VOORHEES, N.J. – Travis Sanheim knows the score.
He holds down the No. 1 spot for most career games played by a defenseman in a Flyers uniform, makes the most money and plays on the top pairing with Cam York.
Last season was a big step forward for the 28-year-old backliner from Elkhorn, Manitoba. He led the defense in points and while his plus-minus rating of minus-20 was nothing to write home about, keep in mind he had the most minutes on defense for a team which was a collective minus-55.
The big news from the summer of 2023 was Sanheim’s decision to put on more weight, most of it muscle.
By pounds gained, it was pretty eye-opening. He went from 181 pounds (on a 6-foot-4 frame) to a rather massive 222. No more getting pushed around by pesky opponent forwards in front of the net or in the corners.
“During the season, you lose a little bit so you try to gain that back,” Sanheim said. “It would be hard to put on more weight than I was already at. Just continue to get stronger. Work hard in the gym, work hard on the ice.”
The Sanheim-York pairing looks like a keeper.
“Just continue to take those steps,” Sanheim said. “Obviously the minutes are going to be there. We both feel like there’s more to our games, another level to get to.
“So keep working, keep learning. We have a great coaching staff here that (the team) has developed and gotten better each year. We’re looking forward to the challenge and we need to take another step, just like our team does.”
If the Flyers are to continue their quest to make the postseason, they will need a lot from players such as Sanheim.
He wants to improve to make that happen.
“I think every year I’m looking at all areas,” he said. “When I go into the offseason, you try to pinpoint a few little spots here and there. Continuing to be aggressive, that was a big step for me last season. I think last season that allowed me to shut plays down earlier.
“On the flip side, create more offense. I was able to get up the ice more, generate more. When you notice things like that, you try to continue those areas and continue to get better at them.”
Coach John Tortorella often puts Sanheim and York out against opponent’s best players, especially at home where he gets the last line change.
“I’m going to get top matchups, I need to be hard to play against those,” Sanheim said.
As for York, he’s added about 11 pounds to his frame and now checks in around 205 pounds.
Coach John Tortorella has noticed the difference.
“He looks bigger and I know he’s bigger,” Tortorella said. “Stronger. ‘Sanny’ (Sanheim) came in last year and was stronger. And mentally, he kind of took off.
“I’m really anxious to see how Cam handles his weight. And he’s the only one who’s going to be able to determine that when we start the season. He looks good. I saw him during the summer quite a bit.”
>Neck guards gaining popularity
Sanheim was one of the first to experiment with neck protection last year after a player, Adam Johnson, died from a throat cut he received during a game played in Europe.
Recently, the American Hockey League made headlines when it announced neck guards would now be mandatory for game action.
Sanheim says he’s gratified to see the progress made and predicts the guard will only increase in popularity.
“I think all the (hockey) companies are coming out with something now,” he said. “I think that now that our guys can have more access to it, we’re going to see more and more guys use it. That’s why it’s there.
“It’s just like anything. You use it for a few skates or two, it’s going to feel comfortable and you’re not going to want to take it off. I think it’s just the guys having access to use the product.”
