Cam Fowler Turning Heads in Anaheim

Filed under: Ducks, NHL Draft, Junior Hockey

Cam Fowler, the 18-year-old defenseman, will be in the lineup for the Anaheim Ducks when they open the regular season in Detroit on Friday. Warren Rychel, the general manager of the two-time defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires who could benefit from Fowler's return to junior hockey, is not surprised.

"We're obviously a much better team if the Ducks decide to send Cam back to us," Rychel said Sunday night while celebrating his Spitfires' Ontario Hockey League victory over Sudbury. "But the moment Cam was drafted, we knew there was a good chance we might never see him again. Maybe we get him back after a few NHL games, maybe we don't. All I can tell you is that we're really proud of Cam. No matter what level of success he attains, it's not going to shock anybody here. He's an elite talent and an elite young man."

Fowler's ascent in Anaheim will spark a revisitation of the NHL Draft in June, when the skilled defenseman was projected to go between the third and sixth overall picks but fell all the way to the Ducks at No. 12. The 6-1, 190-pound Fowler was the third defenseman taken -- Florida picked Eric Gudbranson third and the Rangers surprised by taking bruiser Dylan McIlrath at 11 -- so the case could be made that the teams drafting higher preferred their offensive skill at forward. Still, Fowler's fall to 12 was stunning.

On draft day in Los Angeles, an NHL film crew miked up and followed Fowler in the hours leading up to his selection. The result was a fascinating document. As awkward and painful as it could have been for the young man, Fowler handled it with the poise he displays running a power play.

"I saw that clip. It really kind of says it all about Cam," said Rychel. "Everyone think he's either going in the top five -- in my mind, he was a top-three talent -- and each team starts taking someone else. But Cam just sits there with his family and smiles and doesn't show any concern. He's happy for the guys drafted before him. You see people trying to make him feel better, but they don't have to. Cam puts them at ease. He knew everything was going to work out for him."

 

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