Colten Ellis, of River Denys, is navigating his way to an NHL career while playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL and the Worcester Railers of the ECHL – both affiliated teams with the St. Louis Blues.
January 19, 2022
-by Bill Dunphy
Getting drafted by a National Hockey League team is a highlight of any hockey player’s career – to a point.
Making that NHL team is a different story.
And that’s the story Colten Ellis is writing now.
Ellis, who hails from River Denys, is a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues. He signed a three-year entry-level contract in March 2021 valued at $2,775,000 – should he play with St. Louis – and which pays him a salary of $70,000 a year in the minors.
After a strong showing at the Blues’ training camp, the 21-year-old goaltender was then designated to play with Blue’s affiliate teams, the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League and the Worcester Railers of the East Coast Hockey League.
Ellis has nine games played with the Railers and has a won-lost-tied record of 4-3-1, a goals-against average of 3.30 and a .905 save percentage.
He is currently in Springfield where he has played six games, compiling a 1-3-3 record, 3.76 GAA and a .884 save percentage.
Not since 1998, when Inverness power forward Randy Copley was drafted in the second round by the New York Rangers, has an Inverness County player come this close to achieving what Allan MacInnis did in 1981 when he started his all-star career with the Calgary Flames.
But as he has done throughout his career, Ellis remains focused on the job at hand. Since he was assigned to Springfield in October, Ellis has gone back and forth to Worcester six times.
“It’s a lot different and an adjustment for me,” said Ellis last Tuesday in Worcester, a day before getting called up to the Thunderbirds.
“They are two completely different organizations, so it’s an adjustment playing with guys from two different structures. But at the end of the day, hockey is hockey. You show up and do your job.”
In comparison, the day before interviewing Ellis, former Halifax Mooseheads star goaltender Zach Fucale had set a franchise record for scoreless minutes with the Washington Capitals before the Boston Bruins scored four times on 16 shots to effectively send him back to his AHL team, the Hershey Bears.
Fucale, who is five years older than Ellis, was a second-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2013. Since then, after finishing his Junior career, he has played for 11 different AHL and ECHL teams before getting four starts with Washington.
“I was a big fan of his growing up,” said Ellis. “It’s cool to see his story and how his resiliency paid off. But everyone has a different path. It can be hard at times, if you’re not in the right mind-set.
“I’m working towards the bigger goal and focussed on just getting better.”
Ellis knows that hockey at the professional level is a business, but he said the fun of hockey is still there.
“The first half of the season was a whirlwind, but I’m having fun and enjoying it.”
Two highlights that still stand out for him include a pre-season game on Oct. 1 with St. Louis in which the Blues defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-3 and his first game in the AHL.
“Both were big wins for me. It was pretty awesome and makes you want to work even harder,” he said.
In his NHL debut, Ellis gave up just one goal (Ryan Carpenter) on seven shots. In the minute leading up to that goal, Ellis made consecutive saves on Patrick Kane (14:54), Jake McCabe (15:14) and Tyler Johnson (15:17). On that save, the puck went back to the neutral zone, but a pair of takeaways by Dylan Strome led to the goal at 15:58.
Ellis managed to get home during Christmas to spend time with his parents, Joanne and Brian, and his brother Matt.
“It’s always good to get home, recharge the batteries, and spend time with family and friends. Getting a few home-cooked meals doesn’t hurt either.”
The AHL’s regular season ends on April 30. The ECHL’s regular season ends on April 17.
Where Ellis will play depends on how he makes use of the next three months.
“It’s going to be hectic. It’s most beneficial for me to try and get better with each game I play.”
For the guy who won a Telus Cup National Midget title with the Cape Breton West Islanders and owns the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League all-time shutout record of 18 (tied the record of seven in one season) while playing with the Charlottetown Islanders, getting better each game is what he does best.
