Greaves made his NHL debut on April 4, 2023, in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the process, he set the record for most saves by a Columbus goaltender in their debut match.
Playing career
Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, Greaves grew up playing for minor league teams in the Cambridge area. His play for the Cambridge Hawks led to Greaves being selected by the Barrie Colts in the third round, 56th overall in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft.[2] Greaves spent the season following his OHL draft selection with the Guelph Hurricanes of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League before joining the Colts for the 2018–19 OHL season.[3] In his rookie season, Greaves was named to the OHL's First All-Rookie Team.[4] Greaves would ultimately spend two seasons with Barrie, splitting the net in relatively equal appearances with Kai Edmonds in his rookie season, and Artūrs Šilovs in his sophomore campaign (despite being expected to be the team's starter in his second year).[5] The OHL cancelled its 2020–21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario; Greaves did not sign with an out-of-province or international team during this stoppage, and as a result, did not play hockey in what would have been his third OHL season.[6]
Greaves was never selected in a National Hockey League (NHL) draft, although he was first eligible to be drafted in 2019.[7] Despite not playing competitive hockey in what would have been the 2020–21 season, Greaves was signed to a professional contract by the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League, the top affiliate club of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL.[4] He would make his professional debut on October 23, 2021, making 40 saves in a 2–1 win over the Belleville Senators.[8] Greaves' first professional season would be split between the Monsters and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. Although he was not the primary goalie in the Blue Jackets' prospects system, Greaves impressed the team with his play, and was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the club on February 20, 2022.[9]
Entering his second professional season, Greaves was expected to serve as Cleveland's primary backup goaltender behind starter Daniil Tarasov.[10] However, he would ultimately play more games than Tarasov and cement himself as the team's main goalie throughout the season. On January 11, 2023, Greaves was called up by the Blue Jackets on an emergency basis after Tarasov (now with Columbus) suffered an injury, although he would not ultimately appear in any games with the team during this stint.[11] On April 2, as a reward for his play over the past two seasons, Greaves was told after serving backup for that evenings Monsters game that he would be called up, and was later told that he would make his NHL debut starting against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs on April 4.[12] In his debut, Greaves would stop 46 of 49 shots faced in a 4–2 loss to Toronto. Greaves' play was praised by fans and media after the match, and his 46 save performance was the fifth most in an NHL debut since 1955–56; in the process, he also set a team record for most saves recorded in a debut.[12][13]
_(cropped).jpg)