These are pretty good days for Barrie native Jake Ingham and the Kitchener Rangers.
Since the veteran goaltender returned Nov. 28 from missing nearly a month with a herniated disc, the Rangers have posted an impressive 23-2-3 record and sit a mere three points behind the London Knights atop both the Midwest Division and Western Conference standings.
Getting here, though, has been proven to be quite the journey for Ingham and his teammates. A tough start to the OHL season cost head coach Jay McKee his job in late November.
The injury, which Ingham suffered in practice, resulted in him missing the CHL's Canada-Russia Series and dashed any hopes he had of representing Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships over the holiday season in the Czech Republic.
"It was four days before the Canada-Russia series and it was real disappointing to not be able to play in that," said the 19-year-old, a sixth-round pick (175th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. "It was something that I really had my hopes up for, (along with) the whole world juniors and leading up to that. It's something that I can't change now or I can't look back on it and wish something else happened.
"In a way, if that injury was meant to be and we would go on this win streak, then obviously I would take that because where we were before and where we are now it's pretty incredible to see that turnaround."
The Rangers, who were last in the conference at the time, would go on to win 10 straight games after general manager Mike McKenzie replaced McKee behind the bench.
But it's no coincidence that their turnaround also coincided with Ingham's return.
The towering six-foot-four, 198-pound puck stopper has posted a 17-2-2 record since battling his way back to the crease.
"It wasn't too pretty for a bit," Ingham said of the herniated disc injury at lumbar segment four and five, which usually causes nerve impingement. "It wasn't something where I could keep active and it was really tough. Not be able to ride the bike or run hard on the treadmill or anything like that.
"It was tough. I just had to sit there and lie down, and just kind of relax. Driving in the car was pretty tough."
It also wasn't easy having to watch the team and the struggles they were going through.
"It was something we didn't rush and I got to see all the doctors I needed to see and the specialist," Ingham added. "I was really thankful that everybody was so supportive and nobody was trying to make me rush myself back or anything like that.
"We had to take care of it. It felt like the longest time, but there was still a lot of hockey left."
The Rangers have bought into the changes McKenzie has made since firing McKee, but Ingham admits the move caught he and his teammates by surprise.
"I got to know him through just under half a year and I built a great relationship with him," he said. "He was a great coach and a great person and he taught me a lot. ... it was tough to see a guy like that lose his job. That smarted a lot for our team and gave us a big wake up call in a sense.
"I think we started to perform after that. Take it a bit more seriously and all of us would buy in and realize it's not too late to turn the ship around, and we don't have to sell."
Acquired from the Mississauga Steelheads last summer, Ingham has taken a real liking to his new junior hockey home. The rabid Rangers fan base that packs the 7,000-seat Kitchener Memorial Auditorium every night.
He's also thrilled with how they've supported his "Jake Saves Campaign," benefiting the Hockey Gives Blood organization. Ingham and his family donate $5 toward every save he makes this season, with the Rangers matching it. They're already raised more than $10,000 in donations this season.
"This is my first season here and I really want to win in Kitchener," he said. "Just looking at our roster, it's such a great opportunity for us and it's one of the main reasons why I accepted the trade."
While Ingham's focus remains on leading the Rangers deep into the playoffs, he hopes to make the jump next season to the Kings organization.
He spent last summer down in Los Angeles with the Kings' goalie coaches and has continued working on playing more calm and using his size to his advantage this season.
"I think there's a lot I've tidied up and it just shows in the kind of results I've been getting this year, my play and my consistency," said Ingham, who has a 23-5-2 record with a 2.76 goals against average and .922 save percentage. "The style I play is a little bit different than the style I played a little bit earlier in my career."
Ingham been in the league for over four years now, but he says it seems like only yesterday he was with the minor midget Barrie Colts and watching his hometown OHL team on television.
"It's something that has caught me a little bit by surprise about how fast it has gone by," he said. "It's funny how in my first year in Mississauga, we kind of almost had this same problem. We were last in the whole OHL and then we turned it around and won the East and then lost in the finals to Erie."
Another chance at winning an OHL title would suit him just fine.
"We're right in the thick of it," Ingham said. "The Midwest Division, there's so many good teams and any team in the West can beat anybody on any given night. So you can't take anything for granted."
