Analyst provides update on Connor Ingram's play in AHL, debates call up to Oilers

The Oilers traded for goaltender Connor Ingram from the Utah Mammoth, a deal that included Utah absorbing 50% of Ingram's cap-hit, making the risk acceptable, and affordable.

When we finally got a chance to watch Ingram in action in his first game with Bakersfield, he impressed by stopping 22 of 23 shots in a 2-1 win over San Jose.

In his second game, though he did not earn a win, displayed many of the skills for which he was acquired, making highlight-reel saves and showing a maturity in goal beyond his experience thus far in his young professional career.

Now, the main reason Ingram was brought in was as a security measure, in the event that Stuart Skinner and/or Calvin Pickard did not perform as hoped, which in truth, has been the case in first 11 games.

Having said this, Skinner has not been terrible, either. In his seven starts this season, his record is 3-3-1, with a GAA of 2.41.

However, having a goalie like Connor Ingram in the system, who seems to be finding his game after a couple of difficult years personally and professionally, takes a lot of pressure off the Oilers.

Of the 114 goaltenders that faced at least 50 shots in the past three seasons, Ingram ranks 10th in goals saved above expectation (GSAx), which shows a goalie's level of performance beyond the standard GAA and SV%.

That number ranks him ahead of Andrei Vasilevskiy, Thatcher Demko, and Sergei Bobrovsky just to name a few.

Also, according to Natural Stat Trick, Ingram had a 5-on-5 SV% of 0.845 on high-danger shots. Just to put that into perspective, Connor Hellebuyck, who won the 2023-24 Vezina - had a high-danger save percentage of 0.843 in the last three season.