Oct 22, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres goaltender Colten Ellis (92) is announced as the first star of the game after getting his first NHL win against the Detroit Red Wings at KeyBank Center. Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images Colten Ellis played for the Worcester Railers [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/railers-announce-upgrades-and-special-initiatives]as a rookie during the 2021-22 season. On Wednesday, he led the Buffalo Sabres [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/buffalo-sabres]to victory in his NHL debut. The 25-year-old netminder became the 770th player in ECHL history to make his NHL debut after appearing in an ECHL game. He stopped 27 shots in the Sabres’ 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/detroit-red-wings]at KeyBank Center. The victory snapped Detroit’s five-game winning streak. The Sabres (3-4-0) have won three out of their last four. Ellis was a third-round pick (No. 93) by the St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues]in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Sabres claimed him off waivers from the Blues on Oct. 6. “It’s huge for me, but it’s also huge for everybody in my family,” Ellis told reporters after the game. “They’ve made so many sacrifices to help me get to this moment. And there’s so many supporters, too many to name. It’s been crazy, the support I’ve had since I was young, that played instrumental roles and helped me get to where I am. So, just looking forward to share this moment. It’s not only my moment -- it’s all theirs as well.” In 34 games with the Railers, Ellis posted a .905 save-percentage to go with a 3.21 goals against average and a 15-13-5 record. The River Denys, NS native has made additional stops across the ECHL with the Tulsa Oilers [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/cade-mcnelly-returns-to-tulsa-oilers-for-second-season]and Orlando Solar Bears [https://thehockeynews.com/echl/latest-news/florida-everblades-explode-for-five-third-period-goals-to-top-solar-bears]. Ellis has played in 64 games for the American Hockey League's [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl/]Springfield Thunderbirds across three seasons before being claimed off of waivers by the Sabres. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound goalie is the fifth Railer player to go on to play in the NHL after appearing in a game for Worcester. He joins Tristan Lennox, who made his NHL debut for the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders]on Apr. 10, 2025, Jakub Skarek, who made his NHL debut for the Islanders on Feb. 2, 2025, Arnaud Durandeau, who made his NHL debut for the Islanders on Feb. 20, 2023, and Ken Appleby, who appeared in one game for the Islanders on Jan. 15, 2024. The Red Wings didn’t record their first shot on goal until the 10:16 mark. The Sabres outshot them 8-0 through the first half of the opening frame. Ellis is the ninth goalie in Sabres history to win his NHL debut and is the eighth Nova Scotia-born goaltender in NHL history. The Sabres are looking for a spark; perhaps Ellis can be a gem for them moving forward.
