E-Mac's 2011 NHL Entry Draft Top 120: Adam Lowry #60

By Eldon MacDonald

60. Adam Lowry - “Monster Bro” - LW - Canada

Vitals: 6’4”, 184 lb.; Shoots left; Born 29-Mar-93 - Calgary, AB
Team: Swift Current, WHL
2010-11 Stats: 66-18-27-45-84-(-21)

Rankings:
HM - Kirk Luedeke's Top 50 (HM = 51 to 58)
56 - The Scouting Report's Top 100
58 - Christopher Ralph's Top 210
60 - E-Mac's 2011 NHL Entry Draft Top 120
HM - Bob MacKenzie's June Poll of Scouts (HM’s = 61 to 85)
73 - NHL Central Scouting's Final Rankings (58th North American skater)
75 - ISS per TSN
75 - Cory Pronman's Top 100
Draft result:
67 - Winnipeg Jets

There are a few things you need to know about Adam Lowry:

1. It’s the size stupid!!! Currently, he is listed at 6’4’’ 185 lb. but has the frame to fill out and many believe his growth spurt is not over. Since drafting is all about projection, a team drafting him high will likely be doing so because they believe they are getting a guy like the Sasquatch in those “Beef Jerky” commercials, a veritable monster.
2. It’s the genes too!!! His Dad is Dave Lowry who went 110th in the 1983 entry draft and played 18 seasons in the NHL. His brother is Joel Lowry, a 6’2’’ 185 lb. forward (42-24-43-67-35) for the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL who was bypassed last year in the draft but will who likely be picked this year. So, could a team do a “twofer” and take both brothers??? Hmm, sounds like a plan.
3. It’s the intelligence. We are talking about the 2009-10 WHL Scholastic Player of the Year here. And this whiz kid from off the ice also brings his thinking process to the game where he maximizes his skill set with above the norm hockey sense.
4. Adam had mono to start the season. Here is a snippet Christopher Ralph wrote about Sean Couturier who also had mono to start the season and you can just interchange the name Adam Lowry for Sean Couturier as the same applies to him. “The other major often overlooked factor in Couturier’s season was the fact that he had mononucleosis (mono) in the off-season. It often takes upwards of a year to fully recover from mono and I really think this has affected Sean’s endurance and effectiveness this season. I’m not in any way implying this is the case with Couturier, but of note, 11 percent of individuals who contract mono fit criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome six months after symptom onset. A subsequent study in adolescents noted that as many as 7 and 5 percent met that syndrome definition at 12 months and 24 months. No doubts NHL scouting teams have to take this into some consideration in evaluating the top gun prospect.” The entire article can be found at TheHockeyWriters.com.

5. So far we have an intelligent monster with good breeding; what else do we have in Adam Lowry? How about a great shot, how about nice passes, how about a strong forecheck, how about a big guy in front of the net, how about an overwhelming physical presence??? So there you have, in Adam Lowry you have the potential for a human wrecking ball with a nice set of skills and the mind to use them, not too shabby!!!
6. With all the praise you say, how come Adam Lowry is not significantly higher? The answer can be found in one word “skating”. Adam needs to improve his acceleration, his stride and his agility to be successful at the next level. However, he would not be the first guy to be able to improve this skill and succeed - were you thinking Milan Lucic? Noooo!!!

In summary, a team that thinks that they can improve Adam’s skating is likely to jump on him fairly early, like late second round - if not, third or fourth are more likely.