{"id":192736,"date":"2026-02-25T07:45:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/192736\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T07:45:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T07:45:48","slug":"oilers-deliver-shocker-demoting-promising-goalie-prospect-in-puzzling-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/192736\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers deliver shocker, demoting promising goalie prospect in puzzling move"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t \"Connor <\/p>\n

Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Edmonton Oilers are shifting gears with Connor Ungar, sending the surging prospect back down despite a run that nearly forced coach Kris Knoblauch to call his name.<\/p>\n

Ungar has been nothing short of a revelation this season. After bouncing between three different ECHL clubs early on, the 24-year-old found his rhythm in the American League.<\/p>\n

His performance in the “A” was making it impossible for management to ignore him. He recently posted a massive 25-save shutout against Ontario, a performance that highlighted his elite lateral movement.<\/p>\n

Over 11 starts with the Bakersfield Condors, Ungar has put up a stellar .933 save percentage. Those are top-tier numbers for an undrafted free agent playing his first real season of high-level pro hockey.<\/p>\n

But the numbers game in Edmonton is brutal. With the NHL roster solidified and veteran depth returning from injury, the Oilers decided the kid needs more volume than the Condors’ bench can provide.<\/p>\n

And Edmonton hockey reporter Preston Hodgkinson: \u00abCan’t help but think this is the wrong move for Ungar. Here’s a 24-year-old prospect coming up and absolutely owning his opportunity with a 9-2-1 record and .926 SV%, and he gets demoted? Would rather see a guy like Ungar continue to develop in the AHL.\u00bb<\/p>\n

It is a tough pill to swallow for fans who wanted to see him in the Show. The Calgary native has outplayed almost every other netminder in the system since December.<\/p>\n

The defensive structure in Bakersfield definitely helped, but Ungar’s individual high-danger save percentage was carrying the load during several back-to-back stretches.<\/p>\n

Is a future NHL backup emerging?<\/p>\n

Ungar’s journey is atypical. He went from Brock University to the ECHL, eventually proving he belongs in the conversation for a permanent NHL backup role as early as next season.<\/p>\n

His 2.17 GAA in the American League ranks among the best for rookie netminders. He simply stops the pucks he’s supposed to and steals a few he isn’t.<\/p>\n

Management isn’t giving up on him. By sending him down now, they ensure he starts every night rather than split duties in a crowded Bakersfield crease.<\/p>\n

The Oilers are currently in a win-now window where they can’t afford to experiment with unproven prospects during the stretch run. Experience over raw talent is the current mandate.<\/p>\n

Expect Ungar to handle the heavy workload with the same poise he showed during his 5-0 start in the AHL. He is clearly the next man up if a disaster strikes the blue paint in Edmonton.<\/p>\n

Previously on Blade of steel<\/p>\n

POLL<\/p>\n

FEVRIER 23|76 ANSWERS<\/p>\n

Oilers deliver shocker, demoting promising goalie prospect in puzzling move<\/p>\n

Do you believe the Edmonton Oilers made the right choice in demoting goaltender Connor Ungar to the ECHL?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images The Edmonton Oilers are shifting gears with Connor Ungar,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":192737,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,3855,153,152,70124,2070,404,90274,41201],"class_list":{"0":"post-192736","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bakersfield","8":"tag-bakersfield","9":"tag-bakersfield-condors","10":"tag-bakersfield-headlines","11":"tag-bakersfield-news","12":"tag-connor-ungar","13":"tag-edmonton-oilers","14":"tag-nhl","15":"tag-oilers-news-and-rumors","16":"tag-prospects"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}