Jhonas Erik Enroth
Born June 25, 1988 (age 23) in Stockholm, Sweden
Goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo has not yet been spotlighted in MotD! Let’s change that by focusing on a goaltender, but not the presumed Ryan Miller. Enroth was chosen by Buffalo in the second round of the 2006 draft (in which he was ranked as the top European goalie), although he stuck around in the Swedish leagues for two more seasons to improve his game, which paid off: he led in GAA and save percentage in 2007-08. In 2008, he netted a three-year entry-level contract with Buffalo. After spending time in Portland with their AHL affiliate the Pirates, Enroth made his NHL debut against the Bruins in November 2009.
However, he didn’t get another chance to play an NHL-level game until November 2010, also against the Bruins. No, that’s not a typo. Once given that first chance in November 2010, he started racking up the wins: all three of his first NHL-level wins came in shootout victories, including a rollicking ten-round shootout with the Habs. Better yet, though–his first shutout, a late March showing with the Rangers, was witnessed by his parents, who flew all the way from Sweden to see their baby boy play. Aww!
Just making a stop, no big deal.
In 2011, he also had his first playoff appearance, relieving Ryan Miller in a game with the Flyers. It seems as if the Sabres don’t use Enroth as much as he would like, although they did sign him to a nondescript “multi-year contract,” according to the endless news scroll on NHL Network. In 2010-11 he played 14 games with Buffalo, with a 9-2-2 record, a GAA of 2.73 and a .907 save percentage. But he also played 41 games with Portland, amassing a 20-17-2 record, a 2.78 GAA and a .912 save percentage. We’ll see what happens before the end of this tumultuous offseason, but here’s to hoping Enroth finds a situation that will make him happy.
With eyes like those, he deserves to be happy!
-Emma
