Travis Sanheim deservedly named to Canada’s Olympic roster

While it’s been a near guarantee for a few months, the news became official on New Year’s Eve. Travis Sanheim would be heading to Italy as a member of Team Canada’s Olympic squad.

The news isn’t a surprise to Flyers’ fans. They know how much Sanheim deserved this. There is an abundance of Canadian-born talent, so making any roster with this group is no small feat. Sanheim opened plenty of eyes during the 4 Nations tournament. He began as a healthy scratch before being on the ice in the biggest moment during the championship game.

Even if he hasn’t been at the top of his game offensively this season, he brings value in other areas of importance. He eats minutes at a high rate, averaging nearly 25 minutes per game. He can play on both the power play and penalty kill and has become the most important player for the Flyers on the backend.

Only two active players have averaged more total time on ice than Sanheim: Mike Matheson and Cale Makar. He is top-five in both average even-strength time and penalty killing time. And when the game hits extra time, Sanheim has played the third most minutes despite averaging the 18th most time on ice per overtime game. It helps that the Flyers have played 14 overtime games, but he is heavily relied on, no matter the situation.

While it’s the first time Sanheim will represent Canada on the Olympic stage, he’s familiar with wearing the maple leaf on his chest. He has played for Canada a total of six times, including the aforementioned 4 Nations tournament. And he’s found some success on the international stage.

In two World Championships, Sanheim has three goals and seven points in 18 games. He had six points at the World Juniors for the U18 squad in 2012-13. He also posted an assist at the 4 Nations. Overall, he has 15 points in 35 games when representing Canada. While that doesn’t sound like a lot in the end, Sanheim wasn’t chosen for his offense necessarily.

He has more than proven himself on the defensive end and has the size factor as well. With the smaller ice surface, every bit of space players can create for themselves matters.

Sanheim will join head coach Rick Tocchet, who will be an assistant for Canada. The tournament is slated to begin Feb. 11 and will run through the gold medal game on the 22nd.