On Wednesday (April 8), the NHL announced this season’s nominations for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. One player from each of the league’s 32 teams is nominated for the award, which honours the player who is judged as best exemplifying qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey.
The Edmonton Oilers are represented by Connor Ingram, a 29-year-old goaltender in his first season with the team after being traded from the Utah Mammoth.
Against all likelihood, Ingram has become the Oilers’ No. 1 netminder. When the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs start in just over a week, Ingram will almost surely be the man in net for the two-time defending Western Conference champions.
Over Edmonton’s prior 45 seasons in the NHL, no Oilers player has ever won the Masterton Trophy. But there has perhaps never been an Oiler more deserving of the award than Ingram. His journey from the American Hockey League (AHL) back to the NHL, where he has stabilized a turbulent situation between the pipes in Edmonton, personifies perseverance.
Ingram’s Journey Back to the NHL
Ingram appeared in 22 games with the Mammoth in 2024-25 before missing the final several weeks of the season after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following his mother’s death from breast cancer.
He did not attend Utah’s training camp and was waived by the Mammoth in September. After Ingram cleared waivers, Edmonton acquired the netminder in exchange for future considerations on Oct. 1.
Some felt that Ingram should start the 2025-26 season in the NHL, especially given Edmonton’s shakiness between the pipes with the tandem of Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner. Instead, Ingram was assigned to Edmonton’s AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.
Ingram had a rough time in Bakersfield, going 4-5-2 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 4.04 and save percentage (SV%) of .856 in 11 appearances over the first couple months of the AHL season.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, goaltending remained a glaring weakness for the Oilers. Desperate to address the issue, Edmonton traded Skinner, along with defenceman Cody Ceci and a 2029 second-round pick, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for goalie Tristan Jarry on Dec. 12.
As Ingram continued to flounder in the AHL, the Oilers prepared to move forward with a new netminding duo of Jarry and Pickard. Then, in just his third game as an Oiler, Jarry was injured, leaving Edmonton in need of a second goalie. The call went down to Bakersfield on Dec. 19: Ingram was returning to the NHL.
Ingram Secures Job in Edmonton
On Dec. 21, Ingram played his first NHL game in nearly 10 months, making 26 saves to backstop Edmonton to a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at Rogers Place. He looked nothing like the goalie who had struggled the last several weeks in the AHL but appeared much more like the netminder who posted a 2.91 GAA and .907 SV% in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes in 2023-24.
Related: Ingram’s Return to NHL With Oilers is Feel-Good Moment of the Year
Over his first month as an Oiler, Ingram went 5-3-1 with a 2.22 GAA and .917 SV%. He quickly won the favour of Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch, who gave Ingram seven starts in goal compared to just four for Pickard while Jarry was sidelined.
Initially, after Jarry returned from injury in mid-January, the Oilers kept all three netminders on their roster. But sooner or later, the Oilers would have to put one on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield. Whether that should be Ingram or Pickard was a great debate that captivated Oil Country for a few weeks. On Feb. 1, Edmonton waived Pickard, who subsequently cleared and reported to the Condors.
From that moment, Ingram has done nothing but validate the Oilers’ decision to stick with him. While Jarry endured a dreadful stretch through February and March, Ingram provided Edmonton with a steady presence in goal. For every bad goal that Jarry would allow at the worst possible time, Ingram came up with the key save in the big moment.
Ingram Has Won Masterton Before
With just three games remaining on their schedule, the Oilers lead the Pacific Division standings. They could clinch first place as soon as Monday (April 13), finishing atop their division standings for the first time since 1986-87.
But it’s not a stretch to say that without Ingram, Edmonton might not even be in a playoff position. In games with the Oilers this season, he is the team leader in wins (15), GAA (2.78), SV% (.894) and shutouts (2).
But there’s another wrinkle that makes this story even more compelling: Ingram has already won the Masterton.
In 2023-24, while playing in Arizona, Ingram received the award, being honoured for his breakout season with the Coyotes only three years after nearly retiring due to lingering depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Just like no Oilers player has won the Masterton Trophy, no player has won it more than once. Ingram could make all kinds of history when the award winners are announced later this year.
