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		4	1	2	3	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		80	11	29	40	46		5	0	3	3	2
2017–18	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		49	2	8	10	20		4	1	0	1	2
2017–18	Lehigh Valley Phantoms	AHL		18	1	15	16	10		7	1	2	3	4
2018–19	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		82	9	26	35	22		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		69	8	17	25	32		16	1	6	7	6
NHL totals				200	19	51	70	74		20	2	6	8	8

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	Canada Western	WHC17			5	0	1	1	2
2014	Canada	WJC18			7	0	6	6	0
2016	Canada	WJC	6th		5	0	1	1	0
Junior totals					17	0	8	8	2

Awards and honours

Honours	Year
World U-17 Hockey Challenge (Canada Western)	2013	[18]
IIHF World U18 Championship Bronze Medal	2014	[19]
IIHF World U18 Championship Best Defenceman	2014	[20]

References

1. "Philadelphia Flyers Draft Travis Sanheim with the 17th Pick in the 2014 NHL Draft".
2. NHL Prospect Hot List: Sanheim stands tall for Canada | Post-to-Post
3. Sanheim's draft prospects get boost after U18 breakout performance | Hockey | Sp
4. WHL Network: 2013-14 Regular Season - Central Division Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
5. Halford, Mike (September 25, 2014). "One day after sending him back to junior, Flyers ink 1st-rounder Sanheim". Pro Hockey Talk. NBC Sports.
6. "OTF: Flyers recall Travis Sanheim". NHL.com. March 9, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
7. Donnellon, Sam (December 14, 2017). "Flyers 2, Sabres 1: Five quick observations from Philly's fifth straight win". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
8. Isaac, Dave (March 12, 2018). "Travis Sanheim way more confident in return to NHL". courierpostonline.com. Courier-Post. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
9. Meltzer, Bill (April 16, 2018). "Meltzer: Kids Are Having Impact". NHL.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
10. Boruk, John (April 15, 2018). "Flyers come out swinging but knocked out by Penguins in Game 3". nbcsports.com. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
11. "F Oskar Lindblom, D Travis Sanheim Returned to Lehigh Valley". phantomshockey.com. April 23, 2018. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
12. "Fletcher extends Sanheim as Flyers begin taking care of RFAs". NBC Sports Philadelphia. June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
13. 2014 NHL Draft Profile #49: Travis Sanheim - Last Word On Sports
14. NHL draft tracker: Travis Sanheim, Calgary Hitmen | Buzzing The Net - Yahoo Sports Canada
15. Sanheim named FHM defenseman of the month - Future Considerations - Future Considerations
16. Travis Sanheim - The Next Ones: 2014 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
17. "Taylor Sanheim". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
18. "Travis Sanheim prospect profile". Hockey'sFuture.com. November 2, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
19. "Canada's Ben Thomas, Jake Virtanen and Travis Sanheim celebrate after defeating Sweden in the bronze-medal game at the world U-18 championship". Montreal Gazette. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
20. "Travis Sanheim competes at U18 Championships". HeavenlyHappy.com. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database