John (Jack) Adams

March 2019 – Adams is progressing well in his sophomore season at Union College with 21 points in 36 games played. The big winger continues to grow both in size and ability. He has soft hands, a nose for the net and continues to improve his skating. The Red Wings will be patient with this player as a long term project. Adams projects as a bottom-six forward down the road.  Mark Hillier

June 2018 – During his second year in the USHL, family friend Torey Krug told Adams to use his size to his advantage, get to the net and play with more “jam”. Adams took the advice to heart as he went on to lead the league with 37 goals and finish fifth in points with 60. He continued his development last season with Union College where the freshman winger found himself in and out of the lineup especially early on. He improved steadily, and by the end of the season, the hulking forward was used on the power play. His coach, Rick Bennett, was impressed with “his vision, his ability to create plays coming out of our defensive zone, making the right play which led to rushes and scoring chances. That was one of the areas where Jack was kind of a surprise. His size and skating ability, he was able to use that as the season wore on and he became a valuable asset for us…” Adams projects as a prototypical power forward and can be considered a long term project for the Wings. Mark Hillier

September 2017 – Adams is a huge winger born in 1997 and in his third year of draft eligibility. Last season, in his second year in the USHL with the Fargo Force, Adams saw his offensive production take a significant climb as he led the USHL in goals with 37 and had 60 points in 56 games compared to the eight goals and 24 points in 54 games the season prior. His size, combined with his slick puck skills, allow him to shield the puck from defenders as well as maneuver his way through traffic. What he lacks in skating speed and efficiency, he makes up for with strong vision and solid hockey sense. He needs to get stronger and learn to be more physically assertive along the boards.

Yet another off-the-board pick for Detroit, Adams is still raw, despite being 20, and can be considered a project. He will play for Union College this season and for at least the next couple of years, where he will hopefully polish the deficiencies in his game before further development in the AHL. Jameson Ewasiuk