Betting on Hockey

How Good Is Anaheim Ducks Prospect Cam Fowler?

How good is Cam Fowler?

Cam spent most of the last 18 months being the third wheel to the Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin discussion.  Despite all his success and incredible talent Cam slid down the draft board from the clear No. 3 prospect down to the 12th player selected in the 2010 NHL Amateur draft.  How does this happen?

Cam’s story shows this was not about him in any way but definitely the perfect fit for the 6’2″, 200 pound rear guard!

Cam was born in Windsor, Ontario Canada however his mother Bridget was born in Michigan allowing Cam to attain dual citizenship.  This opportunity opened great doors for Cam. His family moved to Michigan before Cam turned 2 years old.  

When it came time to enter the OHL priority draft Cam was selected by the Kitchener Rangers with their first pick in the 2007 draft. At that time Cam had already committed to play for Notre Dame Fighting Irish once he graduated from high school. 

During that time frame Cam thrived, playing for the US Under-18 program winning gold.

In 2008 Kitchener surrendered Cam’s rights and the Windsor Spitfires wasted no time selected him with their top pick in the 2008 OHL priority draft. This was not without controversy as Cam broke his agreement with Notre Dame and joined the Spitfires.

Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson was upset and held nothing back claiming Windsor made a very large financial offer luring Cam away from the South Bend. Cam still denies this ever occurred stating Windsor would better prepare him for a career in the NHL.

Despite all the drama Cam was still forecast as the No. 3 pick and some scouts claim he could very well be No. 1 or No. 2 if a team looking for a defenseman landed in one of those spots.

The move to the Spitfires was huge for Cam.  In the 2009/2010 season Cam showed his offensive skills as a defenseman collecting 55 points in 55 games for Windsor. 

Was the decision to join Windsor instead of Notre Dame the right one?  Absolutely! Consider the fact Jeff Jackson’s system at Notre Dame is extremely defensive and likely wouldn’t have highlighted Fowlers natural skill set. 

Cam played a major role in the Spitfires winning the OHL title as well as defending the Memorial Cup and the best Major Junior hockey team in the CHL.  Adding to this Cam represented the USA at the World Juniors and help in the US winning the Gold Medal.

As the draft approached, rumbles started to push up a few other names.  Despite the winning results, impressive talent level, great work ethic Cam started to fall. 

Many scouts called Cam Fowler a truly gifted offensive defenseman.  Cam’s a natural power play quarterback who relies heavily on his skating and puck control.  Now get this, Cam’s best compared to Scott Niedermayer!  Now that is high praise.

That’s right just a few months after the legendary Scott Niedermayer retires from the NHL as an Anaheim Duck his heir apparent somehow falls to the Ducks drafting No. 12 overall in the 2010 NHL Amateur Draft. 

Some scouts claim if the Ducks had the first pick overall in the draft they would have called out Fowler, so to get him at No. 12 was exactly what Anaheim needed and a dream come true.

The Ducks have 10 games to decide if Cam is ready for the NHL.  If they wish to be patient with the young blue liner the Ducks can send him back to Windsor for the rest of the 2010/2011 season which includes eligibility to play in the World Juniors in Buffalo over the winter holidays.

For my money I believe Cam is here to stay. He’s hungry to prove he belongs and was deserving of a much higher draft spot. Five games into his NHL rookie year Cam is a minus-3, however he’s been a bright spot in the Ducks line up collecting two assists while averaging 18:06 minutes per game.

How good is Cam Fowler?  I believe he’s already the Ducks best defenseman although Lubomir Visnovsky does get a little more ice time. To develop a Norris worthy defenseman a strong mentor is crucial.  I’m sure Scott Niedermayer talks to Cam on a regular basis but on the ice Visnovsky is the tutor. 

For my money, the Ducks need to make a move to bring in Tomas Kaberle (yes, the price will be high, maybe Corey Perry or as Leafs fans have been pushing for, Bobby Ryan).

In the big picture can he be comparable to Tyler Myers, Drew Doughty or even close to what Scott Niedermayer was?  Tough shoes to follow and so many variables yet to play…I still say Cam Fowler is exactly what Anaheim needed at the perfect time so he’s already way ahead of the game! 

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

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