Samuel Ersson
Ottawa Senators Goaltender #30
A .8696, the lowest of any goaltender who played twenty-five games.
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SO | SA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 33 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 97 | 3.12 | 0 | 744 | .870 |
| Career | 143 | 65 | 50 | 17 | 398 | 3.01 | 7 | 3437 | .884 |
Last Season
Thirty-three appearances, 14-11-5, a 3.12 goals-against average and a .8696 save percentage with no shutouts. Among the fifty-six goaltenders who played twenty-five games or more, that was the lowest in the league. The median was .896.
His career figure across 143 games is .8842.
The Physical Game
Six foot three, 194, and the technique has never settled. He is a reactive goaltender who relies on athleticism rather than position, and the recoveries are slow enough that the second chance is usually the goal.
Rebound control is poor and it is the most damaging weakness a goaltender can have behind a club that concedes low-danger volume, because it turns harmless shots into dangerous ones.
The Mental Game
He was a starter in Philadelphia for two seasons and lost the job. Fourteen wins in thirty-three appearances behind the best defensive team in the league is a difficult thing to have on a record.
The Intangibles
Ottawa finished first in the National Hockey League in even-strength expected goals against, conceding 139.9 at five-on-five, and allowed 163. The goaltending came in thirty-three goals worse than the chances faced.
Three men are responsible. Ullmark stopped .8907 against a career .9138; Merilainen stopped .860; Ersson stopped .8696, the worst qualifying figure in the league.
He is 26 and a fifth-round pick. A club this well built in front of the net does not usually get a season like this, and it will not tolerate a second one.