TIGER GREAT TYLER ENNIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY
Medicine Hat, AB – After 12 seasons of professional hockey including nine season in the NHL. Former Medicine Hat Tiger, Tyler Ennis (Edmonton, AB) has announced his retirement Tuesday morning.
Ennis suited up for four seasons with the Tigers from 2005-2009 including a 2007 WHL Championship and trip the Memorial Cup in that time frame.
Tyler represented the Tigers at multiple international events including the World Under 17’s in 2005, the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and winning a gold medal with then coach and current coach of the Tigers Willie Desjardins in 2009. Ennis is the last Tiger alumni to play for Team Canada at the World Juniors.
Ennis’s former Head Coach and current coach of the Tigers Willie Desjardins with mixed emotions salutes the former Tiger on his career.
“Tyler was a really unique player going through our program in Medicine Hat,” he says. “It wasn’t just skill, it was his love for the game, he had confidence in himself and his teammates while he was here and helped make our program what it is today.”
Desjardins went on to say that the character and determination to get better when he was a Tiger exemplifies what it takes to be pro player.
“I remember in Tyler’s 16 year old season, we thought about sending him home because he wasn’t getting the minutes he needed and we talked to him about it and he had the simple answer ‘I don’t care I want to stay there’.” he says. “Tyler loves this team, every summer teammates from those seasons and alumni get together and catch-up. He’s had a lot of great stops in his career, but holds Tigers high in regard. In that same sequence we hold Tyler with the highest regards and wish him all the best in retirement.”
Ennis played 245 games in the Tigers orange & black scoring 115 goals, 121 assists for 236 points. As a fan favourite he will always be remembered for his work during the 2007 playoffs and his six goal game in 2009 which still holds up today as the most goals scored by a Tiger in a single game.
Among the accolades for Ennis while in the WHL and also receiving CHL honours include:
- 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game
- 2007 WHL Eastern Conference All-star
- 2007 WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player
- 2008 WHL Eastern Conference All-star
- 2008 WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player
In his pro career Ennis also named the American Hockey League’s All-Rookie Team and All-star team in 2009-2010. While in his tenure in NHL was also a gold medalist again for Team Canada at the 2015 World Championships.
Ennis was drafted in the 1st round 26th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft where he spent eight seasons in Buffalo, earning an alternate captaincy with the team in 2015 to 2017. Ennis went on to stops in Minnesota, Toronto, Edmonton & Ottawa before heading overseas for two seasons in Switzerland and Germany before calling it a career.
His NHL final stat line reads in 13 seasons. He played in exactly 700 games, scoring 144 goals, adding 202 assists for 346 points.
The Medicine Hat Tigers would to congratulate Tyler and his family on an incredible career and wish him all the best in his future endeavors and will welcome him back to Medicine Hat with open arms whenever he gets an opportunity to visit.
