Adams paces Falcons to first win
The sky is the limit for Jaleel Adams, as far as Frank Girhiny is concerned.
The head coach/general manager of the St. Catharines Falcons feels the sophomore winger may be on the verge of a breakthrough season following a promising rookie campaign.
“I think he can be a top forward in this league for sure. I would expect him to score goals, play good defence, and be an all-around player,” Girhiny said. “He’s very fast and tenacious.
“Once he gets all those components and puts them all together, I think he can be a premier player in this league.”
Adams, an 18-year-old Beamsville native, joined the Falcons full time last season and collected 14 goals and 32 points in 48 games. He had a cup of coffee the previous season and managed four goals in four games as a 16-year-old.
“He developed his game from last year,” Girhiny said. “He came in as a rookie and played like a rookie and by the end of the year and in the playoffs, he was doing a lot of little things to make him a better player.
“He scored some clutch goals and the way he was positioning himself and backchecking, he started to become an all-round player, the type of player who as a coach you can trust and rely on in key situations.”
Adams, who was selected to participate in 2017-18 Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League Top Prospects Game, is an eager learner.
“Just follow his (Girhiny’s) instructions and play a team game and play a 200-foot game,” Adams said when asked what it will take for him to improve this season.
Adams felt his experience last season on a team filled with veterans was a key in his development.
“I leaned a lot from the veterans like (Mike) Davies, (Tyler) MacArthur, (Matt) Busby and (Noah) Perlic. Those guys showed me the way and what it was like to be a junior B hockey player and act like a professional,” he said.
Adams said he also leaned the difference between minor hockey and junior.
“It’s more physical and it can get tiring halfway through the season, but you just have to grind every day and it’s fun. It’s not really harder, it just gets more enjoyable as the experience goes on.”
Adams, who was selected in second round (25th overall) by Niagara IceDogs in 2017 OHL under-18 Priority Draft, attended training camp with the OHL team this season.
“I was there to make the team. I know it made me look and see I can play at the next level because I think I belong there. I think I fit in.
“It’s eye-opening. It excites me to go out there and play hard against them. It makes me want to be like them or try harder to be like them.”
Adams collected pair of assists in the first two games of the season, both losses to the Niagara Falls Canucks.
“I found last weekend he was trying to do too much,” Girhiny said. “He needs to play within himself and play to this strengths. If he does that, he will lead this team by example and he will have success individually also help with the team success.”
Adams, who is taking a year off of school and plans to attend Niagara College and major in Police Foundations next year, has two simple goals this season.
“One goal is to move on to the next level and win the Sutherland Cup.
“That’s it.”
Adams scored a pair of goals Friday as the Falcons defeated the Fort Erie Meteors 6-1 at Jack Gatecliff Arena.
It was the Falcons’ first win of the season after a pair of losses last week.
Carson Edwardson, Dawson McKinney, Noah Perlic and Jacob Roach also scored.
Noah Desmarais replied for the Meteors, who dropped to 0-3.
Jack McGovern made 14 saves in net for the win.
Canucks 5 Hawks 2
Thorold native Ben Evans scored twice as the Niagara Falls Canucks improved to 3-0 win a 5-2 win at the Gale Centre.
Matthew Riva, Mitch Mendonca and Nate Crouch added singles. Former Hawk David D’Agostino collected four assists.
Daniel Rocco and Brennan Ireland replied for the Hawks.
Panthers 6 Junior Canadians 1
The Pelham Panthers improved to 4-0 win a win on home ice over the Welland Junior Canadians.
Thomas Young had a pair for the Panthers while Matt Ruigrok, Eli Palfreyman, Zach Thompson and Brodie Thoms added singles.
Matt Baumann replied for the Junior Canadians, who fell to 1-2.
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