Things are moving fast for Colten Ellis this week. The 25-year-old was preparing for his third year in the American Hockey League in Springfield, Massachusetts, when he got a career-changing phone call Monday that landed him in KeyBank Center on Tuesday morning.
The Buffalo Sabres claimed Ellis on waivers from the St. Louis Blues and he was on the ice for practice with his new team — still wearing a St. Louis mask.
Ellis, who will be making his NHL debut the first time the Sabres put him in goal, is expected to pair with Alex Lyon in the Buffalo net for the foreseeable future, with starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on injured reserve. The Sabres opted to waive ineffective veteran Alexandar Georgiev on Tuesday after dipping into a pool of available young goalies on waivers to take Ellis.
“It was my first time going on waivers so I didn’t really know what the process was like but when I got the call yesterday I was super excited for the opportunity here to come to Buffalo,” Ellis said after practice. “It’s definitely a whirlwind but at the same time, I’m just trying to live in the moment. It’s my first time experiencing all this.”
“He’s someone as an organization we felt really highly about,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who said the team honed in on Ellis’ quickness. “I watched a good amount of his games yesterday and there’s a calmness about him. So I can understand why he’s kind of been on the radar.”
Ellis was 22-14-3 last year for Springfield in the AHL with a 2.63 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. But the Blues are set in net with Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer and Ellis was locked in at No. 3.
He was in Springfield preparing for the new season when he got the call from St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong, so made the 5 1/2-hour drive to join the Sabres. Ellis won 29 games in Springfield the last two years and his first game with Buffalo will mark his NHL debut.
“It’s something I’ve worked for for 25 years, right?” Ellis said. “Just grinding to get better and working on what I can control. … Having the opportunity to be in an NHL dressing room is awesome and I’m super excited.”
What about Rochester starter Devon Levi, who had similar AHL stats (2.20/.919) as Ellis did and has played 39 NHL games with Buffalo? The Sabres’ stance on the 23-year-old hasn’t changed at all; they want him getting regular minutes as the No. 1 goalie in Rochester rather than sitting behind Lyon in Buffalo.
“With UPL’s situation where we don’t exactly (when) he’s going to come out of it,” Ruff said. “If he comes out of it (quickly) great, but I think at the same time, you have to protect yourself. And we think the world of Levi. I think he’s going to be a helluva goalie, but we have to protect ourselves at the same time.”
Optimism growing for Power
Defenseman Owen Power returned to practice in a non-contact jersey Tuesday but went through all drills and ran the second power-play unit. It seems like he’s going to be an option for Thursday’s opener against the New York Rangers.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Ruff said. “I don’t want to get carried away, but I liked his practice.”
Mattias Samuelsson skated Monday in a non-contact sweater and transitioned to a normal one Tuesday, so Power could make the same move Wednesday after dealing with an undisclosed injury believed to be soft tissue related.
“You obviously want to be out there but at the same time. you don’t want to rush it too soon and make it worse,” Power said. “Definitely been antsy, but I think we’re doing a good job of being smart with it.”
Power was put on injured reserve Monday but the seven-day IR period can be backdated to last week, meaning he would be able to play.
“Just want to see how everything reacts from being on the ice today. Mentally and the rest of my body all feels good and ready to go,” Power said.
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Mike Harrington
Sports Columnist
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