Picking Up Odd Jobs

Full marks to anyone who can identify the goaltender in question to the left. He played his last professional game in the ECHL during the 2023-24 season, but it appears he's trying to gain employment in that league again. If you're wondering, he's a former NHL netminder who played for three teams, but has just 40 games to his name despite those three stops. The 32 year-old was drafted 190th-overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he won an AHL Calder Cup championship in 2017-18, and he's one of 26 goalies in NHL history to record a shutout in his NHL debut. He seemed like he could have been a good goalie, but his path led elsewhere.

If you're still wondering who the goaltender is and you haven't turned to the Google machine for answers, the man pictured above in the Bloomington Bison uniform is Garret Sparks. The reason I'm posting about Garret Sparks today is that he was released by the Bison after serving as their EBUG - emergency backup goaltender - for the last eight days! Imagine having a former NHL goalie as your EBUG!

It seems that Sparks hasn't spoken to any media about landing with the Bison as their EBUG. I went hunting for interviews and newspaper stories, and there is nothing outside of the announcement by the Bisons on their website and across their social media. You would think someone in Indiana would want to sit down and chat with Sparks about his career, but he spent November 25 until today waiting for his number to be called. It never happened as he saw no action.

Maybe that's for the best considering that Sparks struggled in his two games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the five games he played with the Wheeling Nailers in 2023-24. He was 0-1-0 in those two games with the Penguins, sporting a 3.70 GAA and an .862 save percentage, but four goals on 29 shots isn't good enough for an AHL roster spot. He was sent to Wheeling where he went 0-3-1 with a 4.00 GAA and an .843 save percentage, allowing 16 goals on 102 shots. Those totals weren't good enough for an ECHL roster spot either.

I have no idea where Sparks played last season as there's nothing to indicate that he even played beer league hockey, but it seems that the Bison were willing to have him sit in the stands as their EBUG this season. I'm not saying he would have seen any action even if there was a need for him to dress, but it seems the Bison were willing to roll the dice in the event there was a need for him to suit up.

The last time that Sparks played meaningful hockey for more than ten games was in the 2022-23 season when he went 7-4-3 for the Orlando Solar Bears, but he still had a 3.45 GAA and an .887 save percentage. It's not to say that he can't make stops, but he just needs to do it more frequently than what he's done in the last few stops. Honestly, Sparks as a potential EBUG would be a pretty good goaltending option had the Bison needed him in a pinch.

All of that, though, is now in the "what if" bin since Sparks was released today by the Bison. I'm not saying that Sparks needed to take someone's job, but it seems unlikely he would have unseated one of Dryden McKay or Callum Tung in the Bison crease. They're having solid seasons individually despite the lack of scoring from the Bison, so maybe Sparks just wanted to throw the gear back on, practice with an ECHL team again, and see if he still had the moves.

The good news is that Garret Sparks is a free agent again in case anyone else needs an EBUG with NHL experience on his résumé.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!