Travis Konecny took home two year-end team awards on Tuesday night while Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Sam Ersson and Scott Laughton also took home awards. The Flyers announced their year-end team awards prior to the must-win game against the Washington Capitals Tuesday evening (April 16).
Konecny earned the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the Flyers’ MVP for the first time as well as winning his second Toyota Cup, an award tabulated from the three-star awards after each home game. Konecny had career highs in goals, shorthanded goals, game-winning goals and scoring the first goal of the game with seven. He also was awarded the Toyota Cup with 54 points over the year including being the first star seven times during 40 regular season home games. As part of the award Toyota will make a charitable donation to a charity Konecny decides on.
Travis Sanheim’s defensive play was noted as he won the Barry Ashbee Trophy for Most Outstanding Defenseman. Sanheim — who was a Torey Krug veto away from becoming a St. Louis Blues last summer — led the Flyers in average ice time while having career highs in goals, assists, points and being second on the Flyers in assists and fourth in overall points. Sanheim made huge strides in the early part of the year on a pairing with Cam York before seeing his rather sizeable ice time pared down slightly as the season progressed.
Speaking of York, the defenseman won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy for Most Improved Player. The award, voted by the Flyer players themselves, was for York’s growth this season which saw career highs in games, goals, assists and points. York also joined Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov and Joni Pitkanen as the only four Flyers blueliners the previous 30 seasons to score 10 or more goals before turning 23 years old.
Nick Seeler won the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award which, according to the Flyers news release, “is presented annually to the Flyer who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice.” Seeler was a cornerstone for the Flyers defense this season, blocking shots while working quite well with Sean Walker until Walker’s deadline trade to Colorado. Seeler signed a four-year contract near the deadline with a $2.7 million AAV.
Goaltender Sam Ersson was awarded the Gene Hart Memorial Award which is given to the Flyers who demonstrates the most “heart.” Ersson was tossed into an unenviable situation the last half of the season, becoming the team’s starter and given a sizeable workload down the stretch. The award, voted on by the Flyers Fan Club, also includes a charitable donation from the Flyers Fan Club to a charity of Ersson’s choosing.
The Flyers also created a new award entitled the Flyers Alumni Community Leadership Award, of which Scott Laughton was the inaugural winner. The award is for outstanding leadership both on and off the ice as well as making an impact in the community. Laughton has worked with LGBTQ+ organizations throughout the season while also working with the Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia and the Mazzoni Center among others. The award also comes with a $5,000 donation from the Flyers Alumni to a charity of Laughton’s choosing. And by winning the award Laughton becomes the Flyers’ nominee for the NHL’s King Clancy Memorial Trophy.
