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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNDec 13, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
There are times when it feels like Arizona Coyotes goalie Connor Ingram materialized out of nowhere, breaking through at 26 years old to become one of the NHL’s top netminders this season.
“You get the guys who are just pure hype machines that go straight to the NHL. And then there’s the guys like us, who grind away for several years before we get an opportunity. I think there’s something to be said for them,” Ingram told ESPN. “Some guys get their opportunities early. Some guys take a couple tries before they figure it out.”
It’s taken seven professional seasons for Ingram to figure it out on the ice, through multiple AHL and ECHL stops, stints with the Nashville Predators and the Coyotes, and nine games in Sweden he’d actually rather forget about.
“Our team over there got accused of throwing games,” said Ingram. “It’s actually a crazy story.”
Ingram has also had to figure things out off the ice, where an undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering depression nearly had him retire from hockey in 2021 — before he sought help.
“I tried to white knuckle it through that kind of stuff. And you can’t,” he said.
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Ingram started the season with an 11-5-0 record and a .920 save percentage through 17 games. ESPN analyst and former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes called Ingram “the most underrated goalie” in the NHL this season, and a “top-tier candidate for the Vezina Trophy.” Arizona GM Bill Armstrong called him one of the most important reasons why the Coyotes were a surprising playoff contender two months into the season.
Armstrong claimed Ingram on waivers in Oct. 2022. It was out of necessity, given how thin the team was at the position. But the team’s scouts had also identified Ingram as having all the attributes they were looking for in a goaltender.
The Coyotes felt Ingram played well last season, with a .907 save percentage in 27 games and analytics…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39097817/nhl-connor-ingram-goalie-coyotes-stats-mental-health
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2023-12-13 12:40:10
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