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Excitement Palpable as Kitchener Coach & GM Mike McKenzie Discusses LA Kings’ Prospect Jacob Ingham

(Photo credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The NHL schedule may be on hold but that doesn’t mean that its teams aren’t busy. The Los Angeles Kings are no exception to this as this past weekend, they signed goaltender Jacob Ingham to a three-year entry-level contract.

Drafted in the sixth round (175th overall) by Los Angeles in 2018, Ingham joined a team determined to strengthen their depth in goal. With the ELC signing in place, Kings’ general manager Rob Blake is now hoping to have the 6-foot-4 netminder in the silver-and-black’s long-term future.

After spending the first three seasons of his OHL career with the Mississauga Steelheads, Ingham was traded to the Kitchener Rangers in June 2019 where he enjoyed a breakout season.

Few enjoyed this more than Rangers’ head coach and GM, Mike McKenzie, whom I had the opportunity to speak with about the 19-year-old. Among the topics discussed were how Ingham has fared in Kitchener, how valuable he is on and off the ice as well as what advantages he has in preparing for the next step in his career.

A Ranger-Like Rise

At the time of his trade to Kitchener, Ingham was coming off averaging sub-par numbers in his previous two seasons in Mississauga: a 3.53 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage. I asked McKenzie about Ingham’s play this past season and whether there was any concern for his netminder’s numbers with the Steelheads.

Photo credit: Graig Abel/Getty Image

“Not a whole lot, to be honest,” McKenzie said. “We know that the trend in our league is that as goalies get older, their numbers get better. Typically, you don’t see a goalie’s best year until they’re 19 or even 20 years old. So, we knew those numbers would go up.

Photo credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images

“We did a lot of digging of our own internal numbers, watched a lot of video on him, we broke down a lot of different things on him as a goaltender. At the end of the day, we were pretty comfortable with the trade.”

McKenzie had little reason to worry.

In 46 games with Kitchener this past season, Ingham posted a 2.96 goals-against average while reaching career highs with a .917 save percentage and 33 wins, leading the Rangers to a 33-6-3 record.

As for what contributed to the youngster’s improvement, there were multiple factors at play.

“He improved technically, for sure,” McKenzie said. “He was calmer in his crease and that can be attributed to our goalie coach, Kain Tisi. He did a great job with him and they worked hard together as a group to make some minor tweaks to his game, and just overall, [Ingham’s] maturity. We only had him for the season but his maturity, mindset and makeup this year definitely grew as the year went on but he matured as a player and a goaltender, and that’s just part of the reason why he had such a successful year.”

Standing Tall

When he was drafted by Los Angeles, Ingham, a native of Barrie, Ont., joined an organization already poised to re-strengthen their depth between the pipes with an emphasis on size.

Photo credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images

In 2017, the Kings had drafted 6-foot-2 Matt Villalta of the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and later in the year, signed 6-foot-4 Cole Kehler of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Of course, every netminder deals with their size in a different way, and not all can necessarily match their size with success. As McKenzie explains, though, Ingham has been able to use his towering frame to his advantage, even if being a taller goaltender isn’t necessarily essential to finding success in the OHL.

“It’s definitely helped him,” admitted the head coach. “I know in pro hockey, they’re looking for guys with size and that’s one of the boxes they check. In junior hockey, though, you can get away with being a little bit of an undersized goalie but Jacob’s obviously not that. He’s got size, is long and lanky, he’s extremely athletic for a kid that size.”

Yet, while it has proven to be an asset, the Rangers’ coach was quick to point out that Ingham’s size is just one of the reasons for his success thus far.

“[His size] definitely helps,” McKenzie added. “There are a lot of plays in the game where you get a pad on a puck or you reach an arm out and that extra length can only help you in stopping the puck, so I wouldn’t say it’s the only reason why he’s good but he’s a very good goaltender for his athleticism and his technical approach as well, but [his size] has definitely helped him for sure.”

Jake Saves

While he has certainly established himself as a solid goaltender, Ingham’s contributions off the ice have established himself as a solid humanitarian as well.

This past season, Ingham was named as the Ted Scharf Humanitarian Award recipient, given to the Rangers player who contributes most to the community.

After an accident involving his family in 2018, Ingham emphasized the importance of giving blood. As a result, the netminder has been working with Hockey Gives Blood — an organization formed following the Humboldt Broncos tragedy — centered on raising awareness within the hockey community about the importance of blood donation.

Photo credit: Hockey Gives Blood

“He took a lot of time this year and a lot of energy and effort off the ice,” noted McKenzie. “He’s a real mature kid and [the importance of giving blood] is something that’s very important to him.”

Ingham’s partnership with Hockey Gives Blood gave birth to “Jake Saves“, a campaign where, for every save he made, the Ingham family would donate $4. The Inghams initially raised $5,572, which was donated to Canadian Blood Services. The pledge was then bumped to $5 in its second year before being matched by the Rangers at $10. After leading the 2019-20 campaign in saves, Ingham raised a total of $15,010.

“He spent a lot of time and energy away from the rink to do a lot of things that maybe other guys wouldn’t do,” McKenzie continued. “He really left an impact on our community but also his work for the blood donors and the [Hockey Gives Blood] campaign running all year with the amount of money that was donated and matched by our team. Those are contributions you don’t see often from a young hockey player playing junior hockey. So, he left a pretty big impact on the ice with his play but also off the ice in his community as well.”

On His Way to the Next Level

With the sporting world currently on hold, it’s hard to say what the short-term future holds for Jacob Ingham. While he may be AHL-eligible next season, he will be sitting behind the aforementioned Kehler and Villalta in addition to the Kings’ tandem of Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen. With that in mind, Ingham is eligible to return to the OHL for his overage season.

Photo credit: Dennis Pajot/Getty Images

“Right now, we’re not expecting him back [in Kitchener]”, McKenzie admitted. “Obviously, it’s a weird time right now with the way the season’s paused and the NHL and how things are going to be in the fall since no one really knows. We’re kind of planning for life without him right now. If he were to come back, that would really be a big boost to our team but we feel he’s ready to make that jump to the Kings and the rest will be up to them. We won’t worry too much about that.”

McKenzie, 33, couldn’t help but glow about the many strengths that has made Ingham ready for the professional ranks.

“His size is one thing, his athleticism and I think just overall, his work ethic off the ice and his pro habits are the things that stand out,” McKenzie said. “That will make him successful and allow him to make that jump.”

There’s Always Room for Improvement

Of course, with everything that Ingham possesses as a bona fide goaltender, the Kitchener bench boss admitted that there is still some room for improvement.

“I think he can continue to work on that mental makeup in terms of not getting frustrated if he has a tough stretch,” noted McKenzie. “He did a pretty good job of that this year as there were a lot of games where he let one or two in early and then he’d just close the door. So, you can see that that portion of his game definitely improved but I think as you move up to higher levels, you really have to be dialed in on the mental side. I think any goalie, not just him, can definitely work on that and it would be a big benefit to any goaltender looking to make the jump to pro hockey.”

More Accomplishments

When the Los Angeles Kings do return to action, their depth will be that much stronger in goal now that Jacob Ingham is in the fold. The Kitchener Rangers will surely miss Ingham’s services should he not return but at least the club can take solace knowing that his lone season with the Rangers has immensely prepared him for the next level.

It is also noteworthy to mention that Ingham was voted the best shootout goaltender in the Western Conference this past season from the 2019-20 OHL’s Coaches Poll. Last season, he finished third in said category in the Eastern Conference with Mississauga. The 19-year-old was also voted the Western Conference’s second-best puck-handling goaltender.

Bottom Line

Photo credit: Brad Coccimiglio/SooToday

He may not have spent a long time with the organization but it’s quality over quantity as Jacob Ingham’s tenure with the Kitchener Rangers was nonetheless an effective one. McKenzie and the Rangers also know that business in major-junior hockey is cyclical. For every great player a major-junior team parts with, there is a future gem just around the corner waiting to crack the roster, determined to make their own impact in due time.

It may be cliched to suggest that the future is bright for Jacob Ingham but cliches are simply that due to their accuracy. With Jonathan Quick remaining the Kings’ No. 1 netminder and with Cal Petersen being groomed to be, so to speak, the successor to the throne, it may be some time before Jacob Ingham gets to be a full-time King. In fairness, though, there is plenty room for development and getting used to the professional ranks before Ingham thinks about making the City of Angels his permanent home.

With Bill Ranford and Matt Millar running the Kings’ goaltending development team, you can bet that Ingham will be in good hands moving forward. As for Mike McKenzie, while parting with his goaltender, whether now or next year, won’t be easy, he can take plenty of consolation knowing that the Kings organization are privileged to have such a dedicated goaltender, and a just-as-dedicated humanitarian, in Jacob Ingham.

 

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