NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Adam Fox

Get to Know Adam Fox

Date of Birth: 2/17/1998
Place of Birth: Jericho, NY, USA
Ht: 5’10” Wt: 185 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Defense
Team (League): U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

The Draft Analyst:

Fox is a good skater who looks far more graceful in confined spaces than he does in open ice. His lateral movement and edge work are excellent — his twirls and pirouettes are strikingly similar to the way Ottawa star defender Erik Karlsson controlled his puck movement while playing for Team Sweden in his pre-draft years. Fox has an accurate shot that does not require velocity to beat a goalie clean in any of the corners, and he can juke and fake his way into prime scoring areas with relative ease.

Last Word on Sports:

Adam Fox is an undersized defenceman, but an elite offensive producer. He has elite skating ability, moving around the ice with very good speed and acceleration. He can lead or join the rush; or pinch at the blue line and still get back to defend his own zone as well. Fox has very good agility, and edge work. He can weave in and out of traffic while rushing the puck up the ice, and use quick cuts to avoid opponents, be they fore checkers trying to pin him in his own end, or defenders against the rush. Fox could stand to add muscle as he needs to improve his balance and get stronger on the puck.

What BSN Avalanche sees

This is Tyson Barrie all over again. Similar builds, identical play styles, and the same question marks. Fox is a great skater who moves the puck up the ice either with excellent outlet passes or being a one-man breakout. He’s not lacking in confidence at all with the puck and can do anything he wants to on the offensive end. He’s a good, but not great, shooter but he understands consistently keeping shots low and on target.

Size and strength, just like Barrie. Fox gets overwhelmed by players bigger than him and despite a willingness to get after it, Fox simply hasn’t learned how to overcome these issues yet. He’s too easily moved in front of the net and isn’t a force to be reckoned with in board battles.

Highlights

NHL Potential

Tyson Barrie. Seriously. This is him as a prospect all over again. What remains to be seen is if he finds his way like Barrie did through the minors and into an organization that was willing to give him ice time.

Expected Draft Position

Fox is ranked in such a way that he’s very likely to be a second-round selection but it’s not unreasonable to think he could fall to the third.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Fox would be the Will Butcher replacement should the Avalanche decide not to sign Butcher next season. Even if they sign Butcher, Fox is still several years away from being ready to contribute in pro hockey and could take a very similar development path as Butcher. Fox would be a high-skilled defenseman to keep an eye on and would also go against the size obsession of the Avalanche in recent years. At 40th overall, however, Fox might be considered a bit of a reach, albeit not a huge one, as he is ranked in the 50’s and 60’s by a few publications.