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College Catch-up: Adam Fox

By Laney Byler, 10/20/17, 9:00AM EDT

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NTDP alum Adam Fox aims for second Frozen Four berth in sophomore campaign

Adam Fox with Harvard University (photo courtesy of Harvard University Athletic Department)

Adam Fox with Harvard University (photo courtesy of Harvard University Athletic Department)

This weekend, USA Hockey's National Team Development Program’s U18s will head to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to face its third collegiate rival of the season — Harvard University.

The Crimson is currently ranked No. 1 in ECAC preseason polls by both coaches and media and No. 3 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Additionally, three Harvard players have been voted to the ECAC Hockey All-League Preseason Team. One of those players — sophomore defenseman Adam Fox — is an NTDP alum who donned the red, white and blue for Team USA in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

During the 2015-16 season with the NTDP, Fox played 64 games and contributed nine goals and 50 assists. Last year, he played in every game for the Crimson, in addition to being on the gold-medal- winning U.S. National Junior Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

“It was probably the most people I’ve played in front of, in that gold-medal game in Montreal,” Fox said. “That was a pretty crazy experience. You get pretty close to the guys on that team in a short span, so that was an unbelievable experience. I was just happy we won there.”

While winning the gold with Team USA last year was definitely a highlight, one of the experiences that resonated most with Fox was a standout performance that pushed Harvard to take home the Beanpot trophy for the first time since 1993. In the final game against Boston University, Fox tallied one goal and one assist to help the Crimson clinch a 6-3 win for the title.

Fox, a third-round draft pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft for the Calgary Flames, recorded a breakout freshman season with Harvard last year, tallying the most assists on the team with 34 and leading the nation in points per game amongst defensemen. He finished the season with six goals and 40 points, earning him a spot on the All-ECAC Rookie team and co-honoree for the Crimson as top rookie.

Though the transition to college hockey isn’t easy, especially at an academic powerhouse such as Harvard, Fox’s game didn’t seem to falter. Some of the biggest preparation he got for college hockey wasn’t necessarily the endurance or strength factors that many would assume — instead, it was game intensity.

“There’s not that many games in college hockey, so every game counts pretty heavily towards where you stand in the rankings,” Fox said. “I learned the intensity and atmosphere and how to play against these bigger, stronger guys coming in as a younger kid. I think taking that out of my experiences really helped me as a player.”


Adam Fox with Team USA in 2015-16 (Photo by Rena Laverty)

NTDP Career

  • Years: 2014-16
  • Games: 118
  • Goals: 13
  • Assists: 73
  • Points: 86
  • Notes: Ranks third all-time in career points by a defenseman (trails only J.D. Forrest (1997-2000) and Freddy Meyer (1997-2000) who played three seasons with the NTDP) and holds the single-season record for points with 59 (2015-16). 

In addition to making an impact on collegiate stats, Fox is also ready to serve as a resource for NTDP players who come to Harvard. He’ll get the chance to play against one such player — forward Oliver Wahlstrom — in the highly anticipated matchup this weekend.

“We played them last year and it was good to see some familiar faces,” Fox said. “Guys I saw when I was at the NTDP and around the rink, some of the staff that works with USA Hockey that was here with the team. I think it’s always fun playing them and it’s always a really good game. They’re pretty skilled, pretty talented, so it’s always a good challenge for us.”

Some familiar faces and a good challenge should be welcome, because after this weekend, Harvard will begin a tough season starting off with five straight conference matches. For the Crimson, it shouldn’t be too much a problem with Fox there to help them along.

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