Cam Fowler
Cam Fowler is considered by most talent evaluators as the top defenseman in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
He has been in Future Considerations top three spots all season long and he has made a real solid case as to why he should be the top draft selection come June. It may all come down to the desired position of each team picking in order of the top three.
Fowler was born in Windsor, ON. on December 5, 1991 to parents Perry and Bridget. After a couple years Cams father Perry Fowler relocated the family to Michigan for his job with the Ford Motor Company. The young family settled in the suburb of Farmington Hills, MI where Cams two younger sisters, Peyton and Emily, were born.
Cam played his minor midget hockey in the Detroit Honeybaked program and it was around that time that he verbally committed to joining the Notre Dame Fighting Irish NCAA program after fulfilling a two-year contract with the United States Development Program in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Fowler has been seen as an NHL talent since his days in minor midget and many organizations would have loved to add the skilled defender to their team.
In 2007, the Kitchener Rangers took a gamble and selected Cam with the 18th overall pick in the Ontario Hockey Leagues Priority selection but after a failed attempted to lure him in they release his rights back into the draft gaining a second round compensation selection in the next selection process.
During the 2008 OHL Priority selection the Windsor Spitfires again rolled the dice and selected the two-way defender with the 17th overall selection knowing full well Cams desire to play NCAA hockey for the Irish.
That is when the war over the talented defender really started.
The Spitfires contacted Perry.
They went over the pros and cons of playing in the OHL and started to make some headway with the Fowlers due to the fact that Cam wanted hockey to be his profession and that the OHL is proven to be a quicker road than the NCAA route.
The pressure came from both sides but more so from Coach Jackson who did not want to keep a scholarship spot open for a prospect whom may not report.
The smooth skating defender had to make the toughest decision of his young career; he chose the Spitfires and OHL due to the fact CHL teams play a 68-game competitive schedule comparable to the NHL and he and his family thought it would prepare Cam better for his NHL future.
This guys going to be a world-class defenceman, Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner said. To gamble and have it pay off, Im just happy for the fans in Windsor who will get to see a player like this, Boughner said at the time of Fowlers signing.
The hardest part for Cam was probably telling Jackson that he would not be part of the tradision at Notre Dame via phone call.
Jackson was not too happy to say the least as he made some questionable accusations to the media regarding the CHLs recruitment practices.
Youve got OHL teams talking to these kids all the time, talking to them in the rinks and recruiting them heavily and offering as you well know, theres a lot of deals cooked under the table as far as finances, said Jackson.
Jackson went on to say that a substantial financial offer had been made by Kitchener to Perry Fowler for the services of Cam, something that Cams father denies adamantly.
For the Spitfires part, head coach Bob Boughner said that sounds like sour grapes to him.
Both the OHLs Kitchener Rangers and Windsor Spitfires have threatened legal action against Jackson for what they call libelous comments.
Lost in all this was the story of one heck of a talented hockey player.
His puck movement is excellent. He sees the ice very well and makes hard, accurate passes. His puck retrieval is very good, and he transitions very well to offense, said NHL Central Scouting OHL scout Chris Edwards.
Cam has started his OHL career on the right foot after two very impressive years in the U.S. National Development Program. At last years U18 tournament in Fargo North Dakota, Cam had his coming out party as he was by far the tournaments best defenseman in a Gold Medal effort for the U.S.
Cam carried that over into the OHL as he was one of the leagues top scoring defensemen through the first half despite missing a handful of games to represent the USA at the IIHF World Junior Championships over the holidays.
Oh, and in case you have been living under a rock for the past two months, the Americans won the gold medal at that tournament as well due in large to the performance of Fowler, among others.
The six-foot-two and 190-pound defenseman has been praised for his play by many, no more though than the management of Windsor and with good reason.
Hes an elite player and his skating is such an asset for him, said, Boughner of Fowler, who is projected to be a top two two-way NHL defenseman one day and the first rearguard off the board come Junes NHL Entry Draft.
In todays game, which is so much about skating, quickness and moving the puck, Im not sure if youll find anyone who doesnt think Cam is the top (draft lligible) defenseman, added Windsor general manager Warren Rychel.
For Cams part he is not letting the hype get to his game and understands that there is a mountain still to be climbed before he gets to the top. Im just trying to get better in the defensive zone every day and at the same time contribute in the offensive end. says Fowler of his game.
He is staying pretty grounded which is not always the case for youngsters in the spotlight and it helps having his families support to rely on.
With the Fowlers now living in Northville, Michigan his parents and sisters can see many of Cams home games since the family home is just a 40-minute drive from the Windsor Family Credit Union Centre, the home of the Spitfires.
The support is just a short drive away, something that few major junior players are lucky enough to enjoy and a reason that makes picking the OHL and Windsor over the storied Notre Dame an easy decision.