Connor Ungar put in another strong performance as he continues dominating the AHL. Is this undrafted goalie’s stellar play enough to earn an Oilers call-up?
Goaltender Connor Ungar continues to force his way into the conversation in Edmonton, and Sunday night was another loud reminder that the Edmonton Oilers may have something special in their system.
The Bakersfield Condors shut out the Ontario Reign 3–0 despite being down 10 regulars, playing the second half of a back-to-back, and traveling on a tight turnaround. It was a solid game by the entire team, but Ungar stood out, yet again, with a 25-save shutout.
Big games from Quinn Hutson -- 1-1-2, now has 21 goals last 20 GP in AHL -- and Viljami Marjala were part of the storyline for the Condors in the win, but the takeaway was Ungar.
The 23-year-old picked up his fifth straight AHL win, improving to 5-0 with a 1.38 GAA and .953 save percentage since being recalled from the ECHL. Ungar is now 10-1-4 with a .947 save percentage and 1.49 GAA across 16 games this season, split between four teams in two leagues. It's becoming clear that, when you average out what he's doing at every level of hockey he's playing, this is someone the Oilers should keep an eye on.
Frankly, this is a goaltender to be excited about.
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Ungar took an unconventional path to get where he is, going undrafted out of Brock University before quietly stacking strong numbers in the ECHL. His workload there proved he's durable. His early AHL run is proving legitimacy.
If there's a knock on the netminder, it's his size. Ungar is 6-foot-flat in a professional sport where NHL teams prioritize bigger goaltenders. At some point, that might not matter. The way he's performing the prototypical big goalie "flaw" can be overlooked.
Connor Ungar, Oilers prospect goalieDoes He Fit Somewhere With the Oilers?
Edmonton’s depth chart in goal is currently quite crowded. For Ungar, this is a numbers game. But, there is good news.
Of all the goalies the Oilers are evaluating and making decisions on, only Tristan Jarry is signed beyond this season. If Ungar can hold anywhere near this level as the rest of the AHL season goes along, he could make a case for the Oilers to give him a shot to earn a spot next season.
And, if there's some kind of emergency this season (injuries or another trade) he looks like the kind of a goalie, who if given an opportunity, might embrace it.
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