​The Philadelphia Flyers’ 6-foot-4 center, Rodrigo Abols, will not be returning to the NHL for the upcoming season, as he has signed a three-year contract with SC Bern in Switzerland, per a team press release. At 30 years old, Abols stood 6-foot-4 and contributed 42 games for the Flyers in the 2025-26 season, recording three goals, seven assists, 24 blocked shots, and 49 hits. A right ankle fracture in January 2026 sidelined him from January 17 onward, limiting his impact for the remainder of that season.
This marks Abols’ second NHL season with the Flyers, after he also appeared in 22 games during the 2024-25 campaign, posting two goals and three assists. His professional journey began when he was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round of the 2016 NHL Draft, though he never signed with Vancouver. He eventually signed an entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers in 2019, following which he spent time in the AHL with Springfield and in the ECHL with Greenville under Panthers’ system credentials before making his move to Switzerland.
Abols later returned to the Flyers on a contract after making an impression for Latvia at the World Championships in 2023 and 2024. Over the last two years, he split his time between the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and the Flyers in the NHL. Now, at 30, it appears this chapter of his NHL career may be closing, as a return to the NHL seems unlikely given his fringe role and the lingering impact of his January ankle injury.
Though he exceeded expectations for a seventh-round pick by navigating the grind and earning an NHL opportunity, Abols’ ankle injury in January effectively prevented him from establishing lasting traction in the league. As he moves to Switzerland with SC Bern, his future in the NHL remains uncertain, and this could indeed mark the end of his time in North American professional hockey.