The Hitmen Will Need Both Sanheims

If you look up and down the roster of the Calgary Hitmen (of the WHL) you will see two players labeled as ‘T. Sanheim.’ That is not a typo. Born on March 29, 1996 18 year old twin brothers Travis and Taylor Sanheim are both suiting up for the Hitmen this season. Calgary will need both players to be productive this season if they want to be competitive in the WHL.

Travis Sanheim is a 6’3″, 185lbs defenseman who had 29 points (5G, 24A) in 64 games in his rookie campaign last year. His substantial improvement throughout the season took him from being a fringe draft pick to being taken 17th overall (by the Philadelphia Flyers) in the 2014 NHL Draft.

Taylor Sanheim is a forward who, at 5’11” and 188lbs, does not have his brothers height but packs quite a bit of muscle on his frame. Although the same age as his brother, Taylor is playing his first season in the WHL.

Through 10 games (Taylor has only played in nine) the Hitmen are 6-4-0 and in 3rd place in the Central Division. Travis Sanheim has picked up where he left off at the end of  last season. He, despite being a defenseman, is the second highest scorer on the team with six goals and five assists. In less than 1/6 of the games he played last season, Travis already has more goals than he did a year ago.

Taylor Sanheims production has been inconsistent to say the least. He has one goal and four assists through nine games. However, he has been held pointless in six of those games while having two multi-point games and one single point game.

In their game on Sunday night the brothers hooked up for their first Sanheim to Sanheim goal (It’s the second one):

If the Calgary Hitmen want to catch the Edmonton Oil Kings or Medecine Hat Tigers, they will need both Sanheims to be productive. Taylor will need to catch on quickly, regularly putting points on the board. Travis will need to continue being a dominant blue-liner at both ends of the ice. One thing is certain, it is a special time for members of the Sanheim family.