Rodrigo Ābols Makes NHL Debut with Philadelphia Flyers

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Rodrigo Ābols Makes NHL Debut with Philadelphia Flyers

January 22, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Rodrigo Abols #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers making his NHL debut enters the ice surface for warm-ups against the Detroit Red Wings at the Wells Fargo Center on January 21, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

Rodrigo Ābols makes NHL debut with Philadelphia Flyers

Category: Article January 22, 2025

Tags: Portland To The ProsRodrigo Abols

Portland, Ore. - Portland Winterhawks alumnus Rodrigo Ābols made his National Hockey League (NHL) debut with the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Ābols became the 135th Winterhawk all-time to play in the NHL, the most among Western Hockey League teams.

The 29-year-old center celebrated the career milestone with the traditional solo lap, typically given to rookies prior to their first game:

Ābols logged 10:39 minutes of ice time against the Detroit Red Wings, registered two shots on goal, blocked a shot, and delivered a hit in his Flyers debut.

There is no denying that Ābols carved an unusual path to the NHL. Upon graduating from junior hockey, Ābols spent two seasons in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), one season splitting time between the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL, and then four more years overseas in the SHL before signing with the Philadelphia Flyers organization this past summer.

"It's not your ordinary debut when you have your wife and 3-year-old in the stands cheering you on for the solo lap," Ābols said to the Philadelphia media postgame. "Hopefully, I can inspire someone."

"I liked him. I liked him," Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella said postgame. "I think he understands the game. He's a big guy and I think we need to get bigger as a team as we move along here. He asked the right questions and I thought he handled himself really well."

The Latvian forward played for the Portland Winterhawks during the 2015-16 campaign before ending his Canadian Hockey League career with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) the next season. During his one full season in Portland, Ābols ranked fourth on the team with 20 goals. Originally selected by the Winterhawks with the 50th overall pick in the 2015 CHL Import Draft, Ābols finished with 50 points in 64 career WHL games.

Ābols captained Örebro HK from 2021 to 2023 and he served as an alternate captain for Rögle BK during the 2023-24 campaign before returning to the States. After signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Flyers on June 15, 2024, he started the year with the Flyers' AHL club in Lehigh Valley. After producing 19 points in 34 games with the Phantoms, Ābols earned his call-up to the NHL.

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