Hilary Knight is set to make her fifth Olympic appearance, and she will lead a younger, faster U.S. women’s national team that’s favored to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month.
The 36-year-old Knight headlines the list as USA Hockey released its 23-player Olympic women’s roster on Friday. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the team that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, and features several newcomers, highlighted by defender Laila Edwards.
The 21-year-old Wisconsin senior and Cleveland native is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics, for sure.”
As for Knight, she will set a U.S. women’s hockey record for most Winter Games appearances after winning gold in 2018 and three silver medals. The Seattle Torrent captain previously announced that these will be her final Winter Games, while she plans to continue her PWHL career.
The U.S. roster features various familiar faces, including forward Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein, who will be competing in a fourth Winter Games. Other returnees include forwards Alex Carpenter and Kelly Pannek and defenders Megan Keller and Caroline Harvey, who, at 23, is completing her senior season at Wisconsin.
The roster has otherwise been transformed under coach John Wroblewski, who placed an emphasis on a youth movement upon being hired in June 2022.
The Americans relied mostly on veterans and appeared a step behind in finishing 5-2 — both losses to Canada — in Beijing under former coach Joel Johnson.
This year’s team features seven players still competing in college, with 20-year-old Ohio State forward Joy Dunne being the youngest. The goalie trio also is new, with projected starter Aerin Frankel, projected backup Gwyneth Philips, and third-stringer Ava McNaughton set to make their Olympic debuts.
Wroblewski’s imprint on the roster was evident particularly in the most recent Rivalry Series, in which the Americans swept all four games by outscoring the Canadians, 24-7. The U.S. also is the defending world champions after a 4-3 overtime win over Canada in April.
The Americans open the Olympics by facing the Czech Republic on Feb. 5, with the gold-medal game set for Feb. 19.
The U.S. is favored to win its third Olympic gold medal, and first since defeating Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. The Americans also won the inaugural tournament at Nagano in 1998, with the Canadians winning gold at the other five Olympic competitions.
These are the first Olympics since the PWHL began play in 2024, with the now-eight-team league expected to make an impact by raising the level of international competition and bridging the gap between nations trailing the two global powers, the U.S. and Canada.
Last spring, Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller helped the U.S. win the world hockey championship for the first time since 1933, while Seth Jones was a key part of the Florida Panthers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup run.
Those contributions earned them a spot on the U.S. Olympic team as the only three additions from the 4 Nations Face-Off early last year.
USA Hockey unveiled its roster Friday on the Today show. A vast majority of it features players who took part in the NHL-run international tournament last February, when the Americans made the final before losing to Canada in overtime. The only ones not back from the 4 Nations are forward Chris Kreider and former New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox.
Introducing the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team 🇺🇸 #MilanoCortina2026
“It was incredibly difficult for our management group to get to the final roster and that’s a credit to so many in our country, including all those at the grassroots level who help make our sport so strong,” USA general manager Bill Guerin said. ”There’s nothing like the Olympics, and I know our players and staff will represent our country well and work hard to achieve our ultimate goal.”
Keller, who’s captain of the Utah Mammoth and tied for the team lead in scoring, wore the “C” at Worlds. Thompson, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, was a point-a-game producer.
The U.S. followed Canada’s lead after its northern neighbor also chose a 4 Nations-heavy roster. But while Canada made some changes in net beyond starter Jordan Binnington, the Americans went with the same three goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman.
Left off were Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who leads U.S. players in points this season, and a couple other elite goal-scorers in Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat.
Guerin and his management staff, along with coach Mike Sullivan, prioritized experience and players they knew well. That meant sticking with depth forwards Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson over Robertson and others.
Teams are allowed 25 players at the Olympics, up from 23 at the 4 Nations, and can dress 20 skaters — typically 13 forwards and seven defenseman, along with two goalies. The first U.S. game is Feb. 12 against Latvia.
CALGARY, Alberta ― And with that, 2025 comes to an end.
The Flyers wrapped up the calendar year with a 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on the second night of a back-to-back. It moved them to a 20-12-7 record this season and a 36-34-13 record since Jan. 1.
Here are seven things we’ve learned this year about the Flyers.
Trevor Zegras is still good
It’s time to put the last two years for Trevor Zegras fully in the rear-view mirror.
In 39 games with the Flyers, the 24-year-old New York native is not only putting up big numbers (15 goals, 24 assists), but he’s also controlling play, showing off the flash and creativity that made him a star — we all saw that between-the-legs pass attempt to Travis Sanheim on the rush and him playing the puck off the boards to himself before setting up Christian Dvorak in Tuesday night’s win — and bringing a big personality to the locker room.
He is on pace to demolish his career high of 65 points and is just eight goals shy of tying his career high, with 43 games to go.
As recently stated, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and, clearly, neither was the Flyers’ power play. Although it’s not last in the NHL anymore — progress! — entering Wednesday, it was ranked 25th with 17 goals in 105 opportunities (16.2%).
And it’s cost the Flyers games, like Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Kraken, where they faced the league’s worst penalty kill and couldn’t score despite three man advantages.
There have been several iterations, with the newest tweak moving Christian Dvorak to the net front with the unit led by Zegras getting an 18-second audition on Tuesday before Jamie Drysdale was called for interference.
On Wednesday against the Flames, that unit had the majority of the time across two power plays. They had six shot attempts on the first man advantage, with Cam York swapping with Drysdale at one point.
In the final advantage, which saw Drysdale go out with the other unit, York moved to the unit with Zegras, Travis Konecny, Dvorak, and Denver Barkey. They had four shot attempts, with the other unit, which started the power play, getting two, including Drysdale hitting the crossbar.
Overall, the movement has been good, but they can’t find the back of the net.
Flyers center Denver Barkey has played in just five games but he’s shown he belongs in the NHL.
Denver Barkey is an NHLer
In the first period against the Canucks on Tuesday, Denver Barkey lost his stick in the Flyers’ end. Did that stop the 5-foot-9 rookie, who was skating in his fifth NHL game? Not at all. There he was, throwing his body around and making plays to stop the pressure from Vancouver.
Called up to the big club to provide a boost to the top nine, Barkey has shown he has the skill and the smarts to stay. He’s come close to scoring his first NHL tally and already has two assists — each coming in his debut at Madison Square Garden.
Across six games with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett, Natural Stat Trick has the Flyers with 60.16% of the shot attempts and 69.39% of the scoring chances when they’re out there.
“Barks is an energy guy. He’s really helped,” Tocchet said. “I think he’s helped Tipp a lot. I think Tipp, our last couple of games, has been one of our best forwards, and I think that Barkey’s really helped.”
Added Couturier: “I like his game. I like the way he thinks; he’s a smart player, offensively and defensively. He does a lot of the little plays that create time and space for us, me, and Tipp. Yeah, he’s got a good vision out there.”
Barkey is just one of several players, like Alex Bump and defenseman Ty Murchison, who made his NHL debut in December, too, waiting in the wings.
Porter Martone’s ascent in the World Juniors and at Michigan State has the Flyers excited about his future in Philadelphia.
The Flyers’ prospect pool has gotten deep
Danny Brière hasn’t been on the Western Canada swing. Instead, the Flyers general manager has been in Minnesota watching not just the next draft class but six of the organization’s prospects playing at the 2026 World Juniors.
While a half-dozen is a solid number, it says more about the prospect pool that three are wearing letters with two — Jack Berglund for Sweden and Porter Martone for Canada — sporting the “C.” Heikki Ruohnen is an alternate captain for Finland.
Martone, who was selected this past June, has created a lot of buzz as he stars for Michigan State. His addition, along with players like Jett Luchanko, Oliver Bonk, Bump, Jack Nesbitt, and Yegor Zavragin, has pushed the Flyers’ prospect pool up the rankings. Elite Prospects and The Athletic each rank the Flyers at No. 7.
“It’s pretty good,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr recently told The Inquirer when asked about the prospect pool. “Obviously, we had a lot of picks last year. We’ve had some guys emerging from previous drafts that have played well and are trending in the right direction. So, yeah, overall, pretty excited.”
When the Flyers signed Dan Vladař on July 1, a lot of people scratched their heads. They’re not scratching anymore. Vladař, who came to get a chance as a No. 1, has brought his A game to the Flyers.
Among goalies who have played at least 18 games, he’s tied for seventh with a .910 save percentage. Who is he tied with? The upper echelon of NHL goalies like Igor Shesterkin, Spencer Knight, Ilya Sorokin, and Jake Oettinger. His 14 wins in 23 starts rank tied for 11th with Linus Ullmark and his old goalie partner in Calgary, Dustin Wolf.
“I think he worked on his game this summer because he went with a skating coach, and I think he wanted to work on some stuff like the next play, the rebound,” Tocchet said recently. “And I noticed him this year he’s in position for the second rebound. … I think Vladdy’s worked on that, and I think he’s really done a great job when it comes to that second save, being in position and not being out of position.”
Travis Sanheim has arrived
In June 2023, Sanheim was almost sent packing to St. Louis. On Wednesday, he was named to Canada’s 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics squad.
“With the game last night [in Vancouver], we flew to Calgary and got in, I think it was just after 2 o’clock, and then my phone went off just before 8 local time,” Sanheim said via Zoom. “I was up pretty early, not a lot of sleep, and I usually have trouble after games anyway, and I was aware of that potential phone call coming.
“So just the excitement level and receiving that, and it means to represent your country and be a part of something like the Olympics, and I’ll take the sleepless night to take a phone call like that.”
The news comes less than a year after he made his mark on the international stage for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Originally, the American and Canadian media questioned whether he even belonged; then, he was a healthy scratch in the tournament opener. But in the end, he was manning the blue line on the opening shift of overtime in the championship game.
There is no quit in this team
Since 2025 started, the Flyers have trailed 1-0 46 times in 82 games. It is tied for the second-most in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. Their win over the Canucks was also their 19th after trailing 1-0, which ties the Dallas Stars for the most in the calendar year.
And this season, the Flyers have 14 comeback wins, which is also No. 1 in the NHL. They are tied with the Rangers, Nashville Predators, and Detroit Red Wings for the second-most third-period comeback wins (five).
“Yeah, just resilient. We just keep playing,” Konecny said. “We believe in ourselves and trust the process that you’re going to get your opportunities. And you know, sometimes there’s a great way, but if you keep sticking with it, I think over the course of a year, it bounced out.”
In professional sports, there can be a litany of reasons to make a trade, from a player being a bad fit to trying to upgrade the roster for a playoff push to a rebuilding team cashing in on a player’s value for future assets. Then there are “change-of-scenery” trades, in which teams swap players who are stuck in their organizations to see if a fresh start can benefit everyone.
Wednesday’s Egor Zamula-for-Philip Tomasino trade between the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins is a prime example of a change-of-scenery deal. Zamula, 25, recently cleared waivers and has not played for the Flyers since Dec. 7, while the 24-year-old Tomasino, a 2019 first-round pick, has been buried in the minors since clearing waivers in November.
Zamula’s days in Philly had been numbered, especially since Rasmus Ristolainen returned from a triceps tendon injury on Dec. 16. The Russian defenseman was placed on waivers two days later but cleared and was sent to Lehigh Valley. Canada’s Sportsnet had also mentioned Zamula as a potential trade or buyout candidate in recent weeks.
Originally signed by the Flyers in 2018 as an undrafted free agent, Zamula has seen his career stall at the same time that other defensemen in the organization passed him. Once considered one of the organization’s top defensive prospects, he was often criticized by both John Tortorella and Rick Tocchet for not playing and processing the game quickly enough despite his skating and puck-moving abilities. It had become increasingly obvious in recent weeks that Zamula had become a surplus player and that he was seeking a fresh start to try and prove he is an everyday NHL defenseman.
It turns out that fresh start will come just 300 miles across the state in Pittsburgh with the rival Penguins. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound Zamula leaves the Flyers having tallied eight goals and 41 points with 48 penalty minutes in 168 NHL games across six seasons. He had five goals, 51 points, and 38 penalty minutes in 130 American Hockey League games for Lehigh Valley during the same time frame. This season, Zamula posted one assist in 13 games for the Flyers.
Like Zamula, Tomasino, who can play center or wing, will welcome a change of scenery as he tries to get back into the NHL. The native of Mississauga, Ontario, and former hotshot prospect has been playing with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since November and has five goals and 15 points in 14 games since going down to the AHL. Tomasino, who was acquired from Nashville in November 2024 for a fourth-round pick, had one assist in nine games for the Pens before his demotion.
New Flyer Philip Tomasino scored last February against the Flyers.
In 218 NHL games split between Nashville and Pittsburgh, Tomasino has potted 34 goals and added 61 assists for 95 points. His best season came as a rookie in 2021-22 when he tallied 11 goals and 32 points in 76 games as a 20-year-old. Tomasino scored 11 goals and had 23 points in 50 games for the Penguins last season following the trade.
He is best known for his skating ability, as he has good speed and can provide offense on the rush. Tomasino’s also a skilled puck handler and has some deception with his shot. But his details away from the puck and a lack of strength have made him a “tweener” to this point in his career, as he hasn’t popped enough offensively to be in an NHL top six, nor is he a perfect fit on an energy third line.
While Tomasino’s draft pedigree might suggest there is some untapped potential, that remains to be seen from someone who is joining his third organization in 13 months. For now, he will report directly to Lehigh Valley, although it wouldn’t be shocking to see him in the NHL this season in a depth role if injuries mount. The forward is a restricted free agent at season’s end and is currently on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.
Tomasino represents the latest buy-low depth trade made by Flyers general manager Danny Brière. In October, Brière acquired winger Carl Grundström in a deal that saw the team rid itself of Ryan Ellis’ contract, and also flipped former second-rounder Samu Tuomaala for defenseman Christian Kyrou. Grundström has been a revelation for the Flyers with seven goals in 12 games from a depth role, while Kyrou has provided a huge boost to the blue line in Lehigh Valley with 14 points in 21 games.
While there’s always a chance Tomasino could become the organization’s latest reclamation project — see Owen Tippet, Sean Walker, Trevor Zegras, and Dan Vladař — for now Tomasino will slide into the top six in Lehigh Valley, which recently lost Alex Bump to injury and Grundström and Denver Barkey to the NHL club.
CALGARY, Alberta ― On Monday, Flyers coach Rick Tocchet joked that he was signed to a nondisclosure agreement by Hockey Canada. Travis Sanheim said it has been radio silence on his end.
But the writing has been on the wall since February, and now it’s official: Sanheim needs to brush up on his Italian because the Flyers defenseman will be playing for Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
He was nervous and didn’t get much sleep, but getting the early call on Wednesday was worth it.
“With the game last night [in Vancouver], we flew to Calgary and got in, I think it was just after 2 o’clock, and then my phone went off just before 8 local time,” Sanheim said via Zoom. “I was up pretty early, not a lot of sleep, and I usually have trouble after games anyway, and I was aware of that potential phone call coming.
“So just the excitement level and receiving that, and it means to represent your country and be a part of something like the Olympics, and I’ll take the sleepless night to take a phone call like that.”
The 29-year-old blueliner grew up on a grain farm in Elkhorn, Manitoba, a small town of less than 500 people — he has about 100 text messages to still get through from back home — and remembers watching Sidney Crosby’s golden goal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. As a 13-year-old, Sanheim just wanted to make the NHL; he never expected to be lining up alongside the all-time great seeking a gold medal.
However, Sanheim opened a lot of eyes at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. At first, the American and Canadian media questioned whether he even belonged, then he was a healthy scratch in the tournament opener. But in the end, he was manning the blue line on the opening shift of overtime in the championship game.
“You see these players, you compete against these players, but you don’t really know until you have them. And I’ve always, I’ve really liked his game,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told The Inquirer in November as he tried not to show his cards while complimenting the defenseman with a gleam in his eye and a little smile.
“I’m a big fan of big D that take up a lot of space, and can skate, and he can do all those things. But his ability to jump into plays, he’s got an offensive mind to him.”
The 6-foot-4, 222-pound defenseman also has an edge as a minute-muncher with the versatility to play either the left or right side. He can kill penalties and, as seen lately, he can play on the power play in a pinch.
Travis Sanheim celebrates after Canada’s victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February.
“He’s a guy who can play 25 minutes; they’re hard to find, those guys. When he’s on his game, he’s a really tough defender. He wheels the net, good skater,” said Tocchet, an assistant coach on Cooper’s Canada staff. “All I remember from the 4 Nations, when he went in the lineup, he really played well. He impressed Pete DeBoer, the D coach there. He impressed a lot of those guys.”
At 4 Nations, Sanheim was a little wide-eyed at Canada’s first practice in Brossard, Quebec. By the end, he had one assist in three games despite playing with three defensive partners.
“You step on the ice, and you look around and [there’s] guys you idolize growing up, and guys who are superstars in this league, and you don’t think that you really belong out there,” Sanheim told The Inquirer on Monday. “A lot of nerves, and then you start playing and realize that you belong and that you can compete with these guys. You get into a game, and the competitiveness comes out, and it’s just like any other hockey game.
“[I] just really enjoyed playing with those types of players, and they make the game really easy, and they don’t make too many bad decisions and are always in good spots. So you know, if you’re a smart player, I feel like they make it pretty easy to adjust to playing with that type of speed.”
Sanheim has donned the maple leaf several times before, including at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2014 U18 World Championship, snagging a bronze medal at each tournament; the 2016 World Juniors; and, until last season, at the 2022 World Championships, winning silver. Aside from 4 Nations, he also played for Canada at the World Championships in May.
“I was watching the reveal myself today, and just sitting there, as proud as could be that I was one of those names named,” he said on Zoom.
“Just looking back a couple of years, and where my career has kind of come, and never thought that this day would happen. It just goes to show that the work and dedication that I’ve had and put into this game, and just trying to get better each and every day, and I still continue to do that.
“[I] feel like I can continue to grow my game and to get me 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.”
Flyers winger Travis Konecny, who played alongside Sanheim with Canada at the 4 Nations, did not make the cut this time around.
But Sanheim is not the only Flyer booking tickets to Italy. In addition to Tocchet, forward Rodrigo Ābols made Latvia’s roster. The expectation is that goalie Dan Vladař and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will be named to Czechia and Finland’s rosters, too. Sam Ersson is also in the mix for one of the three goalie spots with Sweden.
While rosters are due to be submitted today, the United States, Sweden, and Finland will reveal their rosters on Friday. The NHL will break from Feb. 6-24 for the hockey tournament, which will be played exclusively in Milan from Feb. 11-22.
Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim has been a workhorse for the Flyers over the past few seasons.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia ― As the Flyers skated around the rink for warmups, a fan held up a sign that read “Toccquit,” in reference to Flyers coach Rick Tocchet opting to leave the Vancouver Canucks and finding a home in Philly.
Whether it sparked the Orange and Black or not, the Flyers did what good teams do — defeat bad ones. And despite an iffy start, they skated away with a 6-3 win against the Canucks.
It is the Flyers’ third win in four games, a stretch starting with a 5-2 win against the same Canucks on Dec. 22.
Of course, in the penultimate game of 2025, the Flyers would trail 1-0. Since Jan. 1, Tuesday’s game was the 46th time in 82 games they’ve trailed 1-0, tied for the second-most in the NHL with the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames. But it is also their 19th win from such situations, which ties the Dallas Stars for the most in the calendar year.
This season, they’ve trailed 26 times in 38 games, and have a 13-8-5 record.
David Kämpf gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead 3 minutes, 45 seconds into the game on their eighth shot. The Flyers hadn’t registered one, and they got pinned after a breakout pass off a faceoff hit the back of Denver Barkey’s skate as Vancouver controlled the boards. Drew O’Connor created a separation between himself and Cam York and found Kämpf in front.
But the Canucks played Monday night in Seattle and, despite beating the Kraken in a shootout, entered the night 30th in the NHL in points percentage. So the Flyers started to turn it up — with their play, their speed, and on the scoreboard.
Noah Cates (27) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks with Flyers teammates Travis Sanheim, Cam York, and Matvei Michkov in the first period.
First, Noah Cates tied it up 12:02 into the game. Travis Konecny threw a big-time hit — one of 26 by the Flyers in the game — on Vancouver’s Conor Garland as he tried to carry the puck into the Flyers’ zone. It didn’t lead to the goal, but it forced the Canucks to regroup as the Flyers clogged the neutral zone.
Travis Sanheim got the puck after it bounced down — Matvei Michkov forced the air pass — and gave it to Bobby Brink. He found Michkov on the right wing with the Russian actually knocking the puck down with one hand on his stick. He settled it, and, while drifting backward, fed the puck back to Cates, who wristed it short-side.
Cates now has 10 goals on the season. Across the past seven games, since Cates, Brink, and Michkov became a line, the Minnesotan has three goals and six points.
The trio wasn’t done, as Michkov fed Brink to make it 4-2 in the third period with Cates springing the duo from the Flyers’ end. Michkov settled the bouncing puck as Zeev Buium poked it back to him and then avoided the Canucks defenseman’s poke check.
Michkov carried the puck wide on the left wing as Brink went right to the net — something Tocchet wanted to see more of from his club — and Brink opened up to direct it into the net.
The assist was the 50th of Michkov’s career, and he now has 22 points in 38 games this season. Brink has 10 goals, two off his career-high.
In between the third line’s scoring spree, Carl Grundström continued his hot streak, and Konecny scored his 12th of the season.
Grundström made it 2-1 Flyers early in the second period. Sanheim moved the puck up to Nikita Grebenkin, who couldn’t control it inside the Canucks’ blue line but was able to push it down the right boards. Grundström skated down, corralled the puck, and scored into the top left corner from the bottom of the right circle. The Swede now has seven goals in 12 games with Philly and extended his goal-scoring streak to four games.
Konecny made it 3-1 in the second with a nifty move atop the crease. Jamie Drysdale, who was flying all night, sent a shot-pass down to a wide-open Konecny in front. He tried to score on the backhand, flicking it on Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko, but was stopped.
But there’s no quit in Konecny, and after turning to face the net, he realized not only did he have the puck, but he was still alone. While falling, he flicked it past Demko on the forehand to give him his 34th point in 38 games; he later added an assist on Christian Dvorak’s empty-netter to extend the Flyers’ lead to 6-3.
Flyers’ Carl Grundstrom (right) celebrates his goal during the second period. He now has four straight games with a goal.
Breakaways
O’Connor scored for Vancouver in the third period to make it 3-2, and Tom Willander scored with under two minutes in regulation to make it 5-3. … Owen Tippett notched a short-handed empty-net goal to make it 5-2. It was his 12th goal of the season and third in the past five games. … Defenseman Noah Juulsen was a healthy scratch in his return to Vancouver. … Dan Vladař was stellar once again in net, stopping 32 shots, including Marco Rossi from right in front in the middle frame and Evander Kane on a breakaway in the third. … Nick Seeler dropped the gloves with Kane early in the first period after the Canucks forward hit him high along the end boards. They had to be separated again in the third period during a TV timeout. … Sean Couturier won 13 of the 17 face-offs he took, tying his season high winning percentage of 76.5, set Dec. 18 against the Buffalo Sabres.
Up next
The Flyers get right back to it with a New Year’s Eve matchup in the Canadian Rockies against the Flames (9:30 p.m., NBCSP)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia ― Rome wasn’t built in a day, and after years of ineptitude, neither was the Flyers’ power play.
But like a phoenix, it is rising slowly from the ashes. Entering Tuesday’s matchup against Rick Tocchet’s former team, the Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m., NBCSP), the Flyers’ power play is ranked 25th in the NHL (16.3%).
Hey, it’s not last.
“It’s been OK,” Tocchet said. “I mean, there’s been good movement. I just think there’s reads there. We have to understand, when the team’s topping down on you [when the F1 is attacking and leaving space], when you’re turning a diamond into a box, what are the plays in it?
“Think we’re missing a couple. I think [if] we just read them a little bit quicker, I think we’re going to get better chances. But I do think the movement has been better, and that’s a positive.”
On Sunday night in Seattle, the power play — especially the unit that is spearheaded by Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, and Travis Konecny — moved the puck well. That unit had several good looks, with Zegras setting up Drysdale at the point more than once for one-timers and almost connecting with Konecny backdoor.
Tocchet likes the pairing of the former Anaheim Ducks teammates, with Zegras on the right flank and Drysdale at the point — specifically for that big shot.
“I just think with Trevor, he has the puck a lot, [and] you want a righty for the one timer. I think that’s big,” Tocchet said, speaking of the lefty Zegras and the righty Drysdale.
“The one-timer on the top is a really big play, especially against a diamond format. So it’s really hard for the lefty to get that shot through. That doesn’t mean you can’t do it, it’s just we’re trying to develop Jamie into that guy as a right-lefty look.”
But after going 0-for-3 in that 4-1 loss to the Kraken — which had the worst penalty kill in the NHL at the time — there have been a few tweaks.
The newest iterations have Cam York, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, and either Bobby Brink or Travis Sanheim on one unit and Zegras, Drysdale, Konecny, Denver Barkey, and, now, Christian Dvorak on the other.
Dvorak has one job now — attack the net.
“I’m not going to lie. I think we’re one of the worst teams with net-front and screens and stuff,” Tocchet said. “We need some people to start going to the net, and I know Dvo will go to the net. So, it’s a shot in the right direction.
“It’s not even power play, it’s five-on-five. We’ve got to start getting more interior play. In saying that, I do like the puck movement. I love our D, the way they move on the blue line, things like that are good. It’s just we’ve got to start getting people in front.”
Rick Tocchet spent time at Tuesday’s morning skate going over details with the Flyers’ power play.
It’s interesting that entering the holiday break, the Flyers scored eight goals across the last two games, with one on the power play. According to Natural Stat Trick, six of those tallies came right around the net, including the power-play goal by Cates, who is the net-front presence on his unit, against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Dvorak also scored one of those goals — his was against the Canucks — and guess where it came from. Yep, it came from right in front after he drove to the net.
“You see a lot of goals in the league, especially on the power play, whether tips, rebounds, backdoor plays, things like that. So, it’s kind of important in all areas, whether it’s five-on-five or power play,” Dvorak said.
“We looked at some numbers today that we need to be in front of the net, get some more screened shots, and rebound opportunities at five-on-five and, sure, power play, too. That’s where, you know, a lot of goals are scored in this league. So I like being there, yeah.”
Natural Stat Trick has Dvorak tied for eighth in the NHL with 48 high-danger chances at five-on-five, and when he is on the ice, the Flyers have 17 high-danger goals. NHL Edge says 44 of his 65 shots at all strengths have come from around the blue paint, with three of the four locations in the 81st-99th percentile.
Aside from Barkey, who will skate in just his fifth NHL game on Tuesday, Dvorak has the fewest power-play minutes among those on the man advantage (14 minutes, 19 seconds this season).
But it’s pretty obvious he likes to be around the net and has been successful there, and the Flyers need that on the power play.
“I think the main thing we talked about is just attacking, attacking when there’s an opportunity, when you got them tired, and just making sure we have guys at the net,” Dvorak said.
“If I’m out there, that’s kind of the thing I’ll try to do there, is be in front and whether it’s rebounds, tips, or just screening on the goalie, just to do whatever the job is.”
Breakaways
Goalie Dan Vladař (13-6-3, .909 save percentage) will get the start against the Canucks, a team he stopped 23 of 25 shots against in a 5-2 win on Dec. 22. … The game in Vancouver is not just a return for Tocchet but for Noah Juulsen. The defenseman, who grew up in nearby Abbotsford and suited up for Everett of the Western Hockey League, played 109 games for the Canucks across four seasons. He will be a healthy scratch. Juulsen played 27 games for the Flyers this season, registering a goal and four assists, before Rasmus Ristolainen returned from injury. … Forwards Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers are also expected to be healthy scratches.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia ― The terms “abandoned” and “quit” have been thrown about in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to Rick Tocchet’s departure from the Vancouver Canucks.
After 2½ seasons, Tocchet’s contract expired, and he opted to move on, linking up with the Flyers two weeks later in May. Now, months later, the bench boss, who won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2024 while at the helm in Vancouver, returns for the first time.
How does he think fans will react?
“I don’t know, honestly, don’t know. It is what it is. I’ll have my business mode anyway,” Tocchet said, standing in an empty locker room near his team’s room — and down the hall from his old stomping ground — while donning a black long-sleeve shirt with Philadelphia Flyers emboldened on it.
“Trust me, I played 18 years in the league, I’ve been booed a lot of places. It’s all right.”
The Flyers coach has bigger things on his mind these days anyway. Despite coming off a 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, he has the team he once starred for playing well. Entering Monday night’s action, the Orange and Black have a 19-11-7 record and are sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division, just four points behind the leaders, the Carolina Hurricanes.
On Tuesday (10 p.m., NBCSP), the Flyers will face a Canucks team they beat handily a week ago, 5-2. Vancouver will also be playing a back-to-back after facing the Kraken in Seattle on Monday night. Tocchet wants his team to keep a foot on the gas and make the hometown team play an uncomfortable game.
He does acknowledge it was a little weird seeing the Canucks — the players, like Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko, and Conor Garland, and the coaches, especially head coach Adam Foote, whom Tocchet hired as his assistant coach with Vancouver despite not having NHL experience — last week from the home bench in Philly.
Rick Tocchet still has strong relationships with several members of the Canucks, including new head coach Adam Foote (left) and winger Conor Garland.
It’ll be even weirder at Rogers Arena.
“I loved it,” he said of his time in British Columbia. “Obviously, we had a really good year the year before. Then last year, even though there were a lot of issues and injuries, I thought we were only a couple of points out of a playoff spot.
“I thought the core guys there hung together, and I really appreciated that, and respect those guys. … Those guys, really, I still root for those guys.”
Vancouver wasn’t Tocchet’s first stop on the coaching carousel, but he certainly learned a lot that he carried back to Philly.
“A wealth of experience of different things, the highs and lows, situational stuff. You learn different things … and then trying to just build a winning culture,” explained Tocchet, who said he had a good relationship working with the general manager Patrik Allvin, president Jim Rutherford, and owner Francesco Aquilini, too.
After taking over midway through the 2022-23 season, Tocchet led the Canucks to Game 7 of the second round in 2024, falling to the Edmonton Oilers, who have made the Stanley Cup Final the last two years. That run represented the first time Vancouver made the postseason since the 2020 bubble.
He is now working on building a winning culture with a Flyers team that has not made the postseason since that same summer.
“We’re lucky to have him,” forward Sean Couturier said. “He’s got tons of experience as an ex-player and a coach, so he can relate in different situations.
“We have a young team, though, so I think he’s given us older guys a voice to kind of lead,” the captain added. “But I think we’re all in this together. We’re all buying into what the style of play he wants us to play. It’s been working so far. So it’s been fun.”
Breakaways
It looks like Sam Ersson will start in goal for the Flyers on Tuesday night, as he took the majority of the reps Monday in the starter’s net during practice. If that is the case, it all but assures that Dan Vladař will start on New Year’s Eve against his old club, the Calgary Flames.
The only time the Flyers did win — a 3-2 overtime victory — was on Dec. 29, 2021. It was the Kraken’s first NHL season.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Sunday’s loss.
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn passes the puck against the Flyers’ Carl Grundstrom on Sunday in Seattle.
The good: The fourth line
Coach Rick Tocchet likes rolling four lines consistently, and why not when you have a fourth line of Nikita Grebenkin, Carl Grundström, and Rodrigo Ābols that is showing speed, strength, defensive acumen, and a scoring touch?
“Well, some speed and possession,” Tocchet said during his pregame availability about the fourth line. “They’re holding on to pucks, and they’re making plays, you know? And I think that’s important. You wear other teams down.
“I haven’t been afraid to use them in D-zone faceoffs. They’re getting their minutes, but they’re earning it too, right? If we have a little bit of a lull in our game — and I’ve started them, actually, in some games too — I see some excitement. I see excitement from the other guys when they see the fourth line doing well. It’s really infectious.”
The line has been together for three games and almost 27 minutes at five-on-five, but while opponents have a 28-24 majority in chances, the Flyers trio is outscoring them, 3-0.
On Sunday, Grundström broke through on Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer late in the game to get the Flyers on the board. He sent a blistering wrister from just inside the left faceoff circle to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Although the fourth line was on the ice for an empty-netter against, it controlled play for the most part, had nine shot attempts to 10 against, three scoring chances vs. two for the Kraken, and did not allow a high-danger chance.
The trio also drew a power play after it sustained a strong forecheck and pressured the Kraken in the first period.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Jamie Oleksiak save a shot by the Flyers’ Bobby Brink.
The bad: The power play
There’s a reason the power play isn’t listed as ugly because, despite not scoring, it really wasn’t that dreadful. The two five-man units actually moved the puck well, especially Trevor Zegras, Noah Cates, Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale, and Travis Konecny.
But when you have three power-play opportunities against the league’s worst penalty kill (70.3% entering the game), you need to score.
“When we have shots from the point, or we go downhill in the shots, everybody’s on the perimeter,” Tocchet said. “Too perimeter tonight, that was the bottom line. That’s the only criticism for the team.
“… For most of the night, I thought we controlled a fair amount of the play, but you get three power plays, you’ve got to find a way, and you’ve got to find a way to score. That’s net-front goals, rebound goals. I don’t think we grabbed the rebound. So another learning thing that we’ve got to make sure.”
It’s true. The Flyers’ power play controlled play and had several good looks. Drysdale was stopped twice on point shots before Zegras sent a cross-crease pass to Konecny, who was robbed. Denver Barkey made a play after nice puck movement to set up Owen Tippett, and the youngster had a chance seconds after the final power play ended.
The Flyers have just 59.2% of offensive zone time on the power play, whereas the best team, the Vegas Golden Knights, has 62.3%. Based on Sunday’s power plays, there is a chance that they have jumped up. Now the Flyers have to score.
Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer stops a shot by the Flyers’ Bobby Brink during the third period on Sunday in Seattle.
The ugly: Lack of net presence
In the last two games before the holiday break, each a win, the Flyers scored a total of eight goals. According to Natural Stat Trick, six of those came right around the net.
Although the statistical site says that they had 4.17+ attempts around the net, it didn’t feel like they were able to take away the eyes of Grubauer.
“Yeah, thought we controlled most of the game and just couldn’t find a way to get one,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said. “We weren’t getting enough traffic when a goalie’s seeing it that well, got to get in front of them and deliver pucks, and then we make a couple mistakes, and unfortunate that we can’t come out with a win there.”
The Kraken goalie made several easy saves with his glove, as he was able to see the puck well. The Flyers had four rebound attempts, with Sean Couturier and Konecny leading the way with three high-danger chances each.
“Maybe we gave him some easy looks at times,“ Couturier said. ”This may be the only, I think, negative, maybe we can say. But overall, I thought we played a good game, just didn’t capitalize when we had chances, and they did. So it could have went one way or the other, if we score one or two goals there at some point in the game.”
Added defenseman Nick Seeler: “I think we need a little bit more traffic going to the net, get guys to the net when we’re trying to shoot from the points here, and hopefully get a few more deflection goals and things like that. But I think our forwards did a really good job forechecking tonight and hanging on to pucks, and so that’s a positive.”
SEATTLE ― The Flyers won’t want to throw it away, all right, but there are parts of this game they’ll prefer not to see again.
In their first game after the NHL’s mandatory three-day holiday break, they fell to the Seattle Kraken, 4-1 on Sunday. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak and is Philly’s third loss in its past five games. They are 5-4-4 in December.
Carl Grundström scored with less than two minutes left in regulation to help the Flyers avoid getting shut out for the second time this season. He beat Philipp Grubauer short-side to extend his goal-scoring streak to three games.
Jordan Eberle gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead 3 minutes, 48 seconds into the second period. The Kraken’s captain snuck down the middle and was left untouched as he received a pass from Kaapo Kakko. A former New York Islander, Eberle now has 12 goals and 30 points in 37 regular-season games against the Flyers.
Seattle’s Chandler Stephenson made it 2-0 in the third period as he crashed the net. Flyers goalie Dan Vladař played the puck behind the net, and Eeli Tolvanen got it from Travis Sanheim. The Finnish forward sent it to Stephenson in front for the easy tally.
Entering the night, the Flyers’ power play was ranked 24th in the NHL, and it had chances to tie things up. They were facing the league’s worst penalty kill (70.3%), but despite having three-man advantages, they were unable to get on the board with extended offensive zone time.
Across the power plays, Philly had nine shot attempts, with six needing Grubauer to make the save.
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is defended by Flyers forward Carl Grundstrom during the first period of Sunday’s game.
On the first one, drawn by Nikita Grebenkin, Jamie Drysdale had a pair of shots off setups from Trevor Zegras. Seconds after Drysdale’s second shot, Travis Konecny received a cross-crease pass from Zegras and was stoned by a sliding Grubauer. That power play started to even the ice as the Kraken came out with their legs.
And then Denver Barkey continued to prove he is an NHLer as he used his motor to drive past Ryan Lindgren for a breakaway. The Seattle defenseman wrapped up Barkey, who still got a shot on goal as he drew the holding penalty.
The best chance on that power play was by Noah Cates from the middle of the ice after good puck movement. And on the final man advantage of the night, thanks to a too many men penalty against the Kraken, the best chance was by Owen Tippett after Barkey made a strong play to get him the puck
The Flyers put 32 shots on goal, including 14 in the third period. The biggest issue for the Flyers on Sunday was the fact that Grubauer was able to see the puck well. Compared to their past two wins, the Flyers weren’t going to the net often enough and even when they did, the Kraken blocked 17 shots — several from atop the crease.
The Kraken added two empty-netters by Tolvanen. … Zegras had his point streak end at 10 games (five goals, six assists). … Forwards Garnet Hathaway and Nic Deslauriers, and defenseman Noah Juulsen were healthy scratches.
Up next
The Flyers head a few short hours north to Rick Tocchet and Juulsen’s old stamping ground to take on the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday (10 p.m., NBCSP).
