The Vezina Trophy is a prestigious honor to the year's best goaltender.
It might be too early to discuss the Vezina Trophy, but we can’t contain our excitement about how many of these goaltenders are performing.
Utah’s Connor Ingram is one of the best goalies in the season so far. Utah may have a 4-3-1 record, but Ingram has a 4-1-1 record. Utah was undefeated throughout the first three games, which is one reason for the early success.
His early impressive stability at the net belongs in the same conversation as other elite goalies like Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger. After three games, Ingram was probably a top-three goalie.
Vezina Trophy Candidate Rankings For 2024-25 NHL Season So Far
However, other goalies have been stepping up. It’s not just Shesterkin and Oettinger that Ingram has to compete. There are also names like Sergei Bobrovsky, who has been incredible lately and has become the fastest goaltender in NHL history to reach the 400-win mark.
Connor Hellebuyck and Filip Gustavsson are the only two goaltenders who haven’t lost this season. Hellebuyck is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner from last season, and it was the second one of his career.
Ingram will need to continue to stop more goals and rack up wins. He has a .861 save percentage and 130 out of 151 shots. He hasn’t picked up a shutout yet, but it would be vital if Ingram can reach a .900 or higher percentage like Hellebuyck, who looks like the Vezina Trophy's frontrunner.
Here are the projected rankings for the Vezina Trophy:
1) Connor Hellebuyck
2) Igor Shesterkin
3) Filip Gustavsson
4) Sergei Bobrovsky
5) Connor Ingram
When or if Ingram and Utah face off against those other goalies, that’s where Ingram will need to raise his game. Great athletes play at their ultimate best when their back is up against the wall and when it’s their primary completion. Hellebuyck, Shesterskin, Gustavsson, and Bobrovsky are Ingram’s competition.
Durability will be a significant factor in who will take the Vezina trophy. Ingram must be healthy and consistent on the ice for most of the season. This team goes as long as he produces. Utah has a real shot at being a playoff team if Ingram can be a vocal leader on and off the ice.
Ingram is 27 and, undoubtedly, in the prime of his career. He must prove to himself that he can hang with other elite goalies beginning this season.
A Vezina Trophy in his resume would be an incredible feel-good story, given that Ingram has dealt with many trials and tribulations.