Rodrigo Ābols
William Ābols | |
|---|---|
| Born | William Cutter Rodrigo Ābols January 5, 1996 Riga, Latvia |
| Occupation | Professional ice hockey forward |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Known for | Playing for Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL |
William Cutter Rodrigo Ābols (born 5 January 1996) is a professional ice hockey forward from Latvia, currently playing for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round as the 184th overall pick in the 2016 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
In the 2014–15 season, Ābols split his playing time between Dinamo Riga of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and HK Rīga in the Minor Hockey League (MHL). His KHL debut came on 27 December 2014, representing Riga under the guidance of his father, Artis Ābols.
For the 2015–16 season, he competed with the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League (WHL), achieving 20 goals and totaling 49 points over 62 games. After being drafted by Vancouver in 2016, he divided his next season between Portland and the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
During the 2017–18 season, Ābols played with Örebro HK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and also spent time on loan at BIK Karlskoga competing in HockeyAllsvenskan. With his rights from Vancouver having expired, he stayed with Örebro for the 2018–19 season, enhancing his performance to 18 goals and 26 points across 45 games.
On 28 May 2019, Ābols inked a two-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers. As he approached his second year under contract, he returned to Örebro HK on loan for the postponed 2020–21 season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Panthers released him on 13 January 2021.
Following four seasons competing in the SHL, Ābols made his return to North America by signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Philadelphia Flyers for the 2024–25 season on 16 June 2024. He debuted in the NHL on 21 January 2025 during Philadelphia's 2–1 overtime victory against the Detroit Red Wings.
International play
Ābols represented Latvia at the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships as part of their men's national junior team. His first appearance at a senior international level occurred at the 2015 IIHF World Championships held in Prague.
At the 2023 IIHF World Championship, he contributed five goals and two assists, playing a key role in Latvia earning its inaugural IIHF World Championship bronze medal.
Personal life
He is the son of former ice hockey player and coach Artis Ābols, who has coached teams including Dinamo Riga, HC Lada Togliatti, and Zemgale in Latvia’s top hockey league, as well as serving as an assistant coach for the Latvian men's national ice hockey team.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2011–12 | SK Rīga 16 | LAT U18 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | SK Rīga 17 | LHHL | 14 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | HK Rīga | MHL | 44 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 | HK Rīga | LHHL | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HK Rīga | MHL | 35 | 20 | 18 | 38 | 61 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Dinamo Rīga | KHL | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 62 | 20 | 29 | 49 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Portland Winterhawks | WHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Acadie–Bathurst Titan | QMJHL | 52 | 18 | 32 | 50 | 43 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 2017–18 | Örebro HK | SHL | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | BIK Karlskoga | Allsvenskan | 18 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Örebro HK | SHL | 45 | 18 | 8 | 26 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Springfield Thunderbirds | AHL | 36 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Greenville Swamp Rabbits | ECHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Örebro HK | SHL | 47 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Örebro HK | SHL | 47 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Örebro HK | SHL | 51 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 12 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Rögle BK | SHL | 50 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 47 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| KHL totals | 14 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| SHL totals | 266 | 85 | 78 | 163 | 70 | 47 | 15 | 24 | 39 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 22 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | National Team | Tournament | Placement | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | Penalty Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Latvia | EYOF | 5th place | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Latvia | WJC D1A | Silver medal | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Latvia | U18 D1A | Gold medal | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Latvia | WJC D1A | Bronze medal | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Latvia | WC | 13th place | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Latvia | WJC D1A | Gold medal | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Latvia | WC | Finished 13th | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Latvia | OGQ | Did not qualify (DNQ) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Latvia | WC | Ranked 8th | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Latvia | WC | Placed 10th | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | WC | Finished in 11th place | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Latvia | OGQ | Qualified (Q) | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | OG | 11th place | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2022 | Latvia | WC | 10th place | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Latvia | WC | Bronze medal | 10 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Latvia | WC | 9th place | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| 2024 | Latvia | OGQ | Qualified (Q) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| Junior career totals | 35 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 39 | ||||
| Senior career totals | 72 | 19 | 20 | 39 | 24 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Junior Level | |
| 2015 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2023, 2024 | |
External links
- 1996 births
- Living people
- Acadie–Bathurst Titan players
- BIK Karlskoga players
- Dinamo Riga players
- Greenville Swamp Rabbits players
- HK Riga players
- Ice hockey people from Riga
- Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
- Latvian ice hockey forwards
- Lehigh Valley Phantoms players
- Olympic ice hockey players for Latvia
- Örebro HK players
- Philadelphia Flyers players
- Portland Winterhawks players
- Rögle BK players
- Springfield Thunderbirds players
- Vancouver Canucks draft picks