Tyler Ennis came to Buffalo as an injury replacement and wound up being irreplaceable. It

was a bit of a shock, though it shouldn't have been. The kid with the baby face and maturing

skills has a history of surprising people.

Nobody wanted him in the Western Hockey League draft, yet he made junior hockey his

playground. He weighed just 147 pounds on NHL draft day, yet he went in the first round to the

Sabres. He looked flustered during the first four games of his pro career, yet he rebounded to

be named this season's American Hockey League Rookie of the Year.

Then he got to Buffalo and his story really became a page turner. He was solid as the

regular season closed, dynamic as the playoff excitement blossomed. Ennis was easily the

highlight of the Sabres' short postseason.

"It was a crazy year for myself, a lot of memories, a lot of things that stand out: scoring

my first NHL goal, playing my first NHL game and then playing in the NHL playoffs," he said.

"It's been an awesome experience."

In fitting with his life, though, the kid full of surprises got one of his own on the way

out of town.

Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier sat down with Ennis for a season-ending interview.

Regier mentioned the nine points in 10 regular-season games, acknowledged the team-high four

points and three assists in the playoffs. Then he said it means nothing if Ennis doesn't come

back even better.

"I sat down with Tyler Ennis and warned him on not being sure that he's going to play here

at the start of next season," Regier said. "Don't assume that.

"It's not in a demeaning, condescending way. It's in a hopeful, optimistic way because

there's five months between now and then, and most young guys do in some way assume and forget

how hard it was, how much work went into it, and are more inclined than not to come into camp

thinking that they're going to pick up where they left off without having to do the work.

"We do have a policy of you have to earn it before you get it. We do not have a policy of

here you go, we think you can do it. I think it's a big, big deal psychologically for kids to

come into this organization, it's very necessary for them to earn their way."

Reason for excitement

Indeed, Regier's general guideline is for prospects to spend 120 games in the minors before

jumping to the big club. Ennis has spent only 69 in Portland.

His biggest shock of all would be if there's a 70th. The 20-year-old is ready to be on the

Sabres' opening-night roster for 2010-11.

"That's a goal of mine," Ennis said. "Coming into this season, I didn't know what to

expect. I didn't know what was going to happen, and a lot of good things have happened.

"Just getting the NHL experience is huge for next year, gives me a lot of confidence. But

with that, I've learned a lot of things that I have to get better at and a lot of things I

have to work on, other things that can make me more confident. It's exciting."

There is reason for excitement in Sabreland, and it comes in the form of Ennis and fellow

long-shot sidekick Nathan Gerbe. While members of the Sabres' core disappeared in the

playoffs, the last two AHL Rookies of the Year showed they should have visible futures.

Gerbe and Ennis did what veteran mates did not. Ennis streaked toward the net with passion.

Gerbe entered scrums with intent. On a team that admittedly lacked competitiveness, two of its

youngest players competed.

Size, strength an issue

Gerbe played in just the final two playoff games but scored once and added an assist. He

filled in on scoring lines and energy units while getting a power-play role. The 5-foot-6

forward seemed to gain the extra burst of quickness that had eluded him during his 10-game

stint last season. He had no goals in 2008-09 and happily enters this offseason having posted

three goals and four assists in 12 games.

"It gives me confidence," the 22-year-old said. "I can go into the summer with a little

positive attitude. Last summer, not so much. This year, I accomplished quite a bit, I thought,

when I was up here. I played on different lines, played different roles and thought I did well

in each role, so I'm pretty pumped about that."

Size will always be an issue with both players, though strength is not a problem for Gerbe.

The barrel-chested, 173-pounder is among the Sabres' strongest players and serves as a

motivator for Ennis, whose summer goal is to increase the 163 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame.

Ennis is starting his regimen by lifting round-trip tickets from Buffalo to his home in

Edmonton. He will split the summer between the towns, visiting with strength and conditioning

coach Doug McKenney in Western New York while following the coach's orders in Canada.

"There's a lot of strong guys [in the NHL], and I just need to get stronger so I can help

in the corners battling for pucks," Ennis said.

He could use the muscle because he's already shown the desire to do the jobs that require

them.

"He has no fear in his game," Regier said.

Looking for good match

The longer Ennis stayed with the Sabres, the more coach Lindy Ruff relied on him. Ennis

averaged 15 minutes per game after getting called up March 27 because of injuries to Tim

Connolly and Thomas Vanek. During the playoffs, Ennis was bumped to 17:08, fifth among

forwards. Though he made the occasional rookie mistake, he responded with a team-high 20

shots.

"I've seen what he can do," Ruff said. "The energy he can bring. The plays he can make.

I've seen some of the struggles he's had as a player due to size. Guys with that size

disadvantage in our league need the right guys to complement them. I don't know if that's a

6-foot-6 guy or just a really determined 6-foot-2 guy. It's how hard guys work for each other

in this blend.

"You can see he can get to places, he can be creative enough, and finding the right guy to

complement him is going to be the key."

Quick learner

Ruff and Regier praised Ennis' willingness to learn, with the GM referring to Ennis as a

"sponge."

"He's a unique kid where he learns fast," Ruff said. "We talked to him about situations,

and he said, "Well, that doesn't happen in the American League. I've got more time. That

defenseman doesn't gap up as tight in the American League.' I said you're right because in the

American League there's probably two good defensemen. In the NHL, you're going to face six

good defensemen.

"Little plays that he said were easy in the American League aren't easy up here, but he

made adjustments to his game quickly. It's a tough league. He knows that."

It's also a league he can expect to stay in, provided the summer goes as well as the

spring.

"It's nice that people appreciated my play," Ennis said. "It's nice to get recognized, and

it's nice to hear people say good things. It's disappointing when you lose. I wanted to come

in and help the team win, so it [stinks] that we lost. Individually, I tried to compete as

hard as I could and tried my best, so I'm glad that people appreciated that."