From being cut at age 14 to winning major NHL awards

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Connor Ingram was not always a top prospect. After being cut from his Bantam AA team at 14, he had to overcome undiagnosed OCD, depression, and alcoholism to reach the pinnacle of professional hockey, eventually becoming a starting goaltender in the NHL.

Ingram's journey to the NHL was marked by significant personal and professional hurdles. At age 14, he was cut from his Bantam AA team, having only started playing goal two years prior. During his early development, he was not widely considered a top prospect. His rise required navigating severe mental health challenges, including undiagnosed obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. These conditions led to struggles with alcoholism and a preoccupation with contamination, which once caused him to avoid giving high fives to fans due to a fear of infection.

Despite these obstacles, Ingram's statistical performance improved steadily through the ranks. After playing for the Kamloops Blazers in the WHL, he entered the professional ranks with the Syracuse Crunch. In the 2022–23 season, while playing for the Arizona Coyotes, he set an NHL record for the most saves by a rookie in their first career shutout, stopping 47 shots in a 1–0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 15, 2023.

His resilience was formally recognized when he received the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, an award for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. He was the last active player to win a major NHL award for the Arizona Coyotes franchise before its assets were transferred to the Utah Hockey Club. After a period of playing for the Utah team and later the Edmonton Oilers, Ingram announced his retirement from professional hockey on September 11, 2026.

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