Throughout the week of Development Camp, the 17th overall pick by the Flyers, Travis Sanheim, kept an exclusive blog on philadelphiaflyers.com during his first professional camp. Read what he had to say about his experience on and off the ice…

END OF CAMP & BUSY SUMMER AHEAD



The scrimmage or mini-tournament we had at the end of camp was a good one. I think all the players had fun with it, or at least I did. It was pretty competitive and just a good feeling to play a game after putting in a lot of hard work in drills all week.



All week camp was about learning, absorbing as much information as we could and slowing the whole process down. Playing those games at the end was a good way to see how much of it we absorbed right away and pick up the pace of game action.



It also helped me personally because I got to test myself and put all that repetition and knowledge to good use heading into the rest of summer for training.



Speaking of the rest of summer -- I have a really busy road ahead of me:



I left at 6 a.m. for the airport on Wednesday, which means I got up much earlier than that!



Thankfully I'm used to travel and slept on the plane. I went from Philly to Chicago to Winnipeg - then up to my hometown.



I have a few weeks at home, where I will train the whole time... well maybe after a day or two to rest... but then I have to go to Montreal for Canada's World Junior Camp starting on Aug. 3. Sam Morin will be there with me as well.



After camp, I'll go home to grab my things and head back to Calgary and prepare for the WHL season at the end of August, and hopefully I'll get an invite to Flyers camp here in September.



It sounds like it's going to be really busy, but I'm looking forward to it. When I think about it, it's going to be really fun.



That's it for me. I can't wait to come back to Philly. It was a great experience all around. From meeting the players, coaches and especially the fans from the area. I'd like to say a big thank you for everyone who came out to watch and support us and Let's Go Flyers!



-Travis







TRIAL ON THE ISLE

So yesterday was Trial on the Isle, which I have been looking forward to all week.



We started off by taking a quick group picture in front of the Stone Harbor Firehouse, and then we went straight to the beach.







Once we got onto the sand we started our workout almost right away. It was difficult, but at the same time it was fun, which made it easier to get through. We were put in groups at the start, and I was put on a team with Sam [Morin], Nicolas [Aube-Kubel], and Petr [Straka].



The workout had a lot of different parts to it. One part we had to climb a 15-foot hill of sand, and another one was crawling under ropes. We had to find different things in the sand like shovels and goggles, and a lot of it was just running too.



I thought the hardest part of it all was the tire portion. We had to lift a tire up ten times, and then we had to do jumps on it 15 times so that was hard. After we finished the first part, my team was in third place.



Next, we drove over to the Stone Harbor Yacht Club for the water events. The first part was basically tug-of-war on paddle boards. We had to try and knock the other team off their board, and whoever hit the water first lost. After that we had some races in kayaks and on the paddle boards.



This part was different for me because I hadn’t kayaked or paddle boarded before. The first couple laps around the bay were a little difficult for me. I think I spun around at least five times on the first lap. I preferred the relay stuff because with the tug-of-war, I think I got pulled off in about a second. That one wasn’t my best event.



My team didn’t do so well in the water events either, but it was a good activity and we had a lot of fun. I wasn’t really paying attention to the other teams during the races because I was just watching the guys pass me. There were quite a few guys who you could tell had done this before.







After a quick lunch, we went over to the local school and had an autograph session. There’s a ton of fan support here so it’s good to get to meet them and for them to meet us as well. I was really surprised when I went to the washroom for like two minutes and there was a huge line waiting for me when I got back! My hand did get a little tired from signing everything, but it was worth it to meet all the fans.



We all had a lot of fun when we hit the beach again for the volleyball game. I know my teammate Nic and I didn’t win too many games, but we really enjoyed playing. We watched the championship game since we weren’t one of the top teams. The wind definitely had an effect on the outcome of the game, but the important thing was just that everyone was having a good time.



I’ve really been enjoying my time here at Development Camp this week, and can’t wait to finish off strong...

DAY 3

Last night all the guys went to the Phillies game together after finishing up at the Skate Zone. We all took a charter bus to get to Citizen’s Bank Park and had a really great time.



When we got there, we were hungry again and all of us decided to eat a mixture of stuff. Some guys had ice cream. Some guys had hot dogs. There was a ton of different stuff to eat there, which was awesome! It was a nice break from some of the rink food.



The Phillies ended up beating the Nationals 6-2. They are now on a five game winning streak, so we were all really glad we got to catch a game while they’re hot.



It was also good to get away from the rink for a little bit, bond as a group and have some fun watching the game.



What's really cool about a week-long prolonged camp is that every day you get to meet more guys and talk to them. You start to bond with a lot of people, not just one or two guys who have have some things in common with. It’s been really good getting to know everyone else that’s here.



So far at camp, we’ve been learning lots on the ice. The coaches have been teaching a ton, and off the ice we’re just trying to get better with our shots, by shooting both on the ice and off-the ice in the back parking lot.



Speaking of shots, right after we finished on the ice today, Sam [Morin] ended up breaking the glass, which was pretty funny. He took a slap shot and the whole thing just shattered. We all got a good laugh out of that one.



I’m really excited to see what is in store for this week, and I’m definitely looking forward to Monday. I know it’s still two days away, but I can’t wait to go to Stone Harbor for Trial on the Isle. That looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun, and some of the guys have told me it’s a pretty good time.



That's it for today, thanks for reading and I’ll be sure to keep the updates coming.

DAYS 1-2

Hi Flyers fans…

Well since being drafted a little over a week ago by the Flyers it's been a full range of emotions. It was such an exciting time in Philly at the Draft.

Then, I returned home shortly after that weekend and there was really unfortunate situation, my community (Elkhorn, Manitoba) was under flood watch. My town ended up getting flooded, and specifically for my family, my basement also got flooded.

I went from a real high point to a really low point, so it was disappointing to go home and see that but we really came together as a community and the water level started to decrease and we're good now.

I got word that I needed to report to the Flyers camp soon after.

I received an email with all the information, so I booked my flight and arrived Wednesday morning in Philadelphia.

We didn't report to the rink at first, so I went right to the hotel where we had a meeting. It was a good meeting. We all stood up and introduced ourselves, where we come from and who we played with last season. That was a great way to get to know everyone.

Today was Day Two at camp. We've been doing a lot on and off the ice. When we're not skating, we're up in the gym or outside shooting pucks or working on skill work -- stick handling, and stuff like that. They've been keeping us pretty busy, and it's been a fun week so far.

The fans at camp have been awesome. I got a good taste of what they're like at the draft, but they really are passionate. Philadelphia's a hockey city so it's good to be here and around them. It's a great fan base.

Since it's the second day, I'm a lot more comfortable now that I know a lot more of the guys. We're all working together and becoming friends so it's a good feeling.

I'm rooming with Mark Friedman, which has been great too. We get along really well, and he's a good guy. I'm pretty used to being away from home now, so hotel living is nothing new and it doesn't bother me.

Even though we've had a lot going on, we still have had some free time. Last night, my teammate from Calgary, Radel Fazleev, and I went walking to explore the area and almost got lost. I think we wandered around for a couple hours. We didn't really know where to go so we were kind of just out and about.

After our walk, we met up with Sam [Morin], Mark [Friedman], and Nic [Aube-Kubel] and went out for a drive. Morin's got his car here so we were just driving around looking for a gas station to fill it up. I've really been having fun with the guys, and I'm looking forward to the rest of camp.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I'll have another update tomorrow and more from Camp!

- Travis