The Buffalo Sabres organization went through a plethora of goaltenders in 2021-22. But no one was more reliable than Michael Houser.
The Buffalo Sabres saw six goalies man the net in 2021-22. And while things calmed down with Craig Anderson and Dustin Tokarski returning to the net to close out the year, the never-ending carousel saw one player make Buffalo, New York one of his three stops this past season.
His name is Michael Houser. And donning a Rochester Americans helmet at the NHL level, he made two appearances for the Sabres, both wins, with what was an amazing 0.948 save percentage. Houser also played in four games in 2020-21, finishing with a 2-2 record.
Michael Houser is the most versatile goaltender in the Buffalo Sabres organization
Given Houser’s success in limited NHL appearances, why is no one talking about him ultimately becoming the top goaltender in Buffalo? It is because Houser‘s role is not necessarily to have a permanent role anywhere. Instead, he operates as the organization’s most versatile goaltender, going where he’s needed.
Not only did he see time in Buffalo and Rochester; Houser also saw ample playing time with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones. In total, he saw time in 18 contests over in Cincinnati, and an additional 11 in Rochester. His two games with the Sabres saw Houser make 31 professional hockey appearances this past season across three different teams.
Houser made his presence known in the ECHL dating back to 2013-14. But things didn’t really pick up steam until 2019-20, when he logged a 16-5-5 record, one season removed from a 29-7-5 outing the season before.
In 2020-21, Houser went just 1-3 in Rochester despite logging a 0.924 save percentage and 2.33 goals per game. He followed that up in 2021-22 with a 5-4 campaign.
He has just six games of NHL experience, posting a 4-2 record and 0.917 save percentage. So, should we see Houser in the net this season at the NHL’s highest level? Let’s hope not. But if he sees time at goaltender because of injuries, at least we know he can hold the fort down for a few games.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference and Hockey DB)