clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Adam Ingram: 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile | A forward with a high-quality shot headed to the NCAA

Adam Ingram is a forward taking the unorthodox route for a Canadian prospect, going through the USHL and soon the NCAA. He can shoot the puck well and is capable of setting others up, too, but will need some time to polish his overall game.

By Mike Stromberg
/ new
2022 NHL Scouting Combine Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

Who is Adam Ingram?

Adam Ingram is a forward with a good shot and some playmaking ability from Canada coming out of the USHL. He is planning on heading to the NCAA next season at St. Cloud State. The NCAA route is not the typical path for a Canadian prospect, but after going undrafted by the WHL in his first year of eligibility a few years ago, Ingram set his sights on a different route, looking at the USHL and ultimately the NCAA as the best path for him. He didn’t play much in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did get in some time in the Junior A MJHL to stay fresh. Ingram’s most notable asset is that he is a scorer, putting up the second-highest points rate and highest goal-scoring rate among non-USNTDP players in the USHL. Full stats up to this point in his career are below from Elite Prospects.

Where is Adam Ingram Ranked?

Most rankings put Adam Ingram somewhere in the second round, typically in the middle-to-late range. That fits with his profile as a scoring forward with some upside but who will take some development time to reach the level needed to jump to the NHL game. The USHL can be tricky to evaluate sometimes, but given he was at the top of the league in production (at least outside of the guys playing on the USNTDP team), it bodes well for him as a prospect. Somewhat notably, Ingram did dip from #14 to #27 from Central Scouting’s midterm to final rankings among North American skaters as he seemed to cool a bit later in the USHL season.

What Others Say About Adam Ingram

First we go to this profile from Center Ice View, which has a good, comprehensive view of Ingram and his path so far. A bit from that post on Ingram’s outlook:

At 6’2.25″ Ingram has the frame to have a dominating physical presence but at 165-170 pounds is very lean and still has room to carry another 20 pounds. He’ll benefit greatly from the Huskies’ dedicated strength and conditioning staff and SCSU hockey’s recently updated strength and conditioning center in the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

As far as upside potential, it’s pretty much a given and he’s already a proven talent in the USHL. He’s described as having a great hockey IQ, instincts, and uses his skating ability to create and find space. He has excellent instincts around the net making scoring plays look easy. He’s good in tight but also dangerous from 15-20 feet out. He’s also a tenacious forechecker.

Based on the info available out there, Ingram seems like a player with pretty good instincts and awareness, particularly at the offensive end where he can find holes in defenses. Add in the high-end shot and he has major potential as a scorer. The Center Ice View piece also includes this quote from NHL Central Scouting’s Dan Marr, which shows up in a few different places:

“The USHL is a difficult league to put up points and he’s come in and he gradually got better and better,” said Dan Marr, director of NHL Central Scouting. “When you watch him it’s just the way he carries himself on the ice. It’s remarkable the confidence and poise and presence that he has when he has the puck. He’s got good instincts to the net and good finishing touch. And he’s a good playmaker.”

Ingram seems to have the potential to be a really good all-around offensive player who can both score and set others up. He has impressed at times in the USHL, but his numbers also don’t qualify as gaudy, necessarily. Some elements of his game seem to need development for sure, but the NCAA is a good place to accomplish that.

Next, we go to Ingram’s profile page at Dobber Prospects, where they have this as part of their evaluation of the USHL forward:

Adam Ingram is a talented playmaking forward with good offensive upside. He has solid puck skills, vision, and hockey sense which help him rack up assists, but he lacks high-end skating ability and his two-way game is still a work in progress. His passive style of play often results in him being late in support of his teammates but he remains in the middle of the ice where he is able to contribute in all zones. He takes care of the puck, never forcing unnecessary plays or taking risky opportunities, which helps his point production and limits transition chances for the opposition. Ingram utilizes clean strides and explosiveness in his skating when he has space in front of him, however, he does lack consistent intensity.

Lastly, we go to a piece from EP Rinkside with a bunch of good quotes from Ingram on his unique development path for a Canadian prospect. Ingram considers himself both a scorer and a capable playmaker:

Some players are split down the middle regarding playmaking and scoring. Ingram can do both and feels strongly about it.

“I like playing center, I’m a good playmaker,” he said. “I’ve been on wing mostly the rest of the year. I think I am a playmaker.”

Then he talked about his best offensive attribute.

“I think it’s my shot. I can score from distance with my wrist shot, and I can score from in tight as well, Ingram said with confidence. “Later in the year, I scored a couple in front of the net. I’ll get to the dirty areas sometimes.”

His opinion of his shot aligns with a lot of other people’s opinions, for sure. EP Rinkside wraps up with this projection, which is optimistic, if not necessarily glowing.

Ingram can be a second- or third-line player. His development is right on schedule, and if an NHL team gives him three years in college to develop, there will be a nice prize waiting for them after that. He might not be a center, but he knows how to contribute on the scoresheet. He will score some goals, and his playmaking will be a factor as well.

Middle-six upside is certainly not the worst thing for a guy likely to be taken in the second round. It seems like he can contribute at the NHL level if he rounds out his game and has a very good shot, so he has potential as a solid bit of scoring depth for whichever team drafts him.

A Little Video

Here’s a good highlight video of some of Ingram’s season in the USHL. The guy can definitely rip it, that’s for sure.

This one isn’t a highlight video but is a dedicated profile video to Ingram from Locked on Sens, if you’re interested in taking a look.

An Opinion of Sorts

Adam Ingram is definitely an intriguing prospect for teams selecting in the second round. A guy with an NHL-caliber shot is always going to turn some heads and Ingram is a guy that seems to have one. He definitely seems to need to work on his all-around game a bit, but he also doesn’t seem like a total liability and will have plenty of opportunity to get stronger and better at St. Cloud State. I wouldn’t hate him as a second-round selection for the Devils but my sense is that there are likely to be some more complete and/or higher-upside payers still on the board at 37th overall. If he were still available at the Devils’ third-round spot, I think he could be a great upside pick there.

Your Take

What are your thoughts on Adam Ingram? Would you like to see his name called by the Devils on day 2 of the Draft? He definitely has a high-end skill with his shot, but he also will definitely need some development time to improve his overall game, is that the type of guy you would like to target in the second or perhaps third round? Comment with you own thoughts below and thanks for reading.

More From All About The Jersey

Loading comments...