Undrafted goalie Ungar rises up Oilers pipeline

EDMONTON -- Connor Ungar made the most of a difficult situation last season, which did not go unnoticed by the Edmonton Oilers.

The 24-year-old goalie bounced around the ECHL and American Hockey League in search of playing time and made a good impression everywhere he landed. That earned him a one-year, two-way contract worth $850,000 he signed with Edmonton on June 18.

"I think when you look back at it as a whole, there was a lot of positive stuff," Ungar said at Oilers development camp in June."Then there's a lot of stuff that I need to continuously keep getting better at and I have a lot of stuff that I need to keep working on."

Ungar played for Fort Wayne, Greensboro and Orlando in the ECHL and Bakersfield in the AHL last season. He played so well in Bakersfield, some Oilers fans suggested he should be brought up to the NHL for a look.

"He's a really good young goalie and he started the season as our No. 7 in the system, and that's why we didn't even have a spot in Fort Wayne for him," Oilers assistant general manager, player development and innovation Kalle Larsson said. "He went to Greensboro and Orlando in the ECHL, stood on his head and made his mark.

He got called up to Bakersfield and did the same thing there.

"He really was in a tough situation and turned it into something awesome and I think that's a huge challenge for any player, but especially for a goalie."

Ungar started the season in Fort Wayne, Edmonton's ECHL affiliate, but only played two games behind Nathaniel Day and Samuel Jonsson, each Oilers draft picks. He won both starts with a 1.44 goals-against average and .944 save percentage.

Originally signed by the Oilers to a two-year, entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent out of Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, on March 18, 2024, Ungar was loaned to Greensboro in late October and played four games with the Carolina Hurricanes affiliate. He went 2-1-1 with a 1.42 GAA, .945 save percentage and one shutout.

Ungar was then loaned to Orlando, the Tampa Bay Lightning affiliate, where he played 19 games between callups to Bakersfield, going 7-8-3 with a 2.66 GAA, .913 save percentage and three shutouts. He was 9-2-2 with a 2.51 GAA, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 13 AHL games.

Of the four goalies Edmonton used last season, Stuart Skinner, Calvin Pickard, Tristan Jarry and Connor Ingram, none had a save percentage over .900.

"My time in Bakersfield was great, that was a lot of fun," Ungar said. "I thought that was some of the most fun I've had playing hockey.

I was playing well there for a long stretch and the teammates were unbelievable, I had a lot of fun coming to the rink with those guys every day.

Ungar is expected to play for Bakersfield this season, which would be a big jump up the organizational ladder in a crowded goalie pool. Edmonton acquired Devon Levi in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres and signed Frederik Andersen on July 1.

The two are expected to share the Oilers net with Jarry this season.

"I'm really excited about Connor, he had such a great year last year," Larsson said. "He worked so hard, I'm a big fan.

I think the plan is that he's going to be in'Bako' (Bakersfield), him and (Matt) Tomkins and I'm very excited for that.

"It's cool to have a young goalie like that and with the path that he's been on, he's going to hit adversity sooner and later, and usually you see what players are made of when that happens and he hit it last year and boy did he come out on top."

Ungar is set for a full season in the AHL and to perhaps earn some playing time in the preseason with the Oilers. He recognizes there is an opportunity to develop into Edmonton's next starting goalie with Andersen and Levi each on a one-year contract, and Jarry having two seasons left on his five-year contract.

"I think my game has continuously been getting better and if you want to get to the next level and reach your next goals, you have to keep continuing to adapt and get better," Ungar said. "You really don't have a choice if that's where you want to go and I believe I've been doing that, and I think I can take another step this year.

If he can earn the trust and a commitment from the Oilers, time is on his side.

"I think goaltending is a lot of being familiar with everything, so the longer you play, the more pucks you stop and the more situations you see and you kind of learn from there," Ungar said. "That's what makes the position unique.

It's the only position where almost the longer you play, the better you start to feel. You see countless situations like that, and I think that helps you predict the next plan.