The Philadelphia Flyers have a second player going to the IIHF Men’s World Championships in Ostrava and Prague, Czechia, next month; rookie goalie Sam Ersson will be playing for Sweden, potentially as their starter.
Ersson, 24, burst onto the scene as the Flyers’ starter this season after Carter Hart’s leave of absence in late January, and though Ersson was less effective than before Hart left, he still put together a solid rookie campaign for the Orange and Black.
In 51 games this season, Ersson compiled a 23-19-7 record with a .890 save percentage and four shutouts. Flyers head coach John Tortorella previously revealed that Ersson was earmarked to play between 18 and 22 games for the team this season, but ended up playing in 51, including 49 starts.
Thus, it is a bit of a surprise that Ersson has elected to play for Sweden at the World Championships. Experience is key for the 24-year-old, though, and it appears that Ersson is ready to go again after some time away from the ice.
He did, however, note at exit interviews that he “would like” to play for Sweden, so his wish has come true.
Ersson last played for Tre Kronor back in 2020-21, appearing in two games and going 1-1-0 with a .936 save percentage. The Brynäs product has one other game of senior international experience with Sweden, earning a victory in his only appearance back in the 2018-19 season.
As of right now, the only Flyers teammate joining Ersson at the upcoming World Championships will be Joel Farabee. It appears that All-Star forward Travis Konecny has declined his invitation from Canada, so the Flyers will be quite short on representation at the tournament barring any changes.
It is currently unclear whether any other Flyers have received invites to play for their countries in the tournament, but if this is it, Ersson and Farabee will give fans something to watch leading up to the 2024 NHL Draft.
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