At the age of 12, Elliott decided to become a goaltender because it was the only position that did not regularly leave the ice for line changes. [1]
Overlooked by the Ontario Hockey League, the first-tier junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Elliott instead chose to play for the Ajax Axemen of the lower-ranked Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL). [2] Playing in 39 games for the Axemen during the 2002–03 OPJHL season, Elliott posted a 3.86 goals against average (GAA) and a .903 save percentage (SV%). [3] His performance was markedly impressive for the Axemen, who had a whole-team GAA of 4.90 during the 2001–02 season and 5.10 during the 2003–04 season. [4] At the end of the year, Elliott was the penultimate player taken in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, selected 291st overall by the Ottawa Senators. [5]
When Mike Brodeur decided to bypass college ice hockey in favor of turning professional, the Wisconsin Badgers chose to sign Elliott as their backup goaltender for the 2003–04 season. [6] He made his NCAA debut on October 25, 2003, making 19 saves in a 4–1 defeat of the Quinnipiac Bobcats. [7]
On March 21, 2007, shortly after the completion of his college career, Elliott signed a contract with Ottawa and was assigned to the Binghamton Senators, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of their 2006–07 season. [8] Elliott overcame a difficult first half in his professional hockey debut, a 6–2 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on March 23. He stopped 34 of 40 shots he faced, including all 17 shots in the last 27 minutes of the game. [9] His first win came on April 1, when Elliott made 38 saves en route to a 4–1 win over the Syracuse Crunch. [10] He played in a total of eight games for Binghamton at the end of the season, going 3–4–0 in the process with a 4.24 GAA and .886 save percentage. [11]
After attending the Senators' 2007 training camp, Elliott was reassigned to Binghamton in September, where he was expected to battle Jeff Glass for the starting goaltender position during the 2007–08 season. [12] When Ottawa's starting goaltender Ray Emery had to miss the beginning of the 2007–08 NHL season due to wrist surgery, Elliott was called up on September 29 to back up Martin Gerber. [13] He made his NHL debut on October 10, stopping 27 shots in a 3–1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers and keeping the Senators unbeaten through their first five games of the season. [14] When Emery returned to the Senators less than a week later, Elliott was sent back down to Binghamton. [15]
On February 18, 2011, just before that year's NHL trading deadline, the Senators traded Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for similarly under-performing goaltender Craig Anderson. The fundamental difference between the two players was that Anderson, unlike Elliott, was headed into unrestricted free agency at the end of the year, and Colorado was in need of at least one goaltender that could be kept under team control by season's end. [16] He made 12 starts in Colorado, going 2–8–1 with a 3.83 GAA and a .891 save percentage. [17] The Avalanche declined to give Elliott a qualifying offer at the end of the season, releasing him into free agency as part of their larger goaltender-overhaul plans. [18]
On June 24, 2016, the Blues traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2018 draft. [19]
The Flyers hoped that Elliott could return to the team at full strength to become the starting goaltender for the 2018–19 season, [20] the team had a number of potential backup options in Michel Neuvirth, Alex Lyon, Anthony Stolarz, Carter Hart, and Calvin Pickard. [21]
On October 3, 2020, Elliott signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to remain in Philadelphia for the 2020–21 season. [22]
A free agent after the 2020–21 season, Elliott signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with reigning Stanley Cup champions the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 28, 2021. [23] Whereas in Philadelphia, Elliott had ended up taking more starts than Carter Hart when the latter began to struggle, the Lightning made it clear that he was being signed as a backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, coming in to relieve him at the end of long road trips or during back-to-back games. [24]
At the age of 12, Elliott decided to become a goaltender because it was the only position that did not regularly leave the ice for line changes. [1]
Overlooked by the Ontario Hockey League, the first-tier junior ice hockey league in Ontario, Elliott instead chose to play for the Ajax Axemen of the lower-ranked Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League (OPJHL). [2] Playing in 39 games for the Axemen during the 2002–03 OPJHL season, Elliott posted a 3.86 goals against average (GAA) and a .903 save percentage (SV%). [3] His performance was markedly impressive for the Axemen, who had a whole-team GAA of 4.90 during the 2001–02 season and 5.10 during the 2003–04 season. [4] At the end of the year, Elliott was the penultimate player taken in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, selected 291st overall by the Ottawa Senators. [5]
When Mike Brodeur decided to bypass college ice hockey in favor of turning professional, the Wisconsin Badgers chose to sign Elliott as their backup goaltender for the 2003–04 season. [6] He made his NCAA debut on October 25, 2003, making 19 saves in a 4–1 defeat of the Quinnipiac Bobcats. [7]
On March 21, 2007, shortly after the completion of his college career, Elliott signed a contract with Ottawa and was assigned to the Binghamton Senators, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of their 2006–07 season. [8] Elliott overcame a difficult first half in his professional hockey debut, a 6–2 loss to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on March 23. He stopped 34 of 40 shots he faced, including all 17 shots in the last 27 minutes of the game. [9] His first win came on April 1, when Elliott made 38 saves en route to a 4–1 win over the Syracuse Crunch. [10] He played in a total of eight games for Binghamton at the end of the season, going 3–4–0 in the process with a 4.24 GAA and .886 save percentage. [11]
After attending the Senators' 2007 training camp, Elliott was reassigned to Binghamton in September, where he was expected to battle Jeff Glass for the starting goaltender position during the 2007–08 season. [12] When Ottawa's starting goaltender Ray Emery had to miss the beginning of the 2007–08 NHL season due to wrist surgery, Elliott was called up on September 29 to back up Martin Gerber. [13] He made his NHL debut on October 10, stopping 27 shots in a 3–1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers and keeping the Senators unbeaten through their first five games of the season. [14] When Emery returned to the Senators less than a week later, Elliott was sent back down to Binghamton. [15]
On February 18, 2011, just before that year's NHL trading deadline, the Senators traded Elliott to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for similarly under-performing goaltender Craig Anderson. The fundamental difference between the two players was that Anderson, unlike Elliott, was headed into unrestricted free agency at the end of the year, and Colorado was in need of at least one goaltender that could be kept under team control by season's end. [16] He made 12 starts in Colorado, going 2–8–1 with a 3.83 GAA and a .891 save percentage. [17] The Avalanche declined to give Elliott a qualifying offer at the end of the season, releasing him into free agency as part of their larger goaltender-overhaul plans. [18]
On June 24, 2016, the Blues traded Elliott to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2018 draft. [19]
The Flyers hoped that Elliott could return to the team at full strength to become the starting goaltender for the 2018–19 season, [20] the team had a number of potential backup options in Michel Neuvirth, Alex Lyon, Anthony Stolarz, Carter Hart, and Calvin Pickard. [21]
On October 3, 2020, Elliott signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract to remain in Philadelphia for the 2020–21 season. [22]
A free agent after the 2020–21 season, Elliott signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with reigning Stanley Cup champions the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 28, 2021. [23] Whereas in Philadelphia, Elliott had ended up taking more starts than Carter Hart when the latter began to struggle, the Lightning made it clear that he was being signed as a backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy, coming in to relieve him at the end of long road trips or during back-to-back games. [24]