According to the AHL website, Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram has been assigned to the Tucson Roadrunners on a conditioning stint.
Ingram’s last game was on Nov. 18 against the Washington Capitals, where he was pulled after allowing four goals on 18 shots.
The general assumption in the moment was that the coaches were swapping goalies to give the team a better shot at winning the game, but two days later, the club announced that Ingram was “day-to-day” with an upper-body injury.
While his injury status was never officially changed from day-to-day, the team seemed to treat it more like a week-to-week situation. Ingram skated with the team in Colorado on Dec. 12, at which point he and the team concluded that he was not yet ready to return.
The 27-year-old goaltender is seven games shy of his 100th career NHL game.
How does an AHL conditioning stint work?
When a player — particularly a goalie — returns from a long-term injury, he will often play a few games in the AHL to get back his feel for the game.
A typical conditioning stint lasts up to three games or six days, but with approval from the player and the league, they can go longer.
Fans might remember when former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price played a game with the Laval Rocket, despite being among the best goalies in the world at the time. It was a conditioning stint, just like this one.
What will happen to Utah’s current goalie rotation?
Karel Vejmelka has emerged during Ingram’s absence as a top goalie. His numbers have consistently been among the top 10 in the league and it’s even possible that he gets some Vezina Trophy votes.
He started the season as the backup goalie, but when Ingram returns, Vejmelka will likely remain the starter.
Jaxson Stauber has also turned some heads. The team called him up when Ingram went out, and he made a splash right away with a 6-0 shutout over the mighty Vegas Golden Knights.
He followed that performance up with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in his next appearance, but he took his first loss against the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout.
Stauber will likely go back to the AHL upon Ingram’s return, though he should keep his head held high.
He has proven himself as a viable option and will almost certainly get more NHL opportunities in the future.