Anaheim Ducks Player Grades: Cam Fowler

Regular Season

January 30, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center

Brayden Schenn

(10) moves the puck against the defense of Anaheim Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler (4) and defenseman

Ben Lovejoy

(6) during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Defensively Fowler’s game has much improved since seasons past.

After being rotated around and paired with many different defensive partners over the years, Fowler developed chemistry with Ben Lovejoy. The two of them made for an effective mobile defensive pair and were often put on the ice against the opponents’ top lines. Fowler was successful enough defensively to end the season with a +15 rating, a career best.

Offensively, Fowler struggled a bit. He ended up with six goals and 30 assists for a total of 36 points. Good enough to be the highest scoring defenseman on the team, but this is also in a year in which scoring from the Ducks defenders was at a premium.

Fowler was usually a mainstay on the power play which also struggled quite a bit this year. Sometimes he moved the puck well and would get a good shot through the traffic. Other times he looked uncomfortable and lacked confidence on the power play.

Fowler’s improved play obviously caught someone’s eye as he was selected for the United States Olympic team for the Sochi Winter Olympics. There he was paired with Kevin Shattenkirk of the St. Louis Blues and the two of them played well together. Being an Olympian is a big step for Fowler, and it certainly brought some more confidence to his game.

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Regular Season Grade:  B+