Oilers’ Connor Ingram nominated for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Connor Ingram has been named as the Edmonton Oilers’ nominee for the 2026 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The 29-year-old goaltender was voted as the team’s nominee by the Professional Hockey Writers Association chapter in Edmonton.

Per the NHL, the award is presented each year “to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association.” Each local chapter submits a nominee, after which the list is narrowed to three finalists and an eventual winner.

Ingram previously won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2024 while part of the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes organization. He was recognized for his strength in seeking help through the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program after nearly retiring due to obsessive-compulsive disorder and lingering depression.

“I think this is a job that not a lot of people get to do, and I put 22 years of my life into it and thought I might as well keep going at this point,” Ingram said, after he received the award in May 2024. “Lucky for me, I got a shot in Nashville and I got a shot in Arizona to keep it going, so I’ll be forever grateful to hockey and the hockey world for helping me through it.”

After a tough few years, Ingram has battled his way back to the NHL this season with the Oilers. Ingram started the year with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors and was called up to Edmonton in December. In 28 appearances with the Oilers this season, he has a 14-9-2 record, with a .895 SV% and two shutouts.

He has also opened up this year about his struggle with mental illness, and the help he was able to get through the NHL/NHLPA Players Assistance program, which he re-entered after the loss of his mother in December 2024.

First awarded following the 1967-68 season, no Oiler has ever won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Ingram’s nomination is the second in a row for an Edmonton goaltender, after Calvin Pickard was selected as the nominee last season. Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Sean Monahan took home that award in 2025.