WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: Winterhawks alumnus Abols makes Flyers debut at 29 years old
Philadelphia, Pa.- Rodrigo Abols has proven it’s never too late to see a dream come true.
The former Portland Winterhawks forward made his NHL debut with the Philadelphia Flyers at 29 years old on Tuesday night.
“It’s not your ordinary debut when you have a wife and a three-year-old behind the stands cheering you on for the solo lap,” Abols grinned as he spoke to reporters postgame. “Hopefully I can inspire someone. I’ve always looked at Pierre-Edouard Bellemare who actually came here, as well, in Philly. Kind of (a) similar story, played in Sweden, came over here and carved out a good NHL career. Hopefully, I can do something similar.”
The 6-foot-4, 206-pound centreman logged 10:39 of ice time while putting up a pair of shots, a block and a hit in a 2-1 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings.
We've got a first-timer!
Rodrigo Ābols takes his rookie lap to get the night started. 👏#DETvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/rzIFfVofd2
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 22, 2025
“I liked him,” Head Coach John Tortorella added. “I think he understands the game. Big guy. I think we need to get bigger as a team as we move along here. Asked the right questions. I thought he handled himself really well.”
Abols was called up from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms after centreman Ryan Poehling was added to the injured reserve list.
“A lot of excitement, I would say, more than nerves,” Abols said as he reflected on the whirlwind day. “Leading up to (the game) kind of catch yourself, you try to stay in the moment and not drift away too much. But then once you get on the ice, and then you get that first shift…That’s kind of the safe space for a hockey player, that’s where you feel the most comfortable and you think the least.”
Abols’ winding hockey journey started in his home country of Latvia, where he worked his way up the ranks before hopping across the pond to join the Portland Winterhawks in 2015-16.
He potted 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in his rookie season, highlighted by a trio of game-winning goals and five three-point performances.
At the time, he was already a fixture on Latvia’s national teams.
Abols even racked up five goals at the 2016 Under-20 World Championship to help Latvia earn a promotion to the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The Vancouver Canucks selected Abols in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, though the Canucks didn’t sign him to an entry-level deal and he returned to Europe after a season-long stint with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan.
He inked a one-year deal with the Flyers on June 17, 2024, after a successful season with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, which saw him record 14 goals and 12 assists in 50 games, ranking second on the squad in goals and tied for first with five powerplay markers.
Abols has nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 34 games with the AHL’s Phantoms, where he ranks fourth in points.
He has also played for Latvia in the IIHF World Championship eight times and appeared in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Philadelphia (22-20-6) has won three straight games.
Abols and the Flyers are back in action on Thursday, January 23 as they visit the New York Rangers.