Adam Lowry breathed a sigh of relief when his agent called on June 26th to tell the six-foot-five, 189-pound forward he had been selected in the third round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
He took another one when he found out that it was the Winnipeg Jets – not the Calgary Flames – who had selected him.
That’s because the 18-year-old is the son of Flames’ head coach Dave Lowry.
“I was real glad it wasn’t Calgary,” Adam said, whose brother Joel was drafted two rounds later by the Los Angeles Kings. “He wants my brother and I to make it on our own,” the Swift Current Broncos forward said. “He had given (Calgary) a good idea that he was hoping they wouldn’t select us.”
Instead of treading on his father’s name, who boasts 1,084 National Hockey League games over 19 seasons, the younger Lowry would rather he and his brother make an impact on their own merit.
“I think just being able to make a name for ourselves is something we’ll embrace,” Lowry admitted.
That’s not to say the Calgary, AB. native hasn’t embraced being part of a hockey family. In fact, Lowry has enjoyed the experience.
“I think it’s something I’ve been privileged to be a part of,” he said. “It’s something to be proud of. To be part of a hockey family, it’s something special. It’s something I embrace.”
Lowry has also embraced a new role with Swift Current this season. A year older, the 2009-10 WHL Scholastic Player of the Year is hoping to be counted on in a big way for the Broncos.
“It’s a little bit of personal pressure cause you want to be the go-to guy for the team, even in the leadership category as well,” Lowry said.
With an ‘A’ sewn on his jersey, he’s started to accomplish the goal of being a leader. With five goals and 14 points in 11 games to start his WHL season, he isn’t far from leading Swift Current on the score sheet either.
“This year I trained really hard in the summer so I’d be able to get off to the start I hoped for last year,” admitted Lowry, who had just one goal and four points at this stage last year. “The less I focus on points and the more I focus on just playing. It’s making me more successful.”
Lowry’s slow start last season was caused by a combination of mononucleosis and nerves.
“I know last year I was hampered by mono and wasn’t able to get off to the start I wanted last year,” Lowry admitted. “It was an important year being my draft year and I think I put a little too much pressure on myself personally for statistics.”
A new year brings new pressures for Lowry.
“There’s different pressures,” he said. “You’re not trying to perform for 30 different teams this year, but you’re trying to impress the team that took you and prove that they made a good selection with you.”
And if you ask him, Lowry’s happy the team he has to impress is the Winnipeg Jets and not the Calgary Flames.
Aaron Vickers is the managing editor of Future Considerations and can be found on Twitter. For all the latest Future Considerations news and posts, follow FC’s Official Twitter Feed, on YouTube and on Facebook!