WEST ST. PAUL, Manitoba — Sibling rivalries are a part of growing up, and Adam Ingram and his older brother were no exception.
"He started playing hockey before me," Ingram said. "It was something I wanted to do and I wanted to be like him so I got into the game pretty young and I loved it since then."
Not only do siblings fight and get under your skin, but they also push you to be better. Some of the instances of growth happened on the backyard rink for Ingram.
"Growing up in Manitoba you always have a backyard rink," Ingram said. "I'd go out there in the winter, every day pretty much for a couple hours and I would always want to be better than him (Ingram's brother). We always had some battles out there and it was fun, but I can finally say now that I think I'm better than him."
This past year, Ingram moved away from home for the first time as he joined the Youngstown (Ohio) Phantoms in the USHL. During the 2021-22 campaign, he put up 27 goals and 29 assists in 56 games played. This year helped prepare him for the next step in his journey, playing college hockey at St. Cloud State University. A step that has him excited not only for the opportunity, but to be closer to family.
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"It's one of the closest schools to home for college hockey," Ingram said. "They have a great program there and a great coaching staff, so for me it was a pretty easy decision. My grandparents, my friends, my family can come out and watch me play probably as much as they want."
Before heading to St. Cloud, there is one big event on Ingram's calendar, the 2022 NHL Draft. In the final NHL Central Scouting rankings for 2021-22, Ingram was ranked 27 among North American skaters. Some prospect reports have also said Ingram would be a great second-round pick. Looking back on his journey, this wasn't a position Ingram thought he would be in.
"I didn't really expect to be in this situation coming into the year considering I didn't really play last year," Ingram said when he played with the Selkirk Steelers, and their season was cut short to eight games because of COVID-19. "I see those draft rankings and sometimes get tagged in some tweets so I see some stuff like that, but during the season I try to just focus on myself and do everything in my control to be the best version of myself."
The old saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. When that child happens to play hockey, the same thing applies. Luckily for Ingram, his family has been along for the ride the entire way.
"He (my dad) has been there the whole way," Ingram said. "I can't thank him enough for that, and my mom as well driving me to 7:45 a.m. practices when I'm 8, when I'm 9, when I'm 10. Even my grandma would drive me to practices. They've helped me so much throughout my career so far and I can't really thank them enough for that."
Profile
Age: 18
Hometown: West St. Paul, MB, CAN
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 174 pounds
Current team: St. Cloud State University
NHL Rights: Top prospect eligible for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft
Elite Prospects Profile Link
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