COHEN: Will Adam Fox turn pro or not?

Adam Fox’s rights are currently being held by the Carolina Hurricanes. The talented defenseman was included in a trade that sent his rights to Raleigh, North Carolina and since then fans and that franchise value him and really want to see him in their lineup, sooner rather than later. It was smart for the Hurricanes to grab his rights from the Calgary Flames, and the hope always was they would add him to the NHL team when he’s done with his NCAA career.

The Long Island, New York native, has played with some talented teammates along the way. Clayton Keller (Coyotes), Trent Frederic (Bruins), and Casey Mittelstadt (Sabres) were all on the U18 team with him back in 2015-16. On that team, he was voted to the All-Star roster and was voted the Best Defenseman in the tournament. He was voted a Top 3 player on the bronze medal-winning squad. There are more than a few more of his ex-teammates who have either graduated to the NHL or are ready for that next step.

Having watched him for the last three years in Harvard, and before that on the National Team Development program. He’s gotten better every year. I saw the big jump in him 2016-17 when he had 40 points in 35 games as a freshman defenseman. He was voted on the ECAC All-Rookie team, All-Tournament team, he was ECAC Rookie of the Year and he won the gold medal in the 2017 U20 World Junior Championship team. To say that was impressive would be a huge understatement. How many players pile up those kinds of accolades in one season? He didn’t just sit around and enjoy that either. He continued to work at his game.

Coaching matters. Ted Donato is the coach of the Crimson. He had a nice hockey career, and he helped coach his son, Ryan who has already played for the Boston Bruins. He’s a coach that lets the best of his players come out while he instills a 200-foot, responsible game in all of his players. The next coach that gets him will probably thank Donato for doing such a good job with Fox. Donato has turned Harvard into a very competitive team even though they struggle with a heavy academic workload and trying to maintain a strong Division I hockey team at the same time. He’s done a great job at doing that since 2004-05.

Still just 20, I don’t think he has anything left to prove in Harvard. I think he can have a Will Butcher type impact based on the team Carolina is today and the skill set. In Butcher’s first season with the Devils, he had 44 points. I don’t know if Fox can reach that level, but I think 30-35 is possible. I do think he’s NHL ready. This summer will be spent working out and attending Carolina’s rookie camp. All of those things are so important for any developing player.

Watching him this year his first passes are accurate and crisp. He’s a very calm passer. He plays much heavier than the 185 pounds that he’s listed at. At 5-11, I can honestly say I never thought he’d be better if he were taller. He plays hard along the walls. It hasn’t been a hindrance for him at all. He has a pro shot and he moves the puck up the ice, easily, effectively and he always has his head up. He rarely takes bad penalties and as a result, doesn’t place his teams in bad game-breaking situations. Part of that is hockey sense and the other is not being out of position very often.

So, will he, or won’t he? As a right-handed shot defenseman, he could be a hot commodity on the free-agent market. But that doesn’t seem to be his style. Word on the street is the Hurricanes won’t be drafting a defenseman in the first round and with the plethora of talented defenseman they have, they could move one at the deadline or at the draft just in time to sign Fox and make him a part of the NHL roster. I think he’s a Rod Brind’Amour type of player and I think he can slot in on the third pair to start and work his way up. He’s good in his own end so he’s not a power play specialist. He excels on it, but he doesn’t have to play on the power play to show his entire worth. He has a well-rounded game that will improve, and he should do really well playing with better players. Some players really rise to the occasion when the happens and if he’s paired with an NHL veteran, that can help ease him into the league.