Hamilton ice hockey phenom Evan Buitenhuis ’18 has signed with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of New York Islanders.
Buitenhuis, who most students on the Hill remember fondly as “Boots,” is steadily climbing the ranks of professional hockey. Though he recently signed with Bridgeport, he currently plays for the team affiliate one tier lower than the AHL, the Worcester Railers of the ECHL. His strong play for the ECHL caught the attention of the Tigers, and now he has moved one step closer to the National Hockey League (NHL).
Buitenhuis backstopped the men’s hockey team to a record of 37–17–12 during his four years playing in the Sage Ice Rink. He was awarded the Jack B. Riffle Award in the Spring of 2018 as the best male athlete in his graduating class, and for good reason. His record was impressive, but his statistics even more so: he wrapped up his Hamilton career with a 0.944 save percentage and a 1.67 goals against average (GAA). He led all of Division III men’s hockey during his senior year in both statistics and set Hamilton records with these numbers. For context, the average National Hockey League (NHL) save percentage during the 2017–18 season was 0.912, and the league GAA was 2.78 (Hockey-Reference.com).
The AHL serves as a farm league for NHL teams. Each NHL team has an AHL affiliate, and they can call up players from these teams to play when injuries or poor play deems it necessary. Goaltenders in particular find themselves often called up to the NHL to sit on the bench as backups to goalies; goaltenders are generally injured for longer periods of time than forwards or defensemen, according to the paper “American Collegiate Men’s Ice Hockey: An Analysis of Injuries” by Flik et al in
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
.
Especially in the case of the Islanders, Buitenhuis stands a chance to see the inside of the Barclays Center, the team’s home rink. The Islanders’ goaltending prospects are dim; current starter Robin Lehner has a one-year deal, and backup goalie Thomas Greiss is nothing to write home about.
The AHL Tigers are currently splitting goaltending duties between two players: Christopher Gibson and Jeremy Smith. Gibson has a save percentage of 0.861 and a GAA of 4.02 through 10 games this season, and Smith has a barely better 0.888 save percentage and 3.07 GAA through eight games. With such bad statistics, it’s no wonder that the AHL team was so willing to snap up Buitenhuis given his impressive ECHL numbers.
Though Buitenhuis had a phenomenal college career, the big leagues are different from Division III (and most collegiate) hockey, so the Islanders program understandably proceeded with caution, relegating Buitenhuis to the ECHL Railers, two leagues below the NHL. His first game, however, was a massive success. On Oct. 26, Buitenhuis debuted in the ECHL and led the team to a 4–3 win. He made 33 saves on 36 shots for a save percentage of 0.916, and was named first star of the game (equivalent of game co-MVP). The ECHL announcers have already taken to calling Buitenhuis by the nickname he was known for during his Continentals days — Boots.
Buitenhuis has started in six gamesso far for the Railers, and his statistics are impressive. So far, he has a 2.73 GAA and a save percentage of 0.918. With his new contract with the AHL Tigers, which was announced on Saturday, Nov. 10, Buitenhuis looks to see ice time in the AHL in the near future, especially if Gibson and Smith continue their mediocre play. This is especially exciting in a year when Hamilton College hosted the NHL’s famed Stanley Cup.
As Buitenhuis moves up the ranks with his impressive goaltending, the entire Continentals community will watch his success with excitement.
