Entering Third North American Pro Season
June 8, 2021
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed goaltender Felix Sandstrom to a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $750,000, according to President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Chuck Fletcher.
Sandstrom, 24 (1/12/1997), recently completed his second season in North America. He appeared in 11 games for the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, during the abbreviated 2020-21 season, posting a record of 5-3-3 with a 3.19 GAA and a .903 save percentage. Prior to the start of the AHL season, he made five appearances for Vasterviks IK in Sweden’s Allsvenskan, the second-highest professional league in Sweden.
Sandstrom was especially strong in the second half of the shortened season with a sparkling .943 save percentage in his last six starts going 3-1-2 in his last six starts with a 2.02 goals-against average. That coincided with increased opportunities for playing time following sporadic starts due to team COVID protocol with the Phantoms AND with the Flyers while on the taxi squad and also dealing with his own injury.
Sandstrom spent most of the shortened 2019-20 season with the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, where he had a 13-11-1 record with a 3.27 GAA, a .885 save percentage and two shutouts. He also made one relief appearance for the Phantoms that season, stopping seven shots in 19 minutes of action. He had made his AHL debut with Lehigh Valley the previous season, stopping 40 of 43 shots in a 4-3 win at Providence on April 12.
Before coming to North America, Sandstrom spent the bulk of the previous three seasons playing in the Swedish Hockey League, the top professional league in Sweden, splitting his time between Brynas IF and HV71. In 79 career SHL games, Sandstrom has a record of 40-35-0 with a 2.40 GAA and a .907 save percentage. He has represented Sweden at two World Junior Championships, most recently turning in a record of 4-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .915 save percentage at the 2017 event where he named the top goaltender of the tournament while Sweden finished fourth.
In 2017, he helped Brynas reach the SHL Finals, appearing in 13 playoff games and posting a 6-4 record, but did not start in the Game 7 loss.
A 6-2, 191-lb native of Gavle, Sweden, Sandstrom was drafted by the Flyers in the third round (70th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2021-22 season of the American Hockey League begins in October and will run through April. Season tickets for the eighth season of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms are available now. More information on joining our season ticket family HERE
