Adam Lowry was named captain of the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
Adam Lowry (17) attempts to control a pass in front of Sharks defenseman Radim Simek (51) – Photo by Jack Lima
“When I found out I was pretty excited, almost a little speechless,” Lowry said. “It’s something growing up you kind of can dream about and something that seems almost unattainable. Getting to be a captain of a Canadian NHL team is pretty special and something I’m really looking forward too.”
The 30-year-old forward was selected by the Jets in the third round (No. 67) of the 2011 NHL Draft and has played his entire nine-season NHL career with Winnipeg.
Lowry replaces Blake Wheeler, who was removed as captain Sept. 16, 2022. The Jets opted for three alternate captains last season, Lowry, forward Mark Scheifele and defenseman Josh Morrissey.
“It went well last year,” coach Rick Bowness said. “Mark, Adam and Josh did a great job in the room which is what we wanted. We all know Adam is the first guy on the ice to stick up for his teammates.
“He’s a true professional, he has total respect from every player on the team, every player around the League and certainly from the coaching staff as well. We just feel at this point it’s the right time to name Adam as our captain.”
Lowry had an NHL-best 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 82 games last season. He has 204 points (93 goals, 111 assists) in 621 games, sixth in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history.
“As an organization we’ve had the pleasure of watching Adam develop from the day that he was the second player that we drafted back in 2011,” general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “As a teammate, Adam has become one of the most respected players by his peers by how he plays the game on the ice and for all that he brings to the team off of it.”
Lowry said he’s learned from the captains he’s played with in Winnipeg, Wheeler and Andrew Ladd, and he also planned on calling New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba, a former Jets teammate. He also can rely on his father, Dave Lowry, who was captain of the Calgary Flames from 2000-02.
“To kind of have my father having gone through that experience of having been a captain in a Canadian market and not necessarily be the superstar that’s leading the team, it’s more of a third- and fourth-line guy and you can still find value, lead a team,” Lowry said. “You can still bring a team together.”
Eight NHL teams are without a captain: the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Seattle Kraken and St. Louis Blues.
The Vancouver Canucks named defenseman Quinn Hughes captain Monday.
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