Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 62

PROFILE
T R AV I S
SANHEIM
Small Town Boy, Big City Lights
BY CARTER BROOKS
Photos by Jeff Miller
TRAVIS SANHEIM IS A BIT OF A
TRAILBLAZER. After all, on Oct.
5, 2017, the young Philadelphia
Flyers’ defenseman, became
the first player from Elkhorn,
Man., to play a game in the
National Hockey League.
Sanheim’s ascent to the NHL
was, by no means, a one-time
promotion. Through December,
the former Calgary Hitmen
star has played in 90 percent of
the Flyers’ games, providing a
solid and reliable option on the
back-end.
Born and raised in one of the
most surprising hockey towns
in Western Canada – Elkhorn
has a population of 461 and
yet boasts Travis Sanheim; his
brother Taylor, formerly of the
Calgary Hitmen; the Bowles
brothers, Shawn and Brad of
the University of Mani toba
Bisons and Layne Toder of the
6 2 | G AME ON | R EGU L A R SEASON ED ITION 2018
Calary Hitmen – Sanheim has
become a solid 15-17-minute-
a-night defenseman.
“It’s been a really good
experience so far,” Sanheim
said. “I’m starting to get more
comfortable playing my game
and settling in a bit more. I’ve
been happy with how my play
has been growing as a player
over the past couple weeks
as well. My confidence is
growing, and I have been able
to see the ice better and make
more plays with the puck.”
Although Sanheim
hinted at his limited ability
to carry the puck and the
importance of making smart
decisions offensively, the
21-year-old also made it
clear that every mistake is
exposed at the NHL level.
“It’s amazing how little
space you really have out
there at this level,” he reflected.
“The teams we are going
up against are just so good
defensively, so you really don’t
get a lot of space. When you get
your chances, you really have
to make the most of them.
Obviously, I’m not allowed to
do some of the offensive stuff
that I could do in junior, like
skating the puck up the ice all
the way. Something I learned
last year was the importance
of making a good first pass,
and having the ability to read
the play and find seams or
areas to create some space.”
Sanheim spent the 2016-
17 season playing 76 games
for Philadelphia’s American
Hockey League affiliate, the
Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The
6-foot-3, 185-pound defender
picked up 10 goals and 37
points along the way. The only