Tyler Ennis has been named the winner of the Dudley (Red) Garrett Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding rookie, giving the Sabres back-to-back winners of the award.
Nathan Gerbe won AHL rookie of the year honors last season in voting from coaches, media and players in each of the league's 29 cities.
Ennis was Buffalo's second first-round pick in the 2008 draft, behind Tyler Myers. The second-round pick from '08, Luke Adam, signed his pro contract with the Sabres earlier today and that draft could easily go down as one of the best in franchise history.
Ennis leads all AHL rookies with 23 goals, 42 assists and 65 points in 69 games for Portland this season. He is also second with six game-winning goals and third with nine power-play tallies and was the most valuable player of the AHL All-Star Game played in Portland.
Ennis scored for the Sabres in his NHL debut Nov. 14 at Philadelphia and has three goals and five assists in seven games for the Sabres this season. With the announcement that Jochen Hecht is out for the final three games of the regular season, it looks almost certain that Ennis will make Buffalo's playoff roster.
Past winners of the AHL rookie award include names like Terry Sawchuk (1949), ex-Sabre goalies Roger Crozier (1964) and Gerry Desjardins (1968), Rick Middleton (1974), Ron Hextall (1986), Brett Hull (1987) and ex-Sabres captain Daniel Briere (1998).
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
tagged
Colleges, minors | ex-Sabres | Sabres
