Sam Ersson Sam Ersson Reflects On Grind, Growth & Goals After First Full Season As Flyers Starter

If there’s one thing you can say about Sam Ersson, it’s that he never sounds like he’s trying to convince you of something. 

When he talks, there’s no sugarcoating, no grand declarations—just a calm, thoughtful assessment of where things stand. That was especially true during his exit interview, as the 25-year-old goaltender wrapped up his first full season as the Philadelphia Flyers’ bona fide No. 1 goalie.

Last year, Ersson was thrust into the spotlight almost by accident, ascending the depth chart due to circumstance and holding his own in an unexpected audition. This season, there was no surprise about it. From the opening puck drop, this was his net. And with that title came the pressure, the grind, the setbacks, and the lessons—all of it.

“Going into the year, one of my goals was to solidify myself and get that starter position,” Ersson said. “The pressure of that is more there, but I just want to find ways to perform a little bit more consistent. That was also a goal going into the year.”

Ersson delivered a steady, if at times uneven, performance for the Flyers this season. He carried the bulk of the workload, logging career highs in games played, minutes, and starts, and often looked every bit the part of a long-term answer in goal. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

A recurring injury—first flaring up in November, then again in December—interrupted his rhythm and became a nagging presence throughout the middle of the season.

“It was kind of lingering a little bit,” he said. “I think I got hurt two times, in November and through December, and then kind of got back and I missed a little bit more time, but it was something that just felt like it never really went away. It’s manageable, but still bugging me a little bit.”

That kind of honesty—clear-eyed without sounding discouraged—is classic Ersson. And in typical fashion, he didn’t lean on the injury as an excuse. Instead, he looked at it as part of the reality of life in the NHL.

“It’s a separate issue [from anything in the past],” he explained. “I won’t say it has nothing to do with [past injuries], but for me, mentally, that’s kind of nice to know it’s not something that’s there all the time. Things just happen. Being a professional athlete, you’re gonna be injured. For me, mentally, you kind of accept that injuries might happen and you’ve just got to find a way to deal with it.”

Still, that missed time had a ripple effect. After a strong start to the year, Ersson admitted it took him a bit to regain his groove. His best stretch came between Christmas and the early part of February—a run where he looked locked in and composed.

“I feel like that was the period I probably felt like I played the best and at the most consistent level,” he said. “I think the start of year two was good. I got a little bit out of rhythm once I missed some time in December.”

April brought flashes of that form again, a sign that the rust was finally wearing off. But consistency remains the focus—something that isn’t just about performance, but about energy, preparation, and managing the physical and mental toll of a long season.

“I definitely think there’s a lot of good things from my season that I can take with me,” Ersson said. “Things I need to do better is just find a way to be a little more consistent, especially when it’s on the later part of the season. I’m still trying to find a way to manage energy levels and stuff like that to find a way to perform at a consistent high level throughout the year.”

That process, he added, is tied closely to experience—learning how to ride the waves of a season, how to handle travel, practices, media, and everything else that comes with being the guy.

“I think just doing that and knowing how the seasons go and how your energy levels go up and down throughout the year with all the games and the challenges of that,” he said. “It’s something I feel I’ve learned a lot of this year, but I’m still learning along the way.”

The learning curve was also sharpened by the Flyers’ goalie situation. With Ivan Fedotov adjusting to the NHL and Aleksei Kolosov arriving late in the season, the burden fell largely on Ersson to carry the mail.

That responsibility didn’t rattle him—it motivated him.

“There’s always going to be competition. I know the goalie situation on the team—we’ve got a lot of good goalies, and I think that’s a good problem for us,” he said. “I’m going to do my best to try to perform and help the team over here.”

That same performance has earned him attention on the international stage. Ersson was part of Sweden’s roster at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and while he gave a cagey “maybe…” when asked about playing in this summer’s World Championship, the Olympics in 2026 are very much on his radar.

“Obviously, that’s the dream. Anybody wants to play in the Olympics,” he said. “But at the same time, it’s not something I’m going to go and focus on. I know it’s all depending on how I play and perform here with the Flyers.”

And that, more than anything, sums up Ersson’s mindset: focused, grounded, and ready to get better. He knows what the role demands. He’s learning how to shoulder it. And while the results were a mixed bag at times, the foundation is solid.

Heading into the summer, he’s healthy—“my body has gotten back to basically where I don’t have to think about it at all,” he noted—and motivated to keep growing. The Flyers may still have questions about their long-term goaltending, but one thing’s for sure: Ersson has earned the right to keep answering them.