I always liked him, since his rookie season.
He had this incredible shot, and I thought that someday he'd be able to play regularly for us.
I really hoped that the Canucks wouldn't give up on him. Good thing they didn't, because he just
had his best season ever. I notcied in the very first game of the year, he played very well. I
can't remember if he scored or not, but he contributed greatly to the Canucks 4-1 win over the Kings.
Some people thought it was just a fluke, but thought it could be a sign of things to come.
As it turned out,
Adrian played very consistently throught the year. He scored 23 goals, leading the league for defencemen.
He also broke Doug Halward's 16-year-old record for most goals by a Canuck defenceman (19). On top
of that, Adrian scored 18 power play goals, unofficially tying Denis Potvin's NHL record for most goals by a defenceman
on the power play (they didn't used to keep that stat, so it isn't officially confirmed, but oh well, just say he did).
To cap off a dream individual season for Adrian, he won the Babe Pratt Trophy for the Canucks' best defenceman.
He also played a very physical game, leading the team in hits, an element in his game that wasn't there before.
So as well as becoming an offensive threat with his blast from the point (clocked at a team-best 99.9 mph at the Canucks SuperSkills
competition), he has developed into a punishing hitter as well. With Adrian anchoring the power play and
keeping opposition attackers at bay, he will be a key part of the Canucks young defence corps. Aaaaaaaaaand, he answered my question
when he was on the MyBC.com chat!
Team: Vancouver Canucks
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 6'2
Weight: 210 lbs.
Birthdate: 73-7-3
Birthplace: Ottawa, Ontario
Resides: Yaletown during season, Ottawa in the off-season
Drafted: Vancouver's 7th choice, 117th overall, in 1992
Junior Teams: Napean Raiders (OHL), Boston U.
Notes:
Nicknames: Oakie, Oak Tree
Family: Wife, Caroline
Other info:
