Philadelphia Flyers name Sean Couturier 20th captain in franchise history
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday named center Sean Couturier the 20th captain in team history.
Forwards Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton will serve as alternate captains.
"It's such a great honor. It's a really prestigious organization so this makes it even more special. This city is my home and I love it here," Couturier said in a release. "It's going to be business as usual for me. Nothing is really going to change from me or my game and how I approach things. I love my teammates, how we have grown as a group and I want to make sure we keep going on the right path here."
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Flyers general manager Danny Briere said in a news release Couturier was the "ideal choice" to become the team's next leader.
"Sean was drafted here and has made Philadelphia his home," Briere said in a statement. "I have personally seen his development from a responsible forward to one of the best two-way centermen in the game and a playoff performer. The adversity he has had to overcome has only strengthened his proven leadership. In this New Era of Orange with Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones and John Tortorella at the helm, we couldn't be more proud to call him captain."
Couturier, 31, becomes the first Flyer to become captain since Claude Giroux was traded to the Florida Panthers in 2022.
Couturier was drafted by the Flyers in the first round of the 2011 NHL draft. He's played 771 career games, which ranks fifth in team history, in 12 seasons in Philly.
In 50 games, Couturier has 11 goals and 22 assists for the Flyers, who sit in third place in the Metropolitan division behind the New York Rangers and Carolina Panthers.
The Flyers are off on Wednesday night but will play the Toronto Maple Leafs on the road Thursday night.
This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Sean Couturier's last name.