TOP PROSPECTS - FOX

Over the next two weeks, Torie Peterson will be highlighting a group of young players who have shown tremendous promise in our Top Prospects series.
Adam Fox makes the game look effortless.
But the defenceman's smooth, seemingly-casual mannerisms belie the fact his mind is working in over-drive, keeping him several steps ahead of his opponents.
"He's so smart that it looks like he's not trying but it's actually the opposite," Flames assistant general manager Craig Conroy said. "He's reading the play and does that quicker than everybody else on the ice."
Not only does the 20-year-old possess incredible vision, his puck handling skills could be classified as elite. He is able to distribute the puck effectively in every situation, whether it be acting as a playmaker while in the offensive zone, exiting his own zone or working through transition.

Fox is also dominant while quarterbacking a powerplay. Not only is he an adept playmaker, moving the puck to his teammates with ease, but he owns a hard slap shot and can get the puck through traffic and onto the net.
"He settles plays down, he plays well defensively, logs a ton of minutes, generates offensively … he does everything," Conroy noted.
"The way he thinks the game is elite and that's what's so exciting ... It's about him taking it to the next level now, because he has it in him. With the vision and his IQ, he can run an NHL powerplay right now - that's how good he is with the man advantage."
Fox, who was selected 66th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, has established himself as one of the NCAA's top blueliners since joining the Harvard Crimson in the fall of 2016.

In his freshman year, he managed an incredible 40 points through 35 games and earned plenty of accolades along the way. In addition to helping Harvard capture the ECAC Championship, he was named to the NCAA East First All-American Team, the ECAC All-Rookie Team, the ECAC All-Tournament Team, the ECAC First All-Star Team, the NCAA All-Ivy League First Team.
On top of all of that, he was lauded as the ECAC Rookie of the Year, the NCAA All-Ivy League Rookie of the Year and the New England Best Defenceman of 2016-17.
He also won gold with the USA at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship that year.
Fox followed up his tremendous rookie year with 28 points through 29 games in 2017-18. He was named to the NCAA East First All-American Team, the ECAC First All-Star Team, the NCAA All-Ivy League First Team, and was tabbed as the New England Best Defenceman for a second straight year.
He also picked up a bronze medal at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship.
The Jericho, N.Y. product will be heading back to Harvard for his junior year in the fall and will be expected to take on an even bigger role with the Crimson.
"Next year is going to be a big year because he has to challenge himself and push himself every game to be the best," Conroy said. "We're hoping to see him to go from really good to great in-and-night out that's what we are looking for.
"He's going to have to be a leader of the team. He may have to pick up that team, put them on his shoulders and carry them at times. He has the ability to be a difference maker and he'll need to do that this year.
"He knows what he needs to do and now he just needs to go into the summer and do it. He's a top prospect for us and we're looking forward to getting him here in Calgary as soon as possible."