Ersson still learning ropes despite getting first victory
Long before Flyers forward Olle Lycksell got to call goalie Samuel Ersson his teammate this season in Philadelphia and previously with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, he became well acquainted with Ersson’s glove when they faced each other in the Swedish Hockey League.
While playing for Färjestad BK during the 2021 season, Lycksell recalled going up against Ersson and Brynäs IF and the challenge that typically came with trying to score on his fellow Flyers prospect. Lycksell said he tallied one or two goals, but he doesn’t hold that over Ersson now — “Probably, he saved [my shots] the most,” Lycksell said. “So I shouldn’t be talking to him.”
That year, Ersson helped save Brynäs IF from relegation to the second-tier, posting a 1.30 goals against average and a .949 save percentage (4-1 record) in their best-of-seven series victory over HV71 to defend their status. In the regular season, he posted a .911 save percentage and a 2.96 goals against average at just 21 years old on a team that finished second-to-last in the league and won just 18 of 52 games.
So, having played against him and with him, Lycksell isn’t surprised at Ersson’s rebound performance against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday in a 4-3 overtime victory. The effort came on the heels of a shaky NHL debut for Ersson against the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 23 in which he allowed five goals.
Ersson, 23, denied 25 of 28 shots against the Sharks and was particularly impressive on the penalty kill (6 of 7), taking advantage of the opportunity to start with Carter Hart on injured reserve (concussion) and backup Felix Sandström working his way back from an illness.
“It’s really nice to see that he finally can show what he’s capable of,” Lycksell said.
After all, Ersson faced his share of adversity on his journey to hockey’s biggest stage. In his first season in North America last year with the Phantoms, Ersson was limited to five games with a groin injury. Ersson had never dealt with an injury of that severity in his hockey career previously.
But with the help of Flyers goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh and goaltender development coach Brady Robinson, Ersson has worked himself back to healthy form. They’ve been hard on his consistency in practices and in games, pushing him to reach another level in his game. The injury was tough, but Ersson approached his rehab as a “positive challenge.”
“That’s the kind of thing that makes you stronger in the end,” Ersson said.
While the coaches are helping Ersson get acclimated on the ice, he’s growing more comfortable off the ice in a new locker room thanks to the presence of his countrymen Lycksell and Sandström. Ersson and Sandström were neighbors in the same apartment building in Sweden for more than two years, and Ersson credits Sandström with supporting him through his injury last season when they were both with the Phantoms.
Sandström has served as the backup to Hart since the start of the season, so he’s showing his younger Swedish teammates the ropes with the Flyers on the three-game California road trip.
“He kind of knows the process around here,” Ersson said. “He knows the schedule and everything. So he’s kind of the go-to guy when you’re wondering things.”
Just as they did in the preseason, Ersson and Sandström are competing once again for ice time. However, Sandström doesn’t let work bleed into their friendship off the ice.
“On the ice, I always have the mindset to do my best on the ice and let that give the results it gives,” Sandström said. “I’m a firm believer that the effort will show in games if you work hard in practice and all that. It’s up to the coaches who plays, so [I] just focus on myself to be the best I can in practices, to show up and show them that I want to play. So it’s fine. If everybody pushes each other, it’s going to be great for the team, too. Everybody develops from that.”
Sandström is proud that his friend is starting to see his hard work pay off, culminating in his first NHL victory against the Sharks. And Ersson is grateful for the support from Sandström and his Flyers teammates.
“This is one I’ll remember forever,” Ersson said. “So I was just trying to take it in and enjoy it, but also, you’ve got to move forward pretty quickly, too.”
Breakaways
Hart participated in practice on Friday morning in advance of the Flyers’ game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Philadelphia). Before practice, coach John Tortorella said that Hart is “progressing fine,” but said he did not know at the time if Hart was cleared to play. He would not name a starter for the game. Both Ersson and Sandström also participated in practice.