By Warren Kozireski —
It is sometimes said that National Hockey League teams will select projects or reaches with their later round draft picks in the annual entry draft.
Consider New York Islander 2016 sixth round selection and current University of North Dakota sophomore Collin Adams one of those.
Size has always been an issued for the 5’9”, 172 lb. winger, but the game is changing. And teams can always use offense as his 51 goals and 61 assists in 120 seasons combined over two seasons showed he can do.
It’s just taken a little while to transition that offensive success to one of the best college hockey conferences in the nation.
“It’s going good; I’ve got a lot more playing time,” Adams said about his second collegiate season early in the New Year. “Freshman year is a struggle learning the ways and picking up the speed.
“Everyone is bigger, stronger and the goalies are better, so you’re not going to get as many chances or as much time as you used to so I just need to make them count when I get them.”
The 20-year old Brighton, Michigan native is a product of the Little Caesars & Honeybaked programs in the Detroit area. He traveled just 150 miles from home advance his junior hockey career in Muskegon where he was named to the All-Rookie team in 2015-16.
Adams missed one of the Islanders three development camps since he was drafted due to classroom obligations at school, but the most recent in 2018 proved impactful.
“Coaches liked how I played, so they just told me to keep getting better and stuff like that. Not being drafted as high you’re not in the spotlight, but I think it obviously motivates you. People don’t really think of sixth rounders as too dangerous as draft picks, but I’m trying to make a name for myself.”
How he is described as a player who is a hard worker with a heavy shot, but that is not all he brings to the ice.
“I would say it’s a good summary, but I would probably say my biggest asset is my speed. Definitely being a smaller guy you have to be quicker than the bigger guys, so I would definitely say hard working with a lot of speed and a good shot.
“The past few years (hockey) has changed to faster and more skilled, so that’s definitely helped smaller guys like (Johnny) Gaudreau and Brayden Point and Tyler Johnson; guys like that who wouldn’t have had a shot in the older days when it was just big bodies, but it’s helped us smaller guys make a transition into the league.”
Islanders Director of Player Development Eric Cairns called Adams to tell him he was selected.
“I was at my buddy’s house and we kind of had the draft on, but we weren’t too into it and took a nap and I woke up and next thing you know my name pops up. It was kind of crazy; I woke up my buddy and it was kind of a surreal feeling.”
Some players set specific goals at the start of every season and Adams has those, just not rigid ones.
“I do have goals, obviously to move on from the collegiate level to somewhere in the pros, but nothing too particular where it’s too nit-picky. Day by day trying to tell better and hopefully impress the right people.”
