Matt Ellis

Matt Ellis (born August 31, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. Not selected in an NHL Entry Draft, Ellis played in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and the Buffalo Sabres.

Minor league hockey
Ellis started play in the OHL with the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in 1998. He quickly learned the speed and style of the game, as he started producing goals and assists right away. Each year with the Majors saw Ellis improving his point totals, from 18 the first year, onto 35,45, and finishing with 38 goals and 51 assists for 89 total points in his final year with Toronto, helping them with the Central Division title.

The Detroit Red Wings came calling and signed Ellis as a free agent on May 10, 2002. He was sent to play on the Wings' farm team the Toledo Storm in the ECHL where he posted 59 points in the regular season and tacked on eight points in the Storms' short playoff run.

Reaching the AHL
In the following season, Ellis was quickly brought up to the AHL to join the Grand Rapids Griffins and tallied his first AHL point on October 24, 2003 with an assist on the game-winning goal versus the Utah Grizzlies. Ellis again took time to adjust to the faster pace but soon found his place with the team. Each year his point totals went up and in the 2005–06 season, Ellis was named captain; the youngest captain ever in Griffins' history. This gave him the needed confidence to continue his growth as a player, which Ellis summed up when he had this to say about his captaincy:

"'It’s definitely a big factor. You can totally tell the difference when there’s a guy out there playing with confidence and when a guy’s unsure of himself. Being a fourth-year pro, it makes a huge difference. Each year, you come in with a little more confidence, and I’ve been fortunate enough to be surrounded by some great players and coaches who were there to give me a pat on the back or help me out and keep me motivated.'"

When asked about the chance to play for the Red Wings, Ellis said:

"'I’m hoping. Grand Rapids is a great place to learn and develop, but I’d like to get my feet wet in Detroit – for sure.'"

Detroit Red Wings
Ellis made his NHL debut for the Detroit Red Wings on December 18, 2006 in a 4–3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Los Angeles Kings
Ellis was claimed off of waivers by the Los Angeles Kings on February 21, 2008. He scored his first goal with the Kings, an empty-net goal, on March 13, 2008 against the Nashville Predators at Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Buffalo Sabres
Shortly before the commencement of the 2008-09 season, on October 1, 2008, Ellis was claimed off of waivers from the Kings by the Buffalo Sabres. He played his first game with the latter on October 15 against the New York Rangers. On December 18, after injuries to several Buffalo forwards, Ellis was recalled from Buffalo's then-AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, for the second time that season. In the subsequent off-season, on July 9, 2009, he resigned with the Sabres on a one-year contract.

On August 31, 2010, Ellis was re-signed to an additional one-year contract with Buffalo. To begin the following 2010-11 season, the Sabres placed Ellis on waivers, which he cleared on October 4, 2010. On July 19, 2011, in the off-season, Ellis signed a multi-year contract extension with the Sabres.

During the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, Ellis was again waived and was sent to the AHL's Rochester Americans after six games played with Buffalo. After 12 points in 35 games with the Americans, Ellis opted to remain with the Sabres organization, signing a two-year, two-way contract extension on July 3, 2013.

In the 2014-15 season, Ellis was recalled to the Sabres during the midpoint of the season, and on April 1, 2015, he scored his first goal of the campaign in a Buffalo victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On July 9, 2015, Ellis signed a one-year contract with the Rochester Americans. Ellis announced his retirement at the end of the season. He immediately joined The Academy of Hockey, which like the Sabres and Americans is owned by Terrence Pegula, as a coach.

Awards and achievements

 * 2004–05: Matched a Grand Rapids Griffins record with four shorthanded goals giving him the nickname "shorty"
 * 2004–05: First player in Griffins history to score two shorthanded goals in a home game. (March 12, 2005 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs)
 * 2005–06: Named youngest captain in Grand Rapids Griffins' history