The Sabres had serious concerns about their goaltending for the 2025-26 season, mainly what the play will be of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but a lower-body injury he sustained before opening night has opened the door for a new face to man the crease in Buffalo.
The Sabres appeared to have hit a home run with their signing of Alex Lyon so far, but who is the goaltender backing him up for the first six games of the season?
We will find out as Colton Ellis prepares to make his NHL debut tonight against the Detroit Red Wings. But who is the 25-year-old netminder, and how did he arrive in Buffalo?
On October 6th, the Sabres made a sneaky good claim, picking up Colton Ellis off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
When Colton was claimed off waivers, it was a surprising move for many, since the team had recently signed veteran Alexander Georgiev weeks earlier, and had Devon Levi looking to make his full-time jump to the NHL.
Up until last season, Ellis had gone almost unnoticed since being drafted by St. Louis in the third round in the 2019 NHL Draft.
After draft day, he would return to the QMJHL, posting excellent numbers over the next two seasons, including a 1.73 goals against average (GAA) with the Charlotte Islanders. After that, Colton would split his playing time from 2021 to 2023 between the ECHL and AHL, posting a save percentage in the .880-.905 range.
These numbers were good, nothing to be impressed with. Coming into the 2023-24 season, it seemed that nothing would change, but surprisingly, everything did.
Colton would have an incredible 2023-24 season with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL, posting a .923 save percentage with a 2.45 GAA. This would force St.Louis to promote him to their AHL team, the Springfield Thunderbirds, where his dominance continued, posting a .924 save percentage and a 2.89 GAA over 16 games. Throughout the season, Colton Ellis made huge improvements to his game and sparked a conversation about what he could become.
In the 2024-25 AHL season, Colton Ellis would have one of the best performances of any goaltender that season. He would finish with the 6th best save percentage in the AHL with a .922, and the 8th most wins with 22. On top of an impressive regular season, Colton would then finish the playoffs with a .933 save percentage. Although Colton would only play 3 games in the playoffs, he had still proven himself as one of the best goaltenders in the AHL that season.
The 25-year-old would play in two preseason games with the Blues this September. He stopped all 24 shots he faced before being placed on waivers with the purpose of reassignment to Springfield in the AHL, but was claimed by the Sabres.
When asked about his new team, Colton said he’s “super excited to come to Buffalo”.
He was then asked about the process of traveling to Buffalo. Colton responded, saying, “I got everything organised in Springfield and drove here. It was only 5 hours,” arriving at 11:00 pm on Monday.
Ellis rushed his way to Buffalo and has waited patiently to make his debut.
What are your expectations for him tonight?