On Wednesday (Oct. 1) the Edmonton Oilers acquired goaltender Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for future considerations. Ingram will report to the Bakersfield Condors of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Ingram is entering the final season of a three-year, $5.85 million contract. As part of the trade, Utah is retaining $800,000 of Ingram’s $1.95 million average annual value.
He’s 28 years old, stands 6-foot-1, weighs 218 pounds, and hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Here are six other things to know about the Oilers’ new netminder.
He’s a Record Holder in Kamloops
Ingram spent three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers in the Western Hockey League (WHL), appearing in 158 WHL regular season games from 2014-15 to 2016-17.
He recorded the highest save percentage (SV%) in a single season in Blazers history in 2015-16, when he stopped 1,830 of 1,954 shots over 61 games for a SV% of .922. The following season, Ingram registered a .927 SV%, breaking his own record by establishing a benchmark that still stands today in Kamloops.
Ingram finished his WHL career as the Blazers’ all-time leader with a SV% of .918. He’s since been tied by Dylan Garand, who played in Kamloops from 2017-18 to 2021-22.
He Was One of the Top Goalies of His Draft
Ingram was selected in the third round, 88th overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, making him the eighth goalie to come off the board that year. The Saskatchewan native had gone into the draft ranked eighth among North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting.
Connor Ingram (@CBIngram1) finished 4th overall in @thewhl w/ a .922 SV%. #NHLDraft
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 25, 2016
No. 88: https://t.co/4NsFuDvFPc pic.twitter.com/9SStP6YgY7
With an NHL career record of 39-44-15 in 102 appearances, Ingram has the third most wins and games played among all netminders taken in the 2016 Draft, trailing only Filip Gustavsson and Carter Hart.
He’s a Multi-time AHL All-Star
While coming up through the minors, Ingram was twice selected to play in the AHL All-Star Classic, first in 2019 as a member of the Syracuse Crunch and then again in 2020 with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Ingram was playing tremendously for the Admirals in 2019-20, before the American Hockey League (AHL) season was brought to a halt and ultimately canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic: In 33 games, he went 21-5-5 while ranking third in the AHL for both goals-against average (1.92) and SV% (.933).
Even though the 2019-20 season went unfinished, the AHL still handed out its annual honours, and Ingram was named a Second Team All-Star while also sharing in the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, which is given to the goaltenders on the AHL team with the lowest GAA.
He Won the Final Game in Coyotes History
On April 17, 2024, Ingram started Game 82 of the season for the Arizona Coyotes, who were playing for the final time at Mullett Arena in Tempe before relocating to Salt Lake City and becoming the Utah Hockey Club for 2024-25.
Ingram stopped 28 of 30 shots in a 5-2 victory, going down in the record books as the winning goalie of the final game in Coyotes history. Arizona’s opponent that night? None other than the Oilers.
He’s a Masterton Trophy Winner
Ingram set NHL career highs across the board in 2023-24, posting a 23-21-3 record with a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV% in 50 games with the Coyotes. He also tied for the league lead with six shutouts.
It was an inspiring campaign that marked the incredible progression of Ingram, who, while a member of the Nashville Predators in 2021, had nearly retired due to obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering depression before seeking help from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program.
Following the season, Ingram was awarded the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, recognizing the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
He’s Reuniting with Old Teammates
Whether he’s in Edmonton or Bakersfield, Ingram is going to have some familiar faces skating in front of him this season.
The Oilers feature two defencemen that are previous teammates of Ingram: Mattias Ekholm (who Ingram played with on the Predators) and Troy Stecher (who Ingram played with on the Coyotes). The Condors, meanwhile, also feature a pair of Ingram’s ex-teammates: defenceman Josh Brown (who Ingram shared a locker room for two seasons in Arizona) and forward Rem Pitlick (who played with Ingram on Nashville’s AHL affiliates).
Related: Oilers Acquire Goaltender Connor Ingram from Mammoth
While he’s starting off in Bakersfield, there’s a very good chance that Ingram sees action with the Oilers at some point in the not-so distant future. The Condors open their 2025-26 schedule on Oct. 11 against the San Jose Barracuda.
