Flyers announce jersey numbers for newcomers like Christian Dvorak and Dan Vladař
Trevor Zegras previously revealed he will switch from No. 11 back to No. 46, his first NHL number. Travis Konecny already has No. 11 accounted for.
High-level athletes are creatures of habit by nature, with many daily routines crossing over into the realm of superstition.
One of the things that athletes and hockey players can be very particular about is the number on their jersey. A lot goes into picking a number: some have a favorite number that they think brings them luck, others wear it as an ode to a player or family figure they looked up to, some choose their birthdays, and then there are players who flat out just take the one they are given. It’s even common practice for players to exchange money or gifts in return for acquiring the rights to wear a specific number.
» READ MORE: Can the Flyers take the next step under new coach Rick Tocchet? Here are five keys for 2025-26
For the Flyers, captain Sean Couturier wears No. 14 because it’s always been his favorite number. Goalie Sam Ersson wears No. 33 for Patrick Roy, and winger Bobby Brink switched to No. 10 for soccer star Lionel Messi. Travis Sanheim’s No. 6 has a little less significance, as he told the Athletic in 2023 that it was just the number former GM Ron Hextall assigned him and it stuck.
On Friday, the Flyers revealed the digits their newest acquisitions will be sporting next season. With Travis Konecny already owning No. 11, Trevor Zegras already announced he’d be returning to No. 46, his first NHL number with the Anaheim Ducks. Flyers senior adviser Bob Murray, then the Ducks GM, gave Zegras the number after drafting him.
Like Zegras, free-agent signing Christian Dvorak will have a new number, as he won’t touch Claude Giroux’s revered No. 28, and instead switch to 22. Jakob Pelletier wore 22 last year with the Flyers, and Luke Schenn, Mike Knuble, and new head coach Rick Tocchet are among the other previous holders.
Defenseman Dennis Gilbert will take No. 48 with the Flyers, a number made popular by general manager Danny Brière when he was a player, and that Morgan Frost wore through last season as a nod to Brière. Gilbert wore 6 in Ottawa last season but previously wore 48 for two seasons in Calgary (2022-24).
Finally, defenseman Noah Juulsen and goaltender Dan Vladař will stick with the numbers they wore last season. Juulsen will become the eighth Flyer to wear No. 47, and the first since Ronnie Attard in 2022-23. Vladař will hold onto his unique No. 80, something he’s worn in both of his previous NHL stops in Boston and Calgary.
Why 80, an odd number for a goalie? Vladař once told the Athletic he always wore No. 30, but that since that was retired in Calgary for Hall of Famer Mike Vernon, he took 80 because he thought 80 looked a little like 30. Vladař will make history as he will be the first Flyer to ever wear the number in the team’s 59 years of existence.