Adam Wilcox

History

2008-09: Adam Wilcox, who opened eyes as a freshman goalie at Minnesota's South Saint Paul HS in 2007-08, was even more impressive as a sophomore. Wilcox finished the season with a record of 16-6-3 with a 2.38 GAA and .903 save percentage. He seemed to play especially well in big games and under duress – including a 41 save effort in a 1-1 tie with Section 4A rival Saint Thomas Academy. Wilcox was selected by the Green Bay Gamblers in the 17th round (221st overall) of the USHL Entry Draft. In five games at USA Hockey's Select 17 Camp Wilcox allowed 7 goals on 75 shots and had a 2.80 GAA and .907 save percentage for Team Red.

2009-10: Wilcox, in his third year as South Saint Paul's starter, was 11-11 in 23 games with a 3.33 GAA and .886 save percentage. Wilcox accepted a scholarship offer to play at the University of Minnesota in 2012-13.

2010-11: Wilcox chose to forego his senior year of high school hockey and split time with USHL Second Team goaltender Ryan McKay for the defending champion Green Bay Gamblers. While McKay saw the bulk of the action for the Gamblers – particularly in Eastern Division second-place Green Bay's playoff run to the Clark Cup finals – Wilcox played well when given the opportunity. In 24 regular season contests, he was 16-6 with one loss in OT and had 1 shutout with a 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage. Wilcox appeared in two playoff games and stopped 37 of 38 shots in 88 minutes of action. He was rated 28th among the 30 North American goalies listed in Central Scouting's final rankings and selected by the Lightning in the 6th round (178th overall) of the 2011 NHL Draft.

2011-12: Wilcox was expected to be the Green Bay's starter in his second USHL season before Ryan McKay unexpectedly returned for another season. He began the year with the Gamblers but was traded to the Tri-City Storm after appearing in nine games. He was 7-2 with 2 shutouts for the Gamblers and provided an immediate boost for the struggling Storm following the trade. Wilcox played 43 games between the two teams, finishing 23-20 with 3 shutouts, and had a 2.77 goals against and .916 save percentage. The Storm finished sixth in the West Division and were swept by Waterloo in a best-of-three playoff series. Wilcox started both playoff games and had a 4.70 goals against and .842 save percentage.

 

Talent Analysis

Wilcox is a cousin of Sharks' prospect Alex Stalock, who also played youth hockey in South Saint Paul. Not surprisingly, Wilcox plays a similar style to the former UM-D netminder. Like Stalock he likes to challenge shooters and plays an aggressive style of goaltending. He is willing to handle the puck and move it to teammates to start the transition. He is very consistent and plays with confidence. Still developing, he will benefit from one more year of juniors in the USHL and then a few seasons of college hockey at the University of Minnesota.

 

Future

Wilcox will head "home" to the University of Minnesota to begin his college career in 2012-13. Long-term, he may have to temper his aggressive play a bit as he faces more sophisticated scorers at higher levels of hockey. But Wilcox is a talented netminder with pro potential.