Philadelphia Flyers 2024 Top 25 Under 25, No. 8: Samuel Ersson

No. 8: Samuel Ersson

Samuel Ersson had a very interesting season. Thrust into the limelight as a starter in first full NHL campaign, Ersson had ups and downs that clouded his potential around the organization. However, he still showcased the tools that had the coaching staff high on his future, and should set him up for success next season as he readies himself to take on a starter’s workload from the get go.

2023-24 Primary League/Team: Philadelphia (NHL) 2023-24 Statistics: .890 SV%, 2.82 GAA in 51 GP Age as of 9/15/2024: 24 (10/20/1999) Acquired Via: 2018 NHL Draft - Round 5, Pick 143

How did Ersson\'s 2023-24 season go? Is his stock trending up or down from where it was entering the year?

Samuel Ersson was tossed headfirst into the fire last season. After an NHL career that had previously only spanned 12 games and 10 starts, the mid-season departure of Carter Hart thrust the Swede into full-time starting duty for the majority of the season. Ersson through his first 20 appearances in 2023-24 had a .911% save percentage, and looked like a goaltender with a lot of promise and poise, who was as a bonus, very good in shootouts as well.

Hart played his last game for the Flyers on January 20th, and Ersson effectively became the de-facto starter the game after against Ottawa on January 21st. From that point on, throughout his next 30 games, Ersson had an .875 save percentage; that stretch isolated would give him the 13th worst save percentage of any goaltender who played a game at the NHL level.

But miraculously, that paltry number would still be the best of any of the four goaltenders who played for the Flyers last season, so no matter if Ersson was in a slump, tired, or needed a break, he was unable to get it because the alternative options were *that* bad.

So while this season may on the surface seem like it hurts Ersson\'s stock, it is a pretty reductive view of a situation that was wildly unfair to the 24-year old. If anything, Ersson\'s stock should more than likely remain the same heading into the season, as he gets to have a full training camp preparing for a starter\'s workload and responsibility.

What are we expecting from Ersson this season? What should we be looking for from him?

Ersson should be expected to play anywhere from 35-50 games, hopefully a more managed workload that has off-days factored in to more effectively conserve his energy throughout the season. He needs a save percentage over .900 to truly continue establish himself as the potential number one goalie of the future.

But beyond that, he should be pressed to achieve a level of consistency. It is again hard to judge how much of his faltering at the end of last season was chalked up to fatigue, and how much of it was NHL shooters figuring him out, but either way, if he wants to be a long term NHL starting goaltender, Ersson is going to need to find a way to be the best version of himself nearly every night. If the Flyers continue to suppress shots at a rate similar to what they were able to do for most of last season, he has a chance to really have a true breakout campaign.

How does Ersson fit in the Flyers’ rebuild? Is it likely he’s going to be a part of the next good Flyers team?

At this point, it seems more than likely that Samuel Ersson will be one of the two Flyers goaltenders on the roster for the foreseeable future, barring injury. A 24-year old homegrown goalie is an asset that most teams would rather keep than give up, so as long as the Flyers can get him to resign for a reasonable rate after his rookie deal expires, they\'ll probably keep him around.

The real question regarding Ersson\'s future surrounds whether or not he will prove to be capable of being a number one goalie on a team contending for a playoff spot. While he was shortchanged by a bad situation last year, he still broke down when placed under a heavy workload. He\'ll have to prove that he is worthy of getting that shot at being a number one when the games start to really matter a year or two down the line.

What do we think Ersson\'s ultimate NHL upside is, and how likely is it that he gets to something approaching that?

Ersson still has solid starter potential, his movement and positional sense is the crease when he is at his best is starter quality. He should be viewed as a potential starter and, for the time being, the Flyers best possible option for the role. There are names coming up through the ranks, the in-the-news Alexei Kolosov, Yegor Zavragin, and Carson Bjarnasson come to mind. But none of will be ready for full-time NHL duty for at least another year, and Ivan Fedotov still has a lot of work to do in order to adapt to NHL play.

So Ersson will get every opportunity to be the starter of the future, and it isn\'t a stretch to say that he has the tools to do it, so what stands in his way?

For as much as Ersson looked good to start the season, the Flyers did play a suffocating defense system under John Tortorella.

Previously in Philadelphia Flyers Summer 2024 Top 25 Under 25:

Intro / Honorable Mentions

No. T-24: Spencer Gill

No. T-24: Jack Berglund

No. 23: Elliot Desnoyers

No. 22: Carson Bjarnason

No. T-20: Alex Bump

No. T-20: Alex Ciernik

No. 19: Adam Ginning

No. 18: Devin Kaplan

No. 17: Yegor Zavragin

No. 16: Hunter McDonald

No. 15: Massimo Rizzo

No. 14: Alexei Kolosov

No. 13: Samu Tuomaala

No. 12: Egor Zamula

No. 11: Denver Barkey

No. 10: Emil Andrae

No. 9: Bobby Brink

Talking Points