Former longtime Buffalo Sabre Tyler Ennis announced his retirement from professional hockey on Wednesday. The 34-year-old had spent the last two years playing in Europe after 14 seasons in the NHL.
Having spent the majority of his playing days in Buffalo, Ennis was always one of the most integral pieces of the Sabres and would probably stand out more had he played at any other time in their history. Nevertheless, he deserves more credit than he’s received and had a solid career after he departed in 2017.
Ennis Defied the Odds
Standing at just 5-foot-9, the Edmonton native was considered a long shot to make the NHL during his junior career, which got off to a less-than-ideal start. In a 43-game rookie season with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers, he recorded just 10 points. His coaches questioned if he had a place and considered sending him home, but Ennis was determined to persevere and refused. As he matured, his terrific speed and puck handling shone through as he quickly became the Tigers’ top forward, nearly leading them to the 2007 Memorial Cup.
Though he had emerged as one of the best players in junior hockey, Ennis still faced adversity. Pundits saw him as too small and frail to have any realistic chance at big league prominence. This was evident when he was left off the list of NHL Central Scouting’s Top 10 North American skaters entering the 2008 Entry Draft despite recording 43 goals and 91 points that season.
The Sabres, however, saw something in the undersized winger and took advantage of the lack of attention he received. Buffalo had an extra first round pick in 2008 thanks to the trade that sent All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks and used it to selected Ennis 26th overall. It seemed like a foolish pick at the time since a number of more highly-touted players were still available at that point, but good things were to come.
One of the Best Rookie Seasons In Sabres History
Ennis remained with Medicine Hat for his senior season (scoring another 43 goals) and then made the jump to the professional ranks. He joined the Portland Pirates, Buffalo’s American Hockey League affiliate at the time, for the 2009-10 season and had no problem with the transition, leading first year players with 23 goals. For the strong showing, he was received the Dudley Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s Rookie of the Year, the second consecutive Pirate to do so after Nathan Gerbe won it the previous year.
His excellence caught the Sabres’ eye and they called him up to finish out that season in the NHL. He did not disappoint, recording nine points in 10 games as well as four points in six games during the opening round of the playoffs. Buffalo needed no further evidence and kept him on the roster for the 2010-11 campaign. Though it seemed like anything but at first, it proved to be one of the greatest seasons in Sabres history, and Ennis was one of the biggest reasons.
The 20-year-old scored 20 goals and 49 points, good enough for third amongst rookies. The NHL evidently didn’t notice him and he did not receive a nomination for the Calder Trophy, but it didn’t matter. He served as Buffalo’s spark throughout the season and helped lead the team to a dramatic turnaround, demonstrating a knack for coming through in clutch situations in the process. After a dreadful first half that found them last in the NHL, the Sabres came together and caught fire, rallying to secure the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed.
Ennis continued to lead the way in the opening round and produced one of the most memorable moments in Sabres history when he scored the overtime winner in Game 5 to put his underdog squad a win away from upsetting the heavily-favored Philadelphia Flyers. That proved to be as good as it got and the Sabres sputtered thereafter, losing the series in seven games. But as disappointing as the defeat was, the energy in Buffalo kept building and they entered the next season determined to continue their climb.
Injuries Pile Up
The 2011-12 campaign was expected to be a strong one for both Ennis and the Sabres, but it didn’t go to plan for either. After a hot start, Buffalo collapsed in the standings in November and once again found themselves in the basement as the calendar turned to January. The team steadied itself in the second half and made another run at the playoffs, but this time the rally came up short. Buffalo lost the last two games of the season and finished three points out of the East’s final berth.
In similar fashion, Ennis didn’t have an ideal go of it. Two separate ankle injuries caused him to miss almost half of his sophomore year, though he still scored 34 points in 48 games. One has to wonder of how differently the Sabres might have fared had one of their rising stars not spent so much time on the shelf. Perhaps his presence would have been the difference maker and they’d have made the postseason again.
That season proved to be the beginning of a lengthy period of futility for the Sabres that continues to this day. The team soon bottomed out and finished last place in the NHL in consecutive years, 2013-14 and 2014-15. During that time, Ennis was one of the lone bright spots and became the centerpiece of the offense after Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek were both traded in that span. The Sabres made it clear they didn’t want him going anywhere and signed him to a five-year extension in July 2014.
The following year was particularly dreadful for Buffalo but it may have been when Ennis made his biggest mark. He lead the team in goals and points with 20 and 46 respectively and proved to any doubters that he was the guy. Those numbers might not seem very impressive, but they were remarkable given how pitiful the Sabres were. A particular highlight during that stretch was a sensational goal in November 2014 against Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Carey Price, who won the Vezina and Hart Trophies that year.
The Sabres recognized his ascension and named him an alternate captain in 2015. However, 2015-16 proved to be the beginning of the end of Ennis’ dominance in Buffalo and he began to struggle heavily with injuries. He missed more than three quarters of the season after suffering two concussions, the second of which came from a borderline high hit from Alexander Ovechkin. The following season was more of the same and he was forced to undergo surgery in November 2016 that put him out indefinitely.
Ennis returned with a bang the following January and scored 19 seconds into his first game back to send the legendary Rick Jeanneret into a frenzy, but it was evident ailments had taken their toll. He finished that season with just five goals and 13 points in 51 games. That summer, the Sabres decided it was time to move on.
From Sabre to Wanderer
On June 30, 2017, the Sabres shocked their fanbase by sending Ennis and Marcus Foligno to the Minnesota Wild in the trade that brought Pominville back to Buffalo alongside Marco Scandella. Ennis had become the team’s longest-tenured player by that point and it was an unceremonious way for his largely-strong career in Western New York to come to end (though fans were too excited for Pominville’s homecoming to notice.)
Moving to Minnesota reunited him with childhood best friend Jared Spurgeon, but he struggled to find his footing, scoring just eight goals and 22 points in 71 games in 2017-18. The Wild bought him out of the final year of his contract that summer and he became a free agent for the first time.
After spending the first eight seasons of his career in one place, Ennis suddenly took on the mantle of a journeyman. He signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs and returned to the Golden Horseshoe. He once again missed significant time, however, limited to 51 games, though he did score his first career hat trick in March, 2019.
After going to the other side of the Battle of the QEW, Ennis switched sides again and signed with Toronto’s provincial rival Ottawa Senators. The 2019-20 season was something of a revival for the now-29-year-old and he scored 33 points in 61 games, but his newfound vigor abruptly stopped when he was traded to his hometown Edmonton Oilers. He re-signed with Edmonton but struggled and found himself back in Ottawa for the 2021-22 season. Oddly enough, he returned to form with the Senators and had another solid year with 24 points in 57 games, adding his second career hat trick in January, 2022.
Despite Canada’s capitol seeming to be his good luck charm, the Senators did not retain Ennis and he decided to head overseas after going unsigned through the offseason. He joined SC Bern of the Swiss National League and moved on to the DEL the next season by signing with Adler Mannheim, reuniting with former Sabre teammate Jochen Hecht, who serves as an assistant coach.
Ennis Had More to Accomplish
Just when it seemed Ennis had finally shaken off his troubles with staying healthy, his injury struggles returned. In November, 2023 he suffered a serious neck injury while playing for Adler Mannheim and it proved to be too much to overcome. It’s a lackluster way for a once-promising career to come to and end but he appears to be at peace with his decision. In 700 career NHL games, he scored 144 goals and 346 points.
In Ennis’ case, it’s tough to not think of what might have been. He had the skill set to be a star in the modern NHL but was unable to reach his full potential due to circumstances beyond his control. Injuries hampered him mightily and when that wasn’t the case he was found himself on many bottom-feeding Sabres teams that lacked any other big pieces. In 419 games in the blue and gold, he recorded 236 points.
Had the Sabres been a better team during his formative years and he been able to shake the injury bug, the winger could have developed into an elite scoring threat and a top star in the NHL. Instead, through no fault of his own, he was forced to settle for being a middling contributor and fans everywhere know he was capable of far more had things gone differently.
Nevertheless, Ennis put together a solid career for himself and has nothing to be ashamed of. The diminutive kid from Alberta cast aside the aspersions and proved he had what it took succeed. In the process, he became one of the most important pieces of the Sabres and did the team many a service. Fans should always look back on him fondly.