Ungar\u2019s season had him play four games with the Greensboro Gargoyles, then two with Fort Wayne, then five with Orlando Solar Bears, before he was recalled to Bakersfield in the American Hockey League. Ungar has been outstanding with the Condors, going 6-0 with a .955Sv% and 1.32 GAA. Ungar joined me on Sports 1440 to discuss his unique season and journey to pro hockey.<\/p>\n
Jason Gregor:\u00a0 Connor, you\u2019ve had quite the journey to this point. Take me through the path and what\u2019s led to the resiliency and never wanting to give up, because I\u2019m sure there were probably times somebody said maybe you should think of a different career.<\/p>\n
Connor Ungar: Yeah, maybe someone else said that. But never me, it\u2019s always been hockey. I\u2019ve never questioned my ability to do it. I never thought about anything else. But I think goaltending maybe takes a bit longer, but from my perspective, I just kept playing the game, kept learning, kept growing and just getting better ultimately.<\/p>\n
Ungar: To be completely honest, they were just the only team that promised, well not promised, but basically said you\u2019re going to play every game. I knew that if I wanted to move on from there, I needed that right. In U Sport you only play what, 30 games, and I knew I couldn\u2019t get away with playing 15.\u00a0I needed somewhere where I was going to play 25 plus. I just felt like it was a good fit,\u00a0ultimately, because of the ice time that was going to be available.<\/p>\n
Gregor: You played one year in Brock and went to Fort Wayne in the ECHL.\u00a0What did you learn last season in the ECHL\u00a0that\u2019s helped you for this season?<\/p>\n
Ungar: I think learning the schedule a little bit. It\u2019s obviously a pretty grueling schedule with a lot of three games in three nights. And the guys are bigger, stronger, but I think just seeing different situations. Obviously, the situations are different and in pro there is a lot more traffic. It\u2019s faster. So, you have to adapt and read those different situations. I think the biggest thing is I just saw a lot of a lot of situations that I hadn\u2019t seen before, and I think coming into this year, I knew what to expect a little bit.<\/p>\n
Oilersnation wants to hear from you, the reader, in our new weekly \u201cLetters to the Editor<\/a>\u201d segment. Letters can be emailed to Oilersnation\u2019s managing editor Zach Laing (zach.laing@bettercollective.com<\/a>), titled \u201cLetters to the Editor.\u201d Please include a letter up to 200 words, including your name, place of residence (city, town, province, or state). Your letters may be edited for length and\/or clarity. Letters must be submitted by 6 PM MT Saturday night to be considered for feature on Sunday mornings.<\/p>\n Gregor: I think it\u2019s fair to say from an outsider\u2019s point of view, you can handle adversity. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t get you off your game. There\u2019s not many players who play for three different teams, Greensboro, Fort Wayne and Orlando, in a span of 11 games. Take me through those conversations and were you aware that might be your path this season?<\/p>\n Ungar: Maybe a bit. It\u2019s kind of funny to look at it now when you say it like that. But in the moment, it doesn\u2019t quite feel like that. I didn\u2019t know I was going to play for three different teams. You go to Greensboro first and you\u2019re like, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m here.\u2019 You play there. And then obviously Fort Wayne had an injury and then called and said we need you back at Fort Wayne. And so, then I\u2019m thinking, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m going here.\u2019 You aren\u2019t planning on it.<\/p>\n I just tried to tell myself, I\u2019m in Greensboro, okay now I\u2019m in Fort Wayne and then obviously, the Orlando one was just funny having a third one. But they said Orlando is going to give you a good opportunity for the rest of the year. So, I thought I okay, I guess now I\u2019m in Orlando. I was like, \u2018Okay I\u2019m in Orlando and that\u2019s where I\u2019m at now.\u2019 Then I got the news I\u2019m going to Bakersfield. And then it\u2019s just very happy and grateful. I couldn\u2019t wait to go.<\/p>\n It is a little bit of a comedy to look at it now and be like, well, four teams in 12 games, but in the moment, you\u2019re just going to play. And I think that\u2019s what\u2019s helped me through the whole process. I kind of enjoyed it and just take a new challenge on for what it is. There is no reason to feel down, because I was playing well in all the spots. I got to each new team and just thought let\u2019s go play well here too and I didn\u2019t overthink anything. I just went out and played.<\/p>\n Connor Ungar is seen in a November 22nd, 2025 game for the ECHL\u2019s Fort Wayne Komets.<\/p>\n Gregor: The crazy part is you start in Greensboro. You play four games and have a .945Sv%. Then two games in Fort Wayne with a .944Sv% and then five games in Orlando with a .944Sv%. People mention the environment in front of a goalie can impact their play, but it didn\u2019t seem to matter to you, because three different teams playing different ways and your stats were virtually identical. Then you go up to the American League, and you\u2019ve started out 6-0 with a .955Sv% in a tougher league. How did you make the transition to the AHL look so smooth?<\/p>\n Ungar: Honestly, not paying attention to the statistics at all. And I was just pretty driven this year to focus on the process over the results. I think maybe in previous years, everyone pays attention to numbers and stats. And ultimately, you need that to move on, but that can be a distraction at times. I felt like there was maybe times last year where it was a distraction for me. It was a goal of mine this year to not let that be a distraction and as long as I felt like I was playing well in the games and worrying about what actually mattered it would benefit me more. You just have to believe that the stats will take care of themselves. And so far, they have this year. I don\u2019t want to change what I\u2019m doing. I just want to keep focusing on what matters. And that\u2019s practices and just trust in the process.<\/p>\n Gregor: It seems to be working for you, Connor. You mentioned you\u2019ve improved as a goalie. Was there something specific about your game that you wanted to improve on, that became a focal point in the off-season?<\/p>\n Ungar: Of course there\u2019s little tactical aspects, like skating and your hands and your puck handling, small stuff like that. But I think the biggest change was just more mental than anything. Trying to be calmer. It\u2019s hard to explain, but you\u2019re in practice and you\u2019re doing great in practice and you\u2019re like, \u2018Okay, why am I so good in practice, but then I\u2019ll give up one in the game that I\u2019m thinking if this is practice, I would have had it.\u2019 It was more my demeanor. I was almost too, I don\u2019t know if anxious is the right word, or I was simply too excited to play the game. You get a little bit too sporadic.<\/p>\n I think this year, I\u2019ve done a good job of mentally, maybe slowing it down a little bit. And taking myself more to like a practice mentality of being calmer and more relaxed and less sporadic. And I think that\u2019s honestly been a big change for me. It\u2019s just treating games more like practices and being aware of when maybe I\u2019m getting a little nervous or a little hyper and just bringing myself back to that calm place like you have in practice. Because you\u2019re not nervous in practice. It\u2019s practice. So really, I\u2019ve been trying to put an emphasis on that, and I think it has really helped me.<\/p>\n Connor Ungar is seen in a November 14th, 2025 game for the ECHL\u2019s Greensboro Gargoyles.<\/p>\n Gregor: I hadn\u2019t heard that viewpoint before of treating the game like a practice, in terms of being calm. It makes sense, but I\u2019m guessing it a lot easier said than done. Connor, looking back at your career you played for two different teams in 2019, two teams in 2020, and then from 2021 to 2023 you played one year in Brandon, Red Deer and Moose Jaw. Then to Brock University, last year in Fort Wayne and this year you\u2019ve played on four different teams. Were you always someone who could adjust and fit it to a new situation easily?<\/p>\n Ungar. (Laughs). Yes, it\u2019s kind of funny when you read the profile and you\u2019re like wow this guy\u2019s played on a lot of teams. It\u2019s just kind of unique how it\u2019s worked out like that, but, yes, I think I\u2019ve always been a guy that can fit in any locker room. I\u2019d say I\u2019m pretty easy going and can just roll with the punches\u00a0and go with the flow.<\/p>\n When you look at how many teams I played on, maybe that is a strength of mine. I think my personality is easy to get along with. There\u2019s been no trouble for me to fit in the different places. But it is kind of funny to look back and realize I haven\u2019t played on the same team two years in a row.<\/p>\n Gregor: It has worked out for you. Everyone\u2019s path is different. Since arriving in Bakersfield, you\u2019ve played great. You are 6-0, the team is 9-1. You\u2019ve only allowed three goals in your last four starts. And your partner, Matt Tomkins, just posted back-to-back shutouts. Goalies have to be each other\u2019s biggest cheerleader, so how are you when you watch Matt having those two games? I see goalies talking to each other during TV timeouts etc. What are you talking about? Do you ever mention shutouts to each other? \u00a0<\/p>\n Ungar (laughs): Oh, yeah, we never talk about it when the game\u2019s going on, but we talk a lot after the game and stuff. And whether it is a good or bad games we\u2019ll talk about it and what we what we noticed about that that team we played. There\u2019s been great dialogue between us. I feel like I\u2019m playing well, he\u2019s playing and the team has been playing really well. So, it\u2019s a lot of fun right now, to be honest. The vibes are great and I think everyone\u2019s just pretty determined to keep this thing rolling as far as we can.<\/p>\n Matt has been spectacular the last couple of games.\u00a0And the team\u2019s got a ton of confidence. It\u2019s fun to be a part of and I\u2019m just really, really grateful\u00a0for the opportunity to be here and I\u2019m excited for the upcoming weekend.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769287930_784_image.jpeg\"\/)
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