This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I’ll look at each player on the Anaheim Ducks and assess how their season went. This piece will focus on Cam Fowler.
This was a strong year for Fowler, whose production increased back to the level we expect from him, after a 2018-19 season which saw his production dip. This year, he scored nine goals and 29 points in 59 games, a pace of 13 goals and 40 points in 82 games. He also got more shots through this season and averaged more shots per game than he did in either 2017-18 or 2018-19.
However, he was more sheltered than Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson, who played against the toughest competition of any Ducks defenders (according to Hockey Abstract). Fowler also played over 2:30 per game on the power play and also had the highest offensive zone start percentage of any defenseman on the team to play at least 15 games this season, so he was certainly set up to succeed.
That said, he was playing a ton of minutes, averaging more ice time per game than any defender on the Ducks (min. 15 games played), other than Hampus Lindholm, and played some of them on his weak side. He had a higher goals for percentage than any other player on the team according to NaturalStatTrick.com (min. 15 games played) and performed well in his role, even if he was somewhat sheltered.
Fowler is still just 28 years old and has six years left on his contract, so you can bet he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. He did miss extended time due to injury for the third season in a row, however, so hopefully he's fully healthy next season. Fowler, Lindholm and Manson all make for quality top-four defensemen and the Ducks also have several promising young defenders and prospects looking to compete for ice next season. The team’s defense group will likely be quite strong within a year or two and Fowler should remain a key part of it for many years to come.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
How do you feel about Cam Fowler's performance this season?
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