The start of the new year will bring some important happenings in and around the Flyers. The World Junior Championships medal round gets underway on Friday. Meanwhile, at the NHL level, the Flyers open 2026 in playoff position in the Metro Division. The team opens a 15-game monthly slate on Saturday against the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers.
"Every team has kind of a compacted schedule with the Olympic break (in February). We're playing almost every other day. So it's important to get contributions from everyone on the roster. There's not a lot of practice time when we get back. We have to be smart about how we prepare," said head coach Rick Tocchet.
When the Flyers return home from their current road trip, the team will play its annual Ed Snider Legacy game on January 6 against the Anaheim Ducks. The match will also mark the club's 41st game of the 2025-26 season: the exact midpoint of the 82-game schedule.
Over the course of the month, the Flyers will play seven home games and eight on the road. There are two road/road back-to-back sets. The month concludes with a gamut of four games in six nights.
The team has done a good job throughout the season of bouncing back from a loss with a stronger performance in the next game. The Flyers will look to do just that in Edmonton on Saturday, following Wednesday’s loss in Calgary. The last time the teams played, Philly held Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to a combined one shot on goal and one point (a McDavid assist).
Best of 2025
Before we fully turn the page to focus on the remainder of the current season, here's a quick look at the best from the 2025 calendar year. The Flyers played a combined 83 games from January 1, 2025, to the New Year's Eve game in Calgary.
Scoring leader: Travis Konecny. The two-time defending Bobby Clarke Trophy winner led all Flyers' players with 70 points during the 2025 calendar year. He also topped the team with an even 50 assists.
Goal-scoring leader: Tyson Foerster. Despite being limited by injury to a combined 65 games, Foerster paced all Flyers players with 25 goals in 2025.
Iron man: Travis Sanheim. Seven different Flyers players -- defensemen Sanheim and Nick Seeler plus forwards Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink -- dressed in all 83 games played during the 2025 calendar year. Sanheim, meanwhile, led the Flyers' players in ice time, averaging 24:21 of ice time.
Blueline offense: Jamie Drysdale. The former Anaheim defenseman took off as a more well-rounded NHL player in the second half of last season. He's taken another step forward so far during the current campaign. Offensively, Drysdale topped Flyers defensemen with 31 points (9g 22a). There's still room for him to improve more on the power play but his overall game -- the way he uses his mobility and his defensive stick -- have improved by leaps and bounds in terms of consistency.
2025 Game of the Year; January 11 vs. Anaheim. There are several candidates for this subjective honor. The choice here is a home match from early last year against the first home opponent in 2026. On January 11, 2025, the Flyers crushed the visiting Anaheim Ducks, 6-0. Samuel Ersson recorded a 22-save shutout, while Konecny racked up four assists. The home crowd was jazzed up all night, and a power play goal from Drysdale in particular was perhaps the night's most memorable moment.
Sanheim chosen for the 2026 Olympics.
Last February, Sanheim played in the 4 Nations Face-Off for tournament champion Team Canada. On New Year's Eve day, Sanheim learned that he will also represent his home country at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.
Growing up in tiny Elkhorn, Manitoba, and flying under the NHL scouting radar until the second half of his draft-eligible year, playing in the Olympics once felt like a pipe dream for the player.
“It’s one that you think is pretty farfetched. I think first and foremost you want to make the NHL and that’s your ultimate goal. But actually I think the Olympics are kind of on the next level. That’s the best against the best, and being able to represent your country. So definitely something that a lot of kids dream about," Sanheim said.
Sanheim added that the 4 Nations experience last year was invaluable to him. It was a taste of what awaits at the Winter Olympics.
“The skill, the speed, what little space there was to generate in. I expect much of the same at the Olympics. I think just being able to play at that level, compete and show that I belong meant a lot moving forward. It made me feel like I could be a part of the Olympic team and just continue to get better. I’m really looking forward to the next challenge," he said.
