Newfoundland native Luke Adam returned home this week for a weekend of rest after helping Team Canada skate to a silver medal at the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon. The Telegramcaught up with Adam, who talked about his season to date before returning to the Cape Breton on Monday.
Despite never being used in what could be called a feature role on Team Canada, Adam had four goals and four assists in six games for the eventual silver medal-winners, including a goal and an assist in a 6-5 overtime loss to the United States in Tuesday's championship game.
Sabres' scouts at the tournament enthused about his play, adding to recent praise from Buffalo general manager Darcy Regier.
"I give him a lot of credit because he has really focused in on improving," Regier told the Buffalo News. "Luke is very curious. He asks for video and he asks for things that will help him. He is very active in taking ownership of his career. It's a pretty nice thing to watch."
Of course, Adam - who has until June 1 to sign his first contract with the Sabres - knows he still has a ways to go before becoming an NHLer, but believes he's at least on the right path.
"Last year, I was focused on being a better junior player," said Adam, the No. 1 centre for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's Cape Breton Screaming Eagles.
"This year, with the help of my coaches, I'm at the point where I'm focused on doing things that will help me become a better professional player, and I think that's happening."
The Telegram website also captured video of Adam's arrival at St. John's airport. A brief interview begins at the 1:38 mark.
For more information on Adam, check out this interview he was kind enough to do with SabresProspects back in March while recovering from his season ending injury.
In Friday night OHL play, Marcus Foligno scored his seventh goal of the season and picked up a fighting major that led to huge momentum shift as Sudbury doubled Brampton, 4-2. The 6'3 checking forward is amidst a career-high five game point streak, including goals in three straight.
Foligno buried a one-timer from the slot top shelf at13:05 of the second period. After the Batallion came back with a goal just :37 later, Foligno came out on his next shift and drilled Rochester, NY native Phil Lane with a hit along the boards, causing Brampton forward Sam Carrick to challenge the relentless Foligno to a scrap.
Also from the OHL, Zack Kassian played his most complete game in weeks, but the Petes could not complete the third period comeback in a 4-3 OT loss to Oshawa. Kassian (-1) picked up an assist in the loss, and while failing to score a goal for the eleventh consecutive game, made a physical mark with one bruising hit in particular.
The 6'3 banger was in the middle of a scary moment with 3:07 left in regulation when his finishing check caused Generals forward Nick Esposto to leave the ice on a stretcher. Deemed a clean hit, the vulnerable Esposto hit his head on the glass upon impact after passing the puck up ice. No penalty was issued, and Esposto is expected to fully recover.
Kassian nearly iced the game n the OT when he executed a dangling offensive carry that has been quite rare in his season portfolio. Despite the solid effort, the Petes captain lost the puck at the point a few minutes later to allow a 2-1 break on Boone Jenner's short-handed overtime winner.
On Thursday, Kassian earned an assist as Peterborough lost to Mississauga, 6-3.
Also from Friday, Nick Crawford was -1 as Barrie got throttled by Kingston, 6-2. The Colts blueline is set to welcome Team Canada defenseman Alex Pietrangelo after a Friday night trade with Niagara.
In the QMJHL, Jacob Lagacé made his Cape Breton debut on Friday, registering four shots on goal as the Screaming Eagles were defeated by Saint John, 3-1. Cape Breton played without Maxime Legault, who left Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Montreal with an ankle injury. The 20-year old forward is slated to miss at least two weeks.
Jordon Southorn finished +1 as PEI bested Gatineau, 5-4.
In NCAA action, reigning NCAA Player of the Month Corey Tropp was credited with a pair of assists as Michigan State skated past Lake Superior, 4-2. The leading point-getter in the entire NCAA, Tropp missed a chance to pile up additional marks by earning a 10-minute unsportsmanlike misconduct in the final minute of the second period.
Brad Eidsness was called on to make just 18 saves, while Corey Fienhage finished +1 as North Dakota defeated Minnesota State, 4-1. Justin Jokinen was -1 with two shots on goal for the losing side.
Alex Biega was even as Harvard lost a non-conference match-up at Minnesota, 5-2.
In Pittsburgh, sophomore netminder Connor Knapp watched from his usual Friday spot on the bench as his top-ranked Miami RedHawks were upset by Robert Morris, 3-1. Knapp should get the nod when the two clubs complete the home-and-home series on Sunday in Oxford.
Nick Eno made 28 saves including 17 in the opening twenty minutes as Bowling Green lost to Ohio State, 7-2. The junior keeper allowed five of the seven goals before giving way to Andrew Hammond with 11:35 to play in the third.
In the USHL, Mark Adams was +1 as Chicago lost to Des Moines, 5-3.
On Thursday, Brayden McNabb picked up an assit as Kootenay edged Calgary, 2-1. The 6'4 blueliner, who saw his seven-game point streak snapped in Wednesday's 8-1 win over Saskatoon, is currently fourth in WHL scoring for defenseman with 40 points (12+28) in 34 games.
As speculated, the Cape Breton Post is reporting that the Chicoutimi Sagueneens have tradedJacob Lagacé to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles as part of three-way deal.
The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles are rumoured to be part of a three-team deal that would land them sniper Jacob Lagacé from the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
The Cape Breton Post has learned that Lagacé will join the Eagles on their weekend road trip. They face the Saint John Sea Dogs Friday and the Halifax Mooseheads, Saturday. Also, posts on Lagacé’s Facebook page have been wishing the Beloeil, Que. native good luck in Cape Breton.
Wednesday, the Eagles flipped 17-year-old blue-liners Zachary Evans-Renaud and Ian Saab and a second round pick in the 2012 draft to the Maineiacs in return for defenceman Eric Gelinas, forward Stephen Woodworth and a fifth-round pick in 2010.
The Eagles will reportedly send Gelinas to the Saguneeens along with a pair of draft picks for Lagacé.
Lagacé, who leads the QMJHL with 30 goals, will join the Eagles forward ranks which also includes Sabres prospects Luke Adam and Maxime Legault. Legault was previously brought in from Shawinigan in a deal over the Christmas holiday. More to come as details shake out.
Michigan State junior Corey Tropp has been named the CCHA Player of the Month for December.
Tropp, a 20-year-old from Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., led the Spartans to a 5-1-0 record in December including the program’s 12th Great Lakes Invitational title. He leads the nation with 17 goals and four game-winning goals through 22 games this season, and currently ranks third with 29 points. In the month of December, Tropp led the country with seven goals and 10 points. His efforts helped MSU climb to No. 9 in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll and second place in the CCHA with a 9-3-2-0 record. Tropp was drafted by Buffalo in the 3rd round (89th overall) of the 2007 Entry Draft.
The 6-foot, 185-pound junior was named CCHA Player of the Week on Dec. 14 after recording his second hat trick of the season, including the game-winning goal, and an assist in an 4-1 victory over Bowling Green Dec. 12. Tropp also recorded the only goal in a 1-0 win over Northern Michigan (Dec. 4) and a pair of game-tying tallies that forced overtime against NMU (Dec. 5) and BGSU (Dec. 11).
Sabres prospect Luke Adam is getting some press in anticipation of Team Canada’s Tuesday night showdown with Team USA. The two teams will battle for the U20 World Junior Championship title in a rematch of their exciting preliminary round contest won by Canada in a shootout.
Adam’s hometown paper in St. John's Newfoundland, The Telegram, hints that the 6’1, 203-pound center will likely remain in his energy role despite the potential for a forward moving back to D for the finale.
There will be lineup changes tonight for the Canadian side.
Defenceman Travis Hamonic will miss the final due to a separated shoulder. That means forward Brandon McMillan may move to the backline as he did earlier in the tournament.
But Adam, who has been on the ice with Jordan Eberle and Brayden Schenn as McMillan's replacement for a few shifts, expects to skate with his regular linemates Stefan Della Rovere and Jordan Caron tonight.
Although Canadian coach Willie Desjardins has shaken up all of his lines at various times during the tournament, Adam believes McMillan will stay up front, with defenceman Jared Cowen replacing Harmonic.
Asked to assess his play so far in the tournament, Adam, who has three goals and three assists, said he's been pleased.
"I feel I've been doing very well. I'm being used in an energy role. The coaches have been pleased with what I've been doing and my teammates have been great, so it's been fantastic so far.
The Cape Breton Post also has a feature on Adam in today's paper. On re-matching with the Americans:
On New Year’s Eve in Saskatoon, the Canucks were forced to mount a comeback from a 4-2 deficit midway through the third to nip the United States 5-4 in a shootout.
“It might have been nice to watch on TV but it wasn’t nice to watch on the bench,” said the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles centre, Monday. “In the first game against the Americans, we don’t feel like we played our game at all. We turned the puck over way too much and we didn’t keep it simple. We tried to do too much.”
Thursday’s close win gave Canada a bye into semifinal play Sunday that saw the Canadians rout Switzerland 6-1. The second semifinal game of the day saw the U.S. upset Sweden 5-2, ensuring an all-North American rematch in today’s final in Saskatoon.
“Everyone here is willing to buy in and we just have to keep it simple and play the Canadian game,” Adam said of today’s final at 9 p.m. Atlantic time. “To be able to play in the championship game of the world championships is pretty special. We’re just excited to get it going.”
NHL.com currently has a nice piece up on Portland forward Tyler Ennis. The 5'9 rookie is currently tied for the AHL rookie lead in scoring with 12 goals and 35 points in 37 games.
On playing center:
"(Buffalo) really wants all of its (forwards) to know how to play different positions," he said. "They told me in juniors that they'd like me to try and learn how to play center, so I tried it for a few games and then went back to wing. But I played center all through training camp this year and have stuck with it here in Portland."
The position change has proved challenging at times for Ennis, who said the technical aspect of faceoffs is one area that he has particularly needed to focus on improving. He also finds himself trailing the play into the offensive zone more as a center, as opposed to primarily leading the rush on the one of the wings.
But describing himself as a mix between a playmaker and a scorer, the switch hasn't hampered his ability to develop scoring opportunities.
"Once you're in the (offensive) zone, things tend to develop where all the forwards are getting chances. So I haven't noticed much difference in terms of (passing the puck vs. opportunities to score)," he said.
I recommend reading the entire article, as it capsulizes his season-to-date rather well.
Jacob Lagacé scored his 30th goal of the year on Sunday as Chicoutimi defeated Quebec, 4-1. The leading goal-getter in the QMJHL, Lagacé's power play marker gives him 30 in just 35 games after netting 32 goals in 69 games all of last season.
Elsewhere, Jordon Southorn was +2 with four shots on goal as PEI defeated Halifax, 4-1. It appears that Southorn will stay put in PEI with Rocket GM Serge Savard indicating that he is done making moves for the current trade period.
Maxime Legault registered a shot on goal in Cape Breton’s 2-1 loss to Moncton.
In NCAA play, Brad Eidsness made 29 stops as #6 North Dakota played to a tie with #20 Notre Dame. Corey Fienhage was even with two shots on goal for the Sioux. The Irish were awarded the Shillelagh Tournament victory after winning a shootout.
Drew MacKenzie finished +1 as Vermont took the Catamount Cup with a 5-2 win over Duluth.
Nick Eno made 23 saves as Bowling Green edged Clarkson, 4-3. The junior ups his record to 3-9-1 with the win.
Marcus Foligno scored his sixth goal of the season on Saturday as Sudbury lost to last-place Niagara, 5-2. The 6'3 banger took a pass in from the blueline and snapped home a shorthanded tally late in the second period to give him two goals and three assists over his current four-game point streak.
Nick Crawford (-2) picked up an assist for Barrie in their 6-3 win over Peterborough. The offensive struggles continued for Petes captain Zack Kassian, who went without a point for the seventh time in his last eight games.
Jordon Southorn, whose name continues to be linked to Patrick Roy's Quebec Remparts, was +1 with an assist as PEI lost to Cape Breton, 4-1. Maxime Legault finished +2 for the Screaming Eagles.
Jacob Lagacé finished -3 as Chicoutimi was outgunned by Drummondville, 4-2.
In NCAA play, Justin Jokinen banged home a rebound for his third goal of the season as Minnesota State blanked RIT, 3-0.The sophomore made a few nice offensive plays in the game as coach Troy Jutting mixed-and-matched lines.
At the Shillelagh Tournament in Illinois, Brad Eidsness made 19 saves as #6 North Dakota beat Niagara, 3-1. The win ups the sophomore's season record to 9-5-2. Sioux blueliner Corey Fienhage finished the night even with a shot on goal and a roughing minor. North Dakota will square off with #20 Notre Dame in Sunday's tourney final.
In Burlington, Drew MacKenzie was +1 as Vermont defeated Alabama-Huntsville, 4-3. The unranked hosts will play #12 Minnesota-Duluth for the Catamount Cup on Sunday.
Nick Eno served as back-up in Bowling Green's 3-1 loss to Minnesota at the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis. The loss puts the Falcons record at 2-15-2 heading into Sunday's third-place game against Clarkson. Eno is expected to get the start.
In the USHL, Mark Adams recorded a shot on goal as Chicago held off Lincoln, 2-1.
Rumors out of the QMJHL are suggesting that Jordon Southorn has played his last game for the PEI Rocket, as a deal has reportedly been made that will send the 19-year old defenseman and another player (Samson Mahbod perhaps) to the Quebec Remparts. Nothing is official yet, but it could be done as soon as Saturday. A trade to a contender could be the jumpstart the Southorn needs to earn an NHL contract from the Sabres. Stay tuned for more details.
In Friday night OHL action, Zack Kassian finished -1 as Peterborough was shut down by Kingston, 3-0.
Justin Jokinen registered an assist as Minnesota State handled RIT, 6-1.
In the USHL, Mark Adams was +2 with an assist as Chicago defated Lincoln, 5-4 in a shootout.
Luke Adam was +2 with an assist as Canada came back to defeat Team USA, 5-4 in a shootout. With a win in the tournament's most exciting game to date, the Canadians earn a bye into the semifinals where they will battle the winner of Russia and Switzerland. The Americans will next face Finland, with the winner getting Team Sweden for a right to play for the gold medal.
The 6'2, 210-pound Adam earned an assist at 2:03 of the first period when Stefan Della Rovere barreled to the net for the first goal of the game. Adam later played a big part in the third Canadian goal by planting his big body in front of USA netminder Jack Campbell, creating enough of a distraction for Jordan Eberle to slip the puck into the net. Trailing 4-2 before Eberle's tally, the goal was the momentum shifter that brought the Saskatoon crowd back to life before Alex Pietrangelo's sniping corner pick tied the game and forced the tiebreaking session.
Adam did not see the ice in the 4-4 overtime or earn a shootout attempt, but his defined role continues to make an impact as Canada aims for a sixth straight gold medal.
