Arizona Coyotes goaltender Connor Ingram had been through two organizations before he found a home in Arizona. He has become the Coyotes’ starting netminder and is having a career year through the first two months of the 2023-24 NHL season. Karel Vejmelka is now the backup as Ingram has taken the reins of the net.
Coyotes’ Ingram Showing Flashes of Brilliance
Early in his career, Ingram played for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Kamloops Blazers during the 2014-15 season. He posted a record of 21-21-5 with a 2.96 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .904 save percentage (SV%) in 52 games. The following season, he led Kamloops to a playoff appearance, going 34-15-9 with a .922 SV% and a 2.61 GAA in 61 games.
He caught the eye of scouts and became a goaltender of interest. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning 88th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. On April 4, 2017, he and the Lightning agreed on a three-year, entry-level contract.
Ingram made his professional debut on Oct. 7, 2017, with the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Lightning, the Syracuse Crunch, and made 15 saves en route to an overtime loss against the Rochester Americans. He rebounded by recording his first professional win three weeks later on Oct. 21, 2017, stopping 23 shots in a 4-1 win against the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Ingram spent the 2018-19 season with the Crunch and the Lightning’s ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. He posted a 14-7 record with Syracuse with six shutouts, a 2.26 GAA, and a .922 SV%. Ingram was equally good with Orlando, posting an 8-2 record with a .914 SV% and a 2.81 GAA.
On June 14, 2019, he was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (Robert Flinton). Ingram was motivated to play well and prove the Lightning wrong by giving up on him. On Oct. 21, 2021, with the Predators, he won his first NHL game, making 33 saves in a 5-2 win against the Minnesota Wild. This win was monumental for Ingram, as it came nearly nine months after entering the league’s Player Assistance Program (from ‘Predators’ Connor Ingram put mental health first to pursue his dream: “I didn’t know if I’d ever play hockey again,” The Athletic; Nov. 3, 2021).
Ingram lasted three seasons with the Predators before getting claimed on waivers by the Coyotes on Oct. 10, 2022. He recorded his first NHL shutout on Feb. 15, 2022, a 1-0 shutout against the team that drafted him, Tampa Bay. He made 47 saves in that game, setting the NHL record for most saves by a rookie in their first shutout.
He had proved himself in Arizona enough that the Coyotes re-signed him to a three-year, $5.85 million contract extension on June 25, 2023.
Ingram has come into his own in Arizona and caught the attention of Coyotes fans with his steady play between the pipes. This season, he has a record of 8-3 with a 2.49 GAA, a .924 SV%, and one shutout. His play has placed him as the team’s starter for the foreseeable future, and he has earned this as he has been consistent whenever he takes the ice. He has a record of 15-18-8 with a 3.16 GAA, a .910 SV%, and two shutouts in his career.
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Ingram is having a breakout season, posting career-highs in wins, GAA, and SV% while tying for shutouts with one. His eight wins are in the top 10 of goalie statistics, his SV% is 12th, and he is 16th in GAA. They’re not elite numbers, but they’re good enough to set personal bests and keep the Coyotes in a playoff race in the Central Division.
Ingram has earned the opportunity to carry this team to success. He looks comfortable, plays his game, and makes the save when he has to. If he continues to play this well, the Coyotes may grab a playoff spot and be a contender in the tough Western Conference.