Connor Ingram Announces His NHL Retirement, Already Knows What Comes Next

The journeyman goaltender played for four NHL teams over five years. Connor Ingram announced his retirement on Instagram with a simple post and caption that read, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened. Thanks hockey, I owe ya.”

The NHL community was definitely surprised that Ingram didn’t get another contract offer. The Oilers chose not to re-sign him after a strong showing. No other team got involved either. Ultimately, whether he fell out of love with the game or the league decided it was time to hang them up, Ingram’s knows what’s next.

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also reported that Ingram’s “goal is to go back to school for psychology; use what he learned to help others.”

Drafted 88th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016, Ingram made his NHL debut in 2021-22 when he started three games for the Nashville Predators. He played 27 games for the Arizona Coyotes in 2022-23, starting 26 of those with a 3.37 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and one shutout.

In 2023-24, he played in 50 games, a career high. He started 48 of those and finished with a 23-21-3 record with a 2.91 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage and six shutouts. He won the Bill Masterton Trophy that season as the player who best exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.

Ingram entered the NHL’s Player Assistance program during the 2024-25 season while part of the Utah Mammoth.

He was cleared from the program in August and was then traded to the Edmonton Oilers in October. His record was  16-10-3 with a 2.60 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in the regular season and 2-3 in the playoffs, as the Anaheim Ducks eliminated the Oilers in the first round.

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