Connor Ingram has had a phenomenal return to the NHL. He has made three straight starts with the Edmonton Oilers and has potentially assisted in solidifying the tandem moving forward.
The Oilers’ goaltending has been a complete mess for a long time. Now, Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram have a chance to bring the Oilers a Stanley Cup. Seeing the challenges that Ingram has overcome in his career easily makes him a goalie to root for. So far, things have gone great with the Oilers, and the future seems bright.
Let’s take a look at Ingram’s return to the NHL.
Ingram’s best moments
Ingram’s journey to becoming an NHL starter is interesting in its own right. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. After spending time in the AHL and ECHL, Ingram was traded to the Nashville Predators for a seventh-round pick. Nashville was where Ingram made a name for himself. Here, he made four appearances in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. His most notable performance came in game two when he stopped forty nine of fifty one shots in a 2–1 overtime loss.
The season after that amazing playoff performance, Ingram was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Coyotes. This was where Ingram began to thrive as he established himself as an NHL starter in the 2023–24 season. Ingram made 50 starts that season and posted a .907 save percentage alongside a 2.91 goals against average. Considering he was on a weak Coyote team, these are impressive stats to put up. This was such a good year for Ingram that it resulted in him winning the Bill Masterton Trophy. This award goes to the player who best demonstrates perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport.
To this point, Ingram’s new journey with the Oilers has been very good. One can only hope that his solid performance stays as the season wears on. Do you think that Ingram has won the backup position over Calvin Pickard? The Oilers’ success with Ingram in net may be a determining factor in that.
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Off-ice journey
As Ingram has had some success on the ice, unfortunately, he has also had some personal struggles off the ice. In March of 2025, Ingram entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program after his mother passed away from cancer. This was obviously an extremely sad time for the goaltender, who needed to take a break from hockey. After spending some time focusing on his health and working with the NHLPA, Ingram was cleared from the program in August 2025. He was set and prepared to make a significant return to the NHL.
Ingram struggled mightily with the Utah Hockey Club before entering the player assistance program. Afterwards, it was a question of whether or not the goaltender needed a fresh start elsewhere. This was answered shortly after as the Oilers traded for Ingram in exchange for future considerations. Now, he was set for a new opportunity with a different organization.
Ingram began his chapter with the Oilers in the AHL. During his time with the Bakersfield Condors, Ingram made eleven starts, posting 4–5–2 record with a .856 save percentage. Clearly, these stats are not what the goalie would have wanted; however, he ended up getting the call-up. Now, Ingram has made three consecutive starts with the Oilers, posting a 2–1 record, impressing many hockey fans with a .915 save percentage.
Ingram’s opportunity with the Oilers
Ingram is likely to stay with the Oilers for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, this means that Pickard has potentially played his final game as an Oiler. The tandem moving forward will be Ingram and Jarry (once he returns from injury). This tandem will have plenty of pressure on it as the Oilers will once again, be looking to bring home the Stanley Cup.
Based on the three games that he has played, one could argue that Ingram could be the starter in net. Jarry has played the same number of games for the Oilers and has, quite frankly, not been much better than Stuart Skinner. However, Jarry is undefeated through three games as an Oiler, so potentially, this organization has finally found two reliable goalies to roll with.
The league is unsure of how long Jarry will exactly be out for. At this moment, it is Ingram’s net the whole way through. The next two upcoming games will be excellent tests for Ingram and the Oilers. Tonight, the Oilers are in Winnipeg to take on the Jets. Meanwhile, the remainder of the week includes games against the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers. Ingram likely starts in at least two of these games. Should he start in all three? Or is that too much of an early workload?
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