NHL Draft 2014: Philadelphia Flyers select Travis Sanheim with No. 17 overall pick

Sanheim, 18, is a left-handed shooter who spent last season with the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League. Selected with the No. 177 overall pick in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, Sanheim played with the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget Hockey League before making his debut with Calgary in 2013-14. Appearing in 67 regular season games last year, Sanheim registered 29 points (five goals and 24 assists).

Sanheim has represented Canada on multiple occasions, including a productive performance at the 2013-14 U18 World Junior Championship, when he recorded six assists in seven games.

Listed at 6’3, 181 pounds, Sanheim finished ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect by ISS Hockey. Praised for his size and skill, Sanheim is described as a two-way defenseman:

Phenomenal World U-18 performance on both sides of the puck for Sanheim throughout tournament. Truly elevated his game to another level and stepped up as the defensive leader while showing a good offensive skill-set. Sanheim is the type of player that is very appealing at first glance because of his size and the aestethics with he moves around the ice. He joined the Hitmen early in the season and he took the opportunity and ran with it. He is still very raw but has good range and shows decent agility and lateral movement mechanics. He controls space well against the rush and makes good decisions with the puck in his own end. Sanheim’s offensive capabilities grew as the season went on and his confidence around pucks became stronger with every game.