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One Chapter Enz, Another Begins |
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On June 30, best friends Tyler Ennis and Jared Spurgeon were working out at the gym when the call came. The childhood friends learned at the same time that Ennis had been traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Minnesota Wild. The two NHLers share the same agent.
Ennis and power forward Marcus Foligno were traded from Buffalo to Minnesota in exchange for defenseman Marco Scandella and former Sabres captain Jason Pominville.
"It was my first time being traded, so there were a lot of different emotions," Ennis told the Wild team website. "A lot of people helped me along the way in Buffalo, so I'm definitely going to miss them a lot. The city was great for me. But to have the ability to play for a team that is contending for a Stanley Cup and has that mindset, and the opportunity to play with my best friend growing up, it was a pretty special moment."
The change will do Ennis good. He's a bright guy and a tenacious competitor. His skill set is sick. This trade will do Ennis a lot of good. He needed to see what other opportunities were out there for him. Ennis seemed to lose his identity and get kicked to the end of the bench in Buffalo after former Sabres GM Tim Murray hired Dan Bylsma to lead the Sabres rebuild. Ennis' style didn't thrill Bylsma, who preached structure and puck possession.
Ennis is a water bug who is one of the better improvisational performers in the NHL. Hisnhigh skill and break neck speed made him a first round draft choice out of Medicine Hat in The Dub.
Ennis turned heads with his blazing speed and slick moves in AHL Portland and then made his NHL debut with the Sabres at age 20. In his rookie season in the NHL, Ennis played in all 82 games, scoring 20 goals and 29 assists. He added two goals and two assists in seven playoff games that year.
The Sabres haven't played in the NHL Stanley cup playoffs since Ennis was a rookie in 2010.
Ennis was a multi-time 20 goal scorer in Buffalo. He was a reliable, productive player who withstood heavy contact and remained healthy and durable. His future was looking bright when two serious injuries forced him to sit and watch from the press box the past two seasons while his Sabres teammates struggled to find their winning ways.
After the 2014-15 season, Ennis won a gold medal while playing a starring for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships.
All signs pointed to Ennis taking his game to the next level with the Sabres.
Two seasons ago, Ennis missed 58 games when he suffered two concussions at the hands of St. Louis D-man Robert Bortuzzo and Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin. Last season, Ennis. Last season, Wnnis played in only 51 games after he underwent surgery to repair a double hernia which was the result of spending the summer of 2016 in the gym back home in Edmonton.
"I'm feeling great we've been skating a lot, Jared and I," Ennis said. "I'm feeling really good. I'm excited to go, I can't wait to get started. Life is good and it's a fresh start; I'm really motivated and looking forward to playing for the Wild.
Ennis and Spurgeon grew up across the street from one another in Edmonton. They played house and travel hockey on the same teams. Their mothers, fathers and siblings are all friends.
"Growing up with Jared, it's going to be pretty special to play together," Ennis said. "I know a couple of other guys on the team, and it's nice to bring Moose (Foligno) -- he's a great guy and a great teammate."
Thanks, Wild TV
The Ennis trade was bittersweet for Spurgeon who said goodbye to close friends Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville. Spurgeon is taking it all in stride.
"It was exciting, but at the same time, you're losing two good people in Marco and Jason," Spurgeon said. "But for myself, there was a personal with me growing up with Tyler. We've been best friends for a long time."
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