The son of a high-end golf coach (currently serving as Canada’s men’s golf coach), and a terrific golfer himself, Ingram is an intriguing athlete who appears to be scratching the surface of his potential as a player. Despite being a late 2003 born player, Ingram’s experience level is considerably lower than other players his age. A late bloomer, both physically and skillfully, Ingram was passed over in the WHL bantam draft and not selected until late in the USHL draft by Youngstown. He came to camp with Youngstown this offseason as a long shot to make the team but has ended up being far and away the team’s best player. Ingram’s game is not perfect, and he has gone through bouts of inconsistency this year, however the St. Cloud commit oozes potential as he makes the full-time commitment to higher level hockey. His skating has already improved greatly over the course of the USHL season, his shot is a major weapon, and his understanding of how to play without the puck is pretty advanced. As the physical tools continue to blossom, we should get a better indication of Ingram’s high-end potential. As is, he has shown enough this year (out of nowhere) to warrant a selection inside the top 50 or even 40.
| Adam Ingram | Date of Birth: 2003-10-14 |
|---|---|
| Position: C/W, Shoots: L | H/W: 6'2", 174lbs |
| Stats to Date: (GP-G-A-PTS-PIMS) | Youngstown, USHL (51-24-28-52) |
Skating
A classic late bloomer physically (Ingram has grown several inches since being passed over in the WHL bantam draft), Ingram has already shown improvements in his skating since the start of the USHL season. Early on in the season, he had trouble sustaining speed because of shorter, choppy strides that required him to work extremely hard to build speed. But looking at him now, there are times where his speed is actually noticeable and difficult for USHL defenders to contain. He has elongated his strides slightly and certainly improved his conditioning. He has also learned to incorporate linear crossovers to help him build speed cutting through the neutral zone. He still has room to improve his top speed. There are times where he just does not create the kind of separation that he needs to get clear of the defense. Additionally, his movement East/West, particularly his confidence on his edges and ability to build speed out of pivots, will need to improve further. He is very much a straight-line attacker currently. Right now, this grade would probably be best as a 50, but I believe, given his underdeveloped physical profile, and the growth he has already shown this year, that Ingram can work to be an above average NHL skater. I think that as he adds strength to his core and lower body, his power will improve. And as he continues to work on his mechanics, his ability to incorporate linear crossovers will allow him to be more deceptive with that added power.
A clip and entry from early in the USHL season. You can tell a few things from this. Firstly, Ingram’s first few strides lack considerable power. They are also shorter and not sustainable. He attempts to alter his pace and cut to the inside, but does not have the power to explode laterally quickly and this does not give him the separation he needs to clear the stick check, limiting the power on his shot attempt.
Another clip from early in the year. Ingram makes a great play to poke the puck past the defender, creating the two on one. He attempts to build speed to pull away but realizes that altering his pace would be more effective. The toe drag around the defender to create the scoring chance is impressive, but likely not needed if Ingram was a little quicker.
Fast forward to the present. A similar kind of play to the previous clip, only this time Ingram is able to build and sustain his speed, allowing him to gain separation from Charlie Leddy and a partial breakaway. There is still room for him to elongate his stride further (given his size) to make him quicker, but there is clear improvement already, which is promising.
Another thing that Ingram has done well to incorporate into his game is linear crossovers, allowing him to be better at building speed cutting through the neutral zone. We see here as he pushes the puck to his backhand and builds enough speed for him to earn a breakaway. He doesn’t finish, but he was able to create many of these types of chances early on in his USHL career.
We are now at the point of the season where Ingram’s speed is actually causing defenders to be caught off guard. Just like this example. Lane Hutson is a much better skater than he shows here, but Ingram blows by him with relative ease to score against the U.S. U18 team.
Grade: 55
Shot
The development of Ingram’s shot has been very interesting this year. Early on in the year, I might have graded it higher. He was operating as a pure triggerman for Youngstown and hunting down scoring chances with authority. His wrist shot is a real weapon for him. The velocity and elevation he generates is impressive. However, as the season has gone on, and his skating and puck play have improved, Ingram’s goal scoring numbers have declined and he has become a bit snake bitten. Some of that comes from him not releasing the puck quick enough. Early on, he was unconscious as a shooter. Now, it seems like he is thinking too much and as such, he is seeing a lot of his shots blocked or fired wide from stick pressure because he is trying to be too precise. The wrist shot is still a major weapon, but his positioning and release will need further development. Ingram also shows a one time slap shot occasionally on the powerplay when he works the half wall, but he is much more accurate with his wrister. I do believe that Ingram possesses great upside as a complimentary goal scorer. The instincts and hands are great. And the shot will improve further. It is important to remember that this is Ingram’s first year at a higher level and he is a one man wrecking crew for Youngstown. The hot start he had was not likely sustainable given his supporting cast.
Here we see Ingram gather a puck quickly in the slot and fire home a snap shot top shelf. These are the types of goals he needs to get back to scoring. Pounce on loose pucks and don’t hesitate.
Check out the velocity on this wrist shot. That is some serious whip and power. Ingram beats the goaltender clean from the top of the circle without a true screen, as his teammate clears a path and tries to redirect instead of maintaining the screen.
Pretty much a duplicate of the previous clip. Ingram is just so dangerous from the left side on the powerplay with how he can shoot the puck. This time he picks the corner short side.
From the right side, you are more likely to see the one timer on the man advantage. Although it would be great to see him use this weapon more often.
This is an example of Ingram’s struggles lately. He tries to sell the pass, but the Chicago defense does a great job of taking that away from him. Then by the time he decides to shoot it, the Chicago defender gets a stick in the lane and deflects it away. Realistically, that should have been shot all the way, with Ingram exploding off the wall with speed, going hard to the net, with the release ideally coming a second earlier. Instead, the delay allows the backchecker to neutralize the two on one. Be it fatigue, a lack of confidence, or pure bad luck, Ingram’s just not been as dangerous of late.
Grade: 55
Skills
One of the things that makes Ingram such a skilled finisher is his hands. In particular, his confidence playing on and finishing with his backhand. For all his shooting talents, many of Ingram’s goals this year have come on partial or full breakaways, and the majority of those have had the same finish with Ingram sliding the puck five hole on his backhand. Ingram is great at protecting the puck and shields it well with his body, again showing confidence on his backhand as he puts defenders on his back. This is especially true in transition as he looks to drive the middle of the ice. Ingram has also proven to be a quality playmaker this year, giving his offensive game well rounded appeal. A skilled passer, Ingram is a hard worker in the offensive end and he does well to keep plays alive along the wall, spinning off checks to find teammates in the middle of the ice for chances. That said, Ingram is not the world’s most creative puckhandler. He won’t often dazzle with one on one moves, nor does he possess the control or agility to consistently exploit lanes East/West. That may be one of the main reasons Ingram has shifted to the wing in the second half of the year, allowing him to be more of a straight line attacker and quick strike player. Equal parts skilled finisher and playmaker, Ingram does possess top six forward potential.
Here is one of those breakaways that I alluded to. Only needed one because all of them have the same backhand finish. Ingram clearly has a favourite move (hopefully I’m not ruining it for him by publicizing the book on him).
Ingram secures the puck off the face off, plays it back and then circles out wide to become an outlet option. He then turns the Chicago defender inside out and tries to finish on the backhand with his favourite move. Unfortunately, Ingram’s own teammate runs a little interference…
This is a strong play made by Ingram early in the season. He doesn’t have the speed to pull away here, but extends the puck out with his reach to protect it, keeps his feet moving, and makes a great little backhand feed to his teammate after he draws in the help defender.
This is a really nice sequence here from Ingram as he executes an end to end rush. He uses linear crossovers to help him exit the zone and create separation. Then he passes it through the US defender, chases it down and gets inside leverage on the second defender for a great scoring chance.
What a skilled pass by Ingram here to help secure the victory for Youngstown in overtime. He delays his entry to allow his winger to catch up and then threads the needle with a perfect lead pass to set up the eventual goal.
Grade: 55
Smarts
Not only is Ingram skilled as both a finisher and playmaker, but he is also an intelligent and crafty offensive support player. He works well without the puck in the offensive zone, supporting puck carriers, sliding between checks to get scoring chances in the slot and near the crease, and he makes generally strong reads with the puck down low. His anticipation is excellent; he has that magnetic quality that all strong offensive players have with the puck. It just seems to find him in the offensive zone. Over the course of the year, Ingram has worked hard to cut down on offensive zone turnovers from trying to force his way to the net, instead working to alter pace to help him survey the ice better. Ingram also shows potential as a defensive presence. While the engagement is sometimes inconsistent, his defensive reads are generally pretty solid and as he gains strength and quickness, he could end up being a quality two-way player. As mentioned, to close out the year he has struggled a bit with his confidence and as such, he seems to be overthinking things with the puck. That has resulted in a decrease in production. But, the overall instincts are sound at both ends. He is a cerebral player.
Love this sequence by Ingram. He leads the charge through the neutral zone and makes a great pass to set up the successful entry. Then he supports his pass by weaving through the slot to become a passing option. He then makes a great, blind drop pass back into the slot, knowing that he has a teammate driving the net.
I would love to see more of this from Ingram actually, but it is a nice play nonetheless. He brings the puck wide and to the middle with speed, then swings it back the opposite direction for the one timed goal.
As mentioned, Ingram seems to be a magnet for the puck. His awareness and anticipation in the offensive zone is great. This goal perfectly exemplifies that. Perfect timing to swing back into the slot. But did you notice the stick lift on the NTDP player in order to secure the puck and get his shot off?
While this play is more about effort and less about a strong defensive read, I felt like it needed to be included to show that Ingram can be an effective defensive presence. All hustle on the backcheck to break up the likely easy goal.
But then we have a play like this that shows Ingram does require further growth to be considered a quality two-way player. Originally, he made a great defensive play to pick up his check as he drove the net. But what he was thinking about after that remains to be seen. Did he think Youngstown had possession and he could be an outlet option?
Grade: 55
Physicality/Compete
At this point, Ingram is simply an average physical player. He will engage along the wall to help win puck battles and secure possession. He will drive the net, with and without the puck. He competes hard at both ends of the ice. In particular, Ingram is a terrific forechecker whose applied pressure helps to force turnovers and disrupt exit attempts. Yet, he’s also a pretty lanky young man who, despite being a late born 2003, is pretty physically immature. As mentioned, this is his first year playing at a higher level and he is going to need to spend time in the weight room at St. Cloud in the coming years. Added weight and strength should only amplify his effectiveness on and off the puck. However, I wouldn’t expect him to suddenly become a power forward who throws his weight around consistently.
Exhibit A of Ingram’s forechecking ability. He takes away the outlet lane, then stays on the puck and eventually forces the turnover with the stick lift. Then Ingram makes a nice play to slide the puck to a teammate in the slot.
Exhibit B of Ingram’s forechecking ability. He applies pressure with speed, which disrupts the exit and allows his teammate to secure the turnover. From there, Ingram slides into the slot and runs a little interference allowing the Youngstown player to get into the slot for the scoring chance.
Grade: 50
OFP: 54.25
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.