Colten Ellis is having a great season with the Springfield Thunderbirds. He has a .921 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.61 goals-against average (GAA) in 20 games. On Jan. 15, he shut out the Bridgeport Islanders in a 4-0 victory. It’s made him the unquestioned starter of the Thunderbirds and a key part of their success in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Related: Blues Transferring Prospect Otto Stenberg to AHL Springfield
His surge gives the St. Louis Blues something they’ve needed in their pipeline: a young goaltending prospect. At 24, Ellis has climbed the depth chart. He spent most of last season with the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL and then was the third-string option on the AHL roster when he was called up.
Now, Ellis is next in line to join the NHL roster if the Blues need a backup. He gives this team options down the road, as they can have a younger goaltending duo at the NHL level or find a way to use his strong play in the AHL as leverage.
Ellis Provides a Different Style in the Net
Unlike many of the goaltenders in the AHL these days, Ellis is a smaller goaltender who doesn’t cover up most of the net when he’s in the crease. He’s six feet tall and 189 pounds, which forces the Thunderbirds to play a specific style of defense to help him out. They must avoid playing in Ellis’s sightline to allow him to see the puck and make the save.
That hasn’t stopped Ellis from being an elite goaltender. He’s athletic and will make the big stops. While he might not have the best glove in the AHL, he can play any area of the net with quick movement. His flexibility stands out. Ellis is also aggressive and willing to come out of the crease to make a stop or jump on a loose puck to stop a scoring chance. This style of play has its ups and downs, but for the most part, it’s worked out for him.
Where Ellis Must Improve
The aggressive style that Ellis plays with comes back to hurt him at times. He’ll be out of position or allow opponents to find wide-open looks on the net because of his urge to make the initial save. It’s how the Islanders scored four goals against him in a Jan. 18 game, one where he made 32 saves but wasn’t the reason the Thunderbirds won (the offense scoring six goals was the reason they did).
It also doesn’t help that Ellis is one of the smaller goaltenders in the league. He won’t see the puck when there’s a shot through traffic, and when the game slows down, he’s left out to dry. Samuel Bolduc’s goal in the recent game was a reminder of that, as the defenseman collected the puck at the point and fired it through traffic to the back of the net. Ellis failed to pick up the shot.
Ellis shares a lot of qualities with another Atlantic Division goaltender, Hartford Wolf Pack starter Dylan Garand. Like Garand, he’s a smaller goaltender who makes up for that with his athleticism. Likewise, he needs a good defense in front of him and one that can play to his strengths. The Thunderbirds haven’t given Ellis many breaks, forcing him to make 30 or more saves in each of his last three starts, including 36 stops in a 3-1 win against the Wolf Pack on Jan. 12.
Ellis Provides the Blues with Options
Jordan Binnington led the Blues to their only Stanley Cup title in 2019 with a playoff run to remember. That said, he’s 31. His inconsistent play is a concern not just this season but for the future. It’s why the Blues will likely move on from him when his contract expires in 2027. With Ellis on the rise, this team has options.
The ideal plan is to have Binnington play out the final years of his deal and allow Ellis to develop in the meantime. That will give the Blues a goaltending duo of Ellis and Joel Hofer, who will both be 27 by then. This can stack up well against most teams in the NHL.
The other option that the Blues have is to trade Binnington, which would help them rebuild. This is something the team might turn to if they need young talent on the roster and the group is still struggling to be competitive.
The Blues are a team stuck in the middle with no clear path to contention. They won’t do a teardown, but they also aren’t good enough to buy in on a given season or attract star players in free agency. However, Ellis can change how the front office operates in the next few seasons, as they have a young goaltender waiting in the wings.
