Michael Houser (born September 13, 1992) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

who is currently playing with the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL). He has previously played with the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL).

Playing career

Following a lone season with the

Des Moines Buccaneers The Des Moines Buccaneers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team in the United States Hockey League (USHL). The team has played in the Western Conference since the 2009–10 season. History The Buccaneers began USHL play during the 1980–81 season ...

of the

United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...

(USHL), Houser joined the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

's (OHL)

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their cu ...

for the 2009–10 season. Going (17–4–1) in 25 appearances, he was named to the

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey L ...

(CHL) All-Rookie Team and the OHL First All-Rookie Team. The 2011–12 season saw Houser go (46–15–5) in 62 games. He was rewarded with the Jim Rutherford Trophy for OHL goaltender of the year as well as the

Red Tilson Trophy The Red Tilson Trophy is awarded annually by the Ontario Hockey League to the most outstanding player (MVP) as voted by OHL writers and broadcasters. It was donated by ''The Globe and Mail,'' and first awarded in the 1944–45 OHA season by the O ...

for the league's most outstanding player. Houser was also recognized as the

CHL Goaltender of the Year The CHL Goaltender of the Year Award is given out annually to the top goaltender in the Canadian Hockey League. It is chosen from the winners of the league awards; the OHL Goaltender of the Year, the Del Wilson Trophy ( WHL), and the Jacques Pl ...

. The Knights won the

J. Ross Robertson Cup The J. Ross Robertson Cup is a Canadian ice hockey trophy. It is awarded annually in junior ice hockey to the champion of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. It was donated by John Ross Robertson to the Ontario Hockey Association in 1910, and ...

as league champions but were defeated by the host

Shawinigan Cataractes The Shawinigan Cataractes (french: Cataractes de Shawinigan) are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The team is based in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada. The Cataractes have been previously known as the Shawinigan Bruin ...

in the final of the

Memorial Cup The Memorial Cup () is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League, a consortium of three major junior ice hockey leagues operating in Canada and parts of the United States. It is a four-team round-robin tournament played between t ...

. Undrafted, Houser attended the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

' 2012 development camp. On July 11, the Panthers signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract. He spent his first professional season playing for the

Cincinnati Cyclones The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional ice hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Originally established in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at Heritage Bank Cen ...

of the

East Coast Hockey League The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

(ECHL). Houser moved to the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

of the

(AHL) for the 2013–14 season, going 12–13–1. The Panthers chose not to tender Houser with a qualifying offer following the 2014–15 season, rendering him an unrestricted free agent. He skated with both the AHL's

Ontario Reign The Ontario Reign are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Ontario, California, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings, the team plays i ...

and the ECHL's

Manchester Monarchs Manchester Monarchs may refer to: *Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) *Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) The Manchester Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Manchester, New ...

for the 2015–16 season. Houser attended the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

' 2016 training camp but was not signed. He instead signed with the team's AHL affiliate, the

Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...

on October 14. Aside from a lone appearance with the Monsters, Houser spent the majority of the season with the Cyclones. Houser once again attended an NHL training camp the following season, this time for the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

. He was released on September 18, but spent the season with their affiliates (the AHL's

Tucson Roadrunners The Tucson Roadrunners are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that began play for the 2016–17 season. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes, the team plays i ...

and ECHL's

Fort Wayne Komets The Fort Wayne Komets are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL. They play their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This team was previously a member of the Central Hockey League, the original Inte ...

). As the Cyclones goaltender for the 2018–19 season, Houser had a 29–7–5 record in 41 games. He was named

ECHL Goaltender of the Year The ECHL Goaltender of the Year is an ice hockey award presented annually by the ECHL to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position. This award was first presented in 1994 to Cory Cadden of the Knoxville Cherokees. List of winners Se ...

as well as a member of the league's first all-star team. On September 11, 2020, the

re-signed Houser to a one-year contract. He remained on the Americans' roster as the Cyclones—an affiliate of the Americans—opted out of the 2020–21 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On March 19, 2021, the

signed Houser to a one-year contract for the remainder of the season. He subsequently spent time on the team's taxi squad. Houser made his NHL debut on May 3, stopping 34 shots in a 4–2 win over the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

. Speaking about making the NHL and winning his first game, he stated "I've worked my whole life for this, for it to happen. Just to play a game is really special. But to win, winning is always the goal. That's why we play." Houser started a second-straight game against the Islanders the following night, this time making 45 saves in a 4–3 shootout win. As a free agent following his stint with the Sabres, Houser continued within the organization in agreeing to a one-year contract to remain with the Rochester Americans on August 5, 2021. With the Sabres suffering a spate of goaltender injuries for the second consecutive season, Houser was signed to a one-year, two-way contract in returning to the NHL with Buffalo on January 12, 2022. On July 15, 2022, Houser was familiarly re-signed to remain within the Sabres organization, agreeing to a one-year AHL contract to continue with the Rochester Americans. Houser returned for his fifth season in the Americans organization, signing as a free agent from the Sabres on a one-year AHL contract on July 7, 2023.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Houser, Michael 1992 births Living people American men's ice hockey goaltenders Buffalo Sabres players Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) players Cleveland Monsters players Des Moines Buccaneers players Fort Wayne Komets players Ice hockey players from Ohio London Knights players Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) players Ontario Reign (AHL) players Rochester Americans players San Antonio Rampage players Sportspeople from Youngstown, Ohio Tucson Roadrunners players Undrafted National Hockey League players