On Monday in Calgary a player was on fire, and it wasn’t one of the Flames. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Ennis registered his first career hat trick in a blowout 6-2 win over the 2nd overall Calgary Flames last night.
What was expected to be a tight game was quickly blown open when the Toronto Maple Leafs scored three goals in the first period.
Two of these first markers were notched by comeback kid Tyler Ennis, who has now posted five goals in five games since returning from a broken ankle that kept him sidelined for nearly two months.
It was Ennis’ first career hat-trick.
"Feels great. Played a lot of games here... To get a hat trick in it, with my parents watching, playing for the Leafs, this is a real special night for me."
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 5, 2019
Tyler Ennis on scoring his first career @NHL hat trick. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/AwRohgW9d0
The Backstory
Ennis’ career has been punctuated by misfortune and injury. As a young up-and-comer, Tyler Ennis won gold at the World Juniors and was drafted by Buffalo in the first round 26th overall in 2008. Ennis proved quickly to be an asset, posting 20 goals and 49 points in his first full season in 2010-11.
Whatever potential for success Ennis may have shown, however, was quickly overshadowed by an emerging pattern of fragility. In his second season, Ennis played just 48 games, and in fact, he has never played a full 82 game season since his rookie year.
Despite this, Ennis established himself as a reliable scorer, posting numbers around twenty goals a season depending on the frequency and severity of the injuries he weathered that year. He was signed for five years at $4.6 million per in Buffalo after racking up 21 goals and 22 assists over 80 games in 2013-14 and thus began comeback number one.
At the pinnacle of his success, Ennis was named to a Team Canada that contained the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Claude Giroux in 2015.
Unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Concussions and groin injuries threatened Ennis’ career, holding him to only 23 games in 2015-16 and 53 in 2016-17. In both seasons, he contributed under 15 points. Losing faith in Ennis and suddenly having access to a new pool of young talent with the acquisition of Jack Eichel, Kyle Okposo, and Ryan O’Reilly, Buffalo allowed Ennis to be bought out by Minnesota in 2017. (Stats from NHL.com and Capfriendly.com)
The Comeback
The fresh start wasn’t enough to reinvigorate Ennis’ game, and although he played most of the season – 73 games – he only recorded 22 points and 8 goals. Cue the comeback.
Despite his less than stellar numbers in the years since his Buffalo contract, the Toronto Maple Leafs organization saw Ennis as a great opportunity to add more depth to a roster that was shaping up to be one of the deepest on the front end in the league. His frequent injuries meant he dropped in price from $4.6 million to a league minimum $650 000, and this past offseason, the Leafs decided to take that gamble.
Of course, Toronto hasn’t freed Ennis from the shackles of injury – he’s on pace to play just 56 games this season – but it has been the place where Ennis has rediscovered his offensive touch.
Despite missing 26 games with a broken ankle, for the first time since 2015, Ennis has a dozen goals, and he’s on pace to score 17. If he delivers, it will be his fourth-highest goal total in his decade long career – no small feat for a player many considered to have been passed his prime.
Last night’s game in Calgary was a good team effort, and players from across the board contributed to a well-deserved win, but Ennis stole the show. Ennis may have a World Junior Championship, and a World Championship gold medal but he had been constantly evaded by an NHL hat trick. Ten years and countless comebacks later, Tyler Ennis is a bonafide steal, a spark plug on the fourth line, and an odds-defying testament to hard work and perseverance.