InGoal Radio Episode 337 Matt Tomkins and Connor Ungar
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Connor Ungar, an undrafted free agent who attended Brock University after four CHL seasons, posted an 11-1-4 record with a save percentage above .944 across four ECHL and AHL teams in one season, including a 6-0-0 mark with a .955 save percentage in Bakersfield. Matt Tomkins, who made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay after two seasons in Sweden, signed with his hometown Edmonton Oilers and discusses offseason work with osteopath James Wendland.
- Connor Ungar went undrafted, attended Brock University, and still reached the AHL by posting elite numbers across four teams in a single season — a modern blueprint for non-traditional goalie development.
- Matt Tomkins explains how two seasons in Sweden and an NHL debut with Tampa Bay shaped his game before signing with his hometown Edmonton Oilers.
- Tomkins credits offseason work with osteopath James Wendland as a key part of his continued development at the professional level.
- Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets offers specific positioning advice for even-man rush reads and how to adjust when the play breaks down in tight.
- Parents should avoid comparing their young goalie's development path to peers when making spring hockey decisions, as unconventional routes like Ungar's and Tomkins's prove there is no single road to professional hockey.
Episode 337 of the InGoal Radio Podcast, presented by The Hockey Shop Source for Sports, features a pair of Edmonton Oilers prospects with great stories to share: the debut of Connor Ungar and the return of Matt Tomkins.
In the feature interview appropriately presented by NHL Sense Arena, we start with Ungar sharing lessons from one of the most unique seasons in recent memory. He has played for three different teams in the ECHL before getting called up to the American Hockey League and somehow posting an 11-1-4 record with a save percentage north of .944 for all four teams, including 6-0-0 with a .955 right now in Bakersfield. And it’s all come as an undrafted free agent who spent a season at Brock University (not unlike Logan Thompson) after playing four seasons in the CHL.
Speaking of unconventional paths, we also catch up with Tomkins, who went from two seasons in Sweden to his NHL debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning before signing with his hometown Oilers this summer, and continues to show he’s capable of playing at the highest level all while openly sharing lessons learned along the way. That includes offseason time with osteopath James Wendland, whose popular training tips have been featured regularly at InGoal Magazine.
In the Parent Segment, presented by Stop it Goaltending U the App, we talk about the risk of always comparing your child’s path in this position to what others are doing, especially when it comes time to make Spring Hockey choices.
We also review this week’s Pro Reads, presented by Vizual Edge, which features Jet Greaves of the Columbus Blue Jackets with some great depth advice on even-man rush chances, and how you should adjust if it breaks down in tight.
And in our weekly gear segment we go to The Hockey Shop Source for Sports for a look at the new Vaughn Ion pads and gloves already being worn by Calvin Pickard of the Oilers in the NHL and available now in store and online.
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