Flyers’ Sam Ersson now a go-to goalie shouldering the load

Samuel Ersson turns 25 next week but he speaks like someone who has been around a lot longer than that.

The Flyers’ goaltender got his feet wet last year when he took over No. 1 duties from Carter Hart around midseason. Hart has since been left unsigned and is a free agent while awaiting court proceedings on a group sexual assault charge against him and some teammates from Team Canada’s 2018 national team.

On Friday night at Vancouver, Ersson was set to start the Flyers’ new season as perhaps the team’s most crucial performer. In the eyes of some, starting off a schedule from the beginning allows an athlete a degree of stability and comfort. Ersson knows it’s his job to win or lose.

That’s why he said at practice he wasn’t feeling any genuine case of nerves.

“I would say everyone gets excited,” Ersson said. “I think to be a little bit nervous is a good thing. When you’re excited you’re on your toes. I think we’ve been looking forward to this (the season opener) for a long time.”

Given the circumstances, Ersson put together a pretty solid 2023-24 campaign. He played in 51 games with a record of 23-19-7 and a goals-against average of 2.82.

The only number that could be improved was his save percentage, which ended up at .890. Most goalies look at .900 as sort of the acceptable number.

Ersson said the recently completed training camp was a good one for him. In scrimmages, he was tested often, especially by youngsters like Matvei Michkov.

So far, Michkov has been a fierce competitor around the net, not just settling for an initial shot but a rebound or two and maybe more.

“He plays a few more rebounds than I’d like in some drills,” Ersson said with a grin. “But I think that’s a good thing. I think that’s a trait that a lot of good goal-scorers have. They don’t take no for an answer. Even if you stop two rebounds, they want to finish with the puck in the net.

“It’s kind of like a mental thing. So it goes both ways for me, too.”

Ersson said he welcomes the challenge of teammates such as Michkov because you don’t get better unless you compete against the best.

“You want to compete in practice,” the goalie said. “I think that’s always good to have. They push me and I try to push them.”

While Ersson might look like a cool customer outside, there’s a lot going on inside.

With someone like ex-Flyer Ron Hextall, it worked both ways. In games, he played with a chip on his shoulder. In practices, things didn’t change that much.

Ersson gives the impression he does have the occasional moment but chooses to try not to let those get the better of him. If a bad goal goes in, allow a moment of frustration and then move on.

“There’s a lot of emotion in the game,” said Ersson, who was taken in the fifth round (143rd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. “Sometimes it does get the better of you.

“You try not to let your emotions get too much up and down. Keep them at a consistent level. You know things are going to get thrown at you. Pucks are going to go in. You have to find ways to deal with that.

“I try to keep things at a good level.”