The Canucks’ 2018 prospect development camp kicks off next week, featuring some of the top prospects in the organization, along with some intriguing invitees.
It almost feels like the Canucks invited players to their development camp based solely on their awesome names. There’s obviously Nando Eggenberger, who unfortunately won't be attending camp due to a minor injury, but there are some other solid names among the rest of the invitees, like Colton Poolman, Issac Nurse, Tyler Soy, Peter Abbandonato, Christian Purboo, and Adam Rockwood.
Rockwood is the subject of PITB’s next invitee profile. He's a playmaking centre from Coquitlam, who has overcome a series of obstacles to become one of the best players in college hockey.
Adam Rockwood – Centre
5’9″ – 184 lbs – Sep 22, 1995 (22)
Coquitlam, BC
Northern Michigan University Wildcats (43-8-40-48)
Rockwood is a passer, pure and simple. He led all of college hockey with 40 assists last season, but had just 8 goals. It’s not that he has a bad shot, it’s just that’s the way he thinks the game.
“In every sport I’ve played, I was always a playmaker, never a goal scorer,” Rockwood said to The Mining Journal earlier this year. “My dad was a huge advocate of that. He would always say ‘Let the photo develop.’”
Rockwood took time to develop as well. He faced a series of obstacles in his hockey journey, starting with his smaller size. At just 5’9”, Rockwood was a long-shot to get drafted back in 2014. While he was listed on Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings, by the time the draft rolled around, he was off the list entirely.
That’s not because he had a bad season. Rockwood was fifth in the BCHL in scoring in his draft year, with 74 points in 57 games. He was first in assists, with 61.
“He’s probably one of the best setup guys in the league,” said his Coquitlam Express teammate Jace Hennig. “He’d rather have an assist than a goal, that’s for sure.”
Red Line Report described him as “explosive” at the time, saying, “Speed allows Rockwood to create separation from opposing defenders, then he uses great vision to distribute with incredibly crisp feeds off the rush, catching teammates on the tape in stride.”
Rockwood went to the University of Wisconsin, where he was a frequent linemate of Canucks prospect Joseph LaBate. While with the Badgers for his freshman season, he faced another major obstacle: a hospitalization due to complications of his rare genetic condition.
The condition is known as CPT II, and it impacts the body’s ability to process certain types of fatty acids. It can be managed with proper diet control and hasn’t affected Rockwood’s ability to play at a high level, but a chain of events in his freshman year led to him losing a large chunk of his season.
Rockwood finished his freshman year with just 13 points in 31 games. His sophomore season was only a little better, tallying 17 points in 29 games. Then came the next big obstacle for Rockwood.
The coach that recruited him, Mike Eaves, was fired. His replacement, Tony Granato, cut Rockwood before the season even started.
That left Rockwood in limbo. He transferred to Northern Michigan University, but had to sit out for a full season due to NCAA transfer rules. While the lack of playing time might have hurt his development, the chance to spend more time in the gym helped him add size and strength.
“I had a huge chip on my shoulder,” said Rockwood about getting cut. “I wanted to prove everybody wrong. It lit a new fire under me.”
In his first season with the Wildcats, Rockwood proved his point, leading the team in scoring with 48 points in 43 games and establishing himself as one of the best playmakers in college hockey.
“Usually, when you get a transfer, there’s a reason they transfer, whether it’s academics or they got in trouble or they weren’t good enough to play at the school they were at,” said his new head coach Grant Potulny. “We will never see another transfer like Adam. You recruit players like Adam out of junior hockey and that’s how you get kids like that.”
“You don’t get transfer students that are great people and great students,” he added. “He’s probably one of the most underappreciated guys in college hockey. He leads the country in assists and nobody has any idea.”
Potulny can’t stop singing Rockwood’s praises, going as far as comparing him to Joe Thornton in the way he sees the ice, if not his size.
“He’s got elite vision,” said Potulny. “Lots of good players can see the play. Adam can see the play and make the play through or under a stick at a high pace through traffic in a confrontational situation.”
While Rockwood’s offensive skill set of skating and playmaking is plain to see, Potulny praises his hard work and determination in all areas of the ice.
“He’s going to get somewhere and that coach is going to go ‘I could use him as a penalty killer, on the power play, four-on-four, the faceoff dot.’ He’s responsible,” he said. “Wherever he goes next, he’s going to win that coach over in a hurry.”
At camp, he’ll have a chance to win over the Canucks.
