Understanding Adam Lowry
On the Winnipeg Jets is a player that has always fascinated me. A team so often swept under the radar, Adam Lowry could be the underestimated physical gem of Western Canada.
Soon to play his 10th season with the Winnipeg Jets, Adam Lowry is an unnoticed under-appreciated veteran of the Jets franchise. The Jets in general are held under low regard compared to the rest of the Canadian teams and they are constantly the butts of jokes regarding the locker room toxicity and just Winnipeg being Winnipeg. Lowry isn’t even regarded in usual player conversation being overshadowed by the likes of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor Hellebuyck who will soon make their exits from the team, Josh Morrissey who is a dark horse defensive masterclass, along with Kyle Connor and Mark Schiefele.
Far from the face of the franchise and far from the face of the league, one needs to ask the question: Who is Adam Lowry? Why should we care about a 30 year old, 2011 draftee, who hasn’t put up more than a 15 goal season since 2016? Does he even matter? Wayne Gretzky once said, “Stats are for losers.” So, of course Adam Lowry matters despite his far from stellar stats and his slightly-past-hockey-prime age since apparently 30 is the new 70.
Nature vs. Nurture
Adam Lowry’s father, Dave Lowry, played 1,084 games in the NHL with Vancouver, St. Louis, Calgary, Florida, and San Jose. Putting up 351 career points, Dave Lowry had his best years with the Florida Panthers from the 1993 to 1997 seasons. Dave Lowry was nicknamed “Mr. Playoff” when he scored 10 goals in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Panthers. Following his playing retirement, Dave Lowry began his career as a coach and coached several teams in the WHL. In 2020, Dave Lowry was named assistant head coach of the Winnipeg Jets and was named interim head coach of the Jets following Paul Maurice’s departure in 2021. This career being a tough act to follow for Adam and his brother John who both became NHL players following in Dave’s footsteps, leaving them with large shoes to fill.
Winnipeg's third-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, the St. Louis-born Adam Lowry grew up mainly in Calgary, where his father played the final four years of his NHL career. Lowry's hockey education included up-close-and-personal observations of the playing styles of Jarome Iginla, Patrick Marleau, and Stu Barnes. The lessons learned from them and others helped the 6’5, 210-pound Lowry become a physical center who puts his body on the line to keep the play alive. As a rookie during the 2014-15 season, Lowry led the Jets with 255 hits while finishing tied for 15th among all rookies with 11 goals. Lowry scored a memorable first NHL goal in the sixth game of his rookie season. On October 21st, 2014, he was skating through the high slot when he tipped a shot from the point past Carolina Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin for the game-winning goal of a 3-1 Jets victory. On December 9th, 2014, Lowry's two second-period goals less than two minutes apart broke a 2-2 tie with the Dallas Stars and gave him the second game-winning goal of his rookie season.
Lowry also played in all four of Winnipeg's games during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His first NHL playoff goal, less than three minutes into the first game of the Jets' first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks, was also the first postseason goal for the franchise since it relocated from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season. Lowry had assists in each of Winnipeg's next two games to give him three points and tie him with Bryan Little as the team's playoff scoring leader that year. Lowry continued to find ways to contribute off the score sheet in his second season. In 2015-16, Lowry finished second on the club with 187 hits, and among Winnipeg forwards he finished second in blocked shots (48) and fourth in takeaways (33). The effort earned Lowry a two-year contract in the summer of 2016. Slotting Lowry as a useful bottom-six forward in the Jets lineup.
Adam Lowry plays by the book. A tough and physical player in an era where IQ and crafty plays make headlines, it’s no surprise he flies under the spotlight. In a time where fighting becomes rarer and rarer, Lowry drops the gloves with one of the most physical players in the league, Ryan Reaves, and leaves as the one to throw the final punch.
Dropping the gloves 10 times in the 2022-23 season, Adam Lowry is a player unafraid to take a few hits to protect his teammates and show who’s boss. Reminiscent of old-time enforcers, Lowry’s play is a breath of fresh air in a quickening and more creative game where outsmarting opponents is more common than fighting them. Consistently taking down his combatants, Lowry is a force of nature. While hockey is in his DNA, he is not one to be underestimated simply for that fact.
Adam Lowry is a player that should be held in a high regard. While he’s not a high scorer or a creative mastermind on the ice, his abilities as a powerhouse leaves him as an important player on the Jets roster and in the NHL.