Sabres draft notebook
Adam is inspired by Cleary
OTTAWA — Luke Adam was like the every other Newfoundlander this month, hanging out till the wee hours of the morning to watch Detroit’s Dan Cleary raise the Stanley Cup.
“The whole Newfoundland was watching Dan Cleary, the first Newfoundlander to put his name on the Stanley Cup,” Adam said Saturday. “That’s a great thing for him, and there was big parties going on at home.”
Adam hopes to be the second from the province to create a celebration. He is in line to get a chance after being selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the 2008 NHL draft.
“I wouldn’t mind, but there’s lots of hard work until I get to the NHL,” Adam said.
The 18-year-old is the power forward the Sabres were looking for in the second round. The center is 6- foot-2, 203 pounds and led St. John’s of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with 36 goals and 30 assists in 70 games.
“I’m a big guy, I use my size to my advantage, try to create my offense from down low, using my size and my reach,” he said. “I have a passion to score goals, and that’s how I do it.”
Adam caught the eye of Sabres scouts this season because he plays with T. J. Brennan and Jean-Simon Allard, who were drafted by Buffalo last year. Adam was ranked 66th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, but he moved to 42nd after a good second half and postseason.
“I feel like I matured a lot as a player and a person throughout the season,” he said. “I worked a lot on my skating to get quicker, and it seemed like things fell into place.”
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Jacob Lagace is a scorer for Chicoutimi. But when he played for Canada in the world under-18 tournament, he was bumped from his top-line status and was expected to be a solid two-way player who could still score. He liked it because it allowed him to be like his role model: Chris Drury.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s strong on the boards. He had a good offensive skill, and he’s responsible defensively,” said Lagace, who shares Drury’s build at 5-10, 190 and loved the international experience. “You’ve got to bring some different energy, finish your checks, block shots. I think it’s a good thing for me as a hockey player to learn another way to play hockey.”
Lagace had 23 goals and 62 points in 67 games in the Quebec league, and the offensive skills pegged him as Central Scouting’s 55th-best skater. But he fell to the fifth round, and the Sabres picked him at No. 134. His large group in Scotiabank Place let out a huge roar when he was finally taken.
“I was ranked in a higher place, but I think it’s a great fit for me,” he said.
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Sanborn goaltender Thomas McCollum, selected by Detroit with the 30th pick of the first round, was the only Western New Yorker taken in the draft.
