Buffalo Sabres draft pick Mark Adams didn't light the USHL on fire from the backend in 2009-10, but it did prove to be an important development year for him that should help ensure continued success. Adams, known as a puckmoving defenseman in the Massachusetts high school ranks for Malden Catholic prior to being drafted, further honed his offensive game with the Chicago Steel, but he also made significant strides in his defensive game. Playing as a solid two-way defenseman at the end of the season on a pairing with Ian Young, Adams received prime icetime for the Steel and put up 1 goal and 7 assists in his final 16 games of the season, which boosted what had been an underwhelming 3 goals and 3 assists in his first 37 games to a respectable 4 goals and 10 assists in 53 games. His numbers don't harken images of Matt Donovan, John Moore, or John Carlson, but his development this season puts him on course to challenge to be a regular in the Providence College lineup as a freshman and on a positive trajectory to play in the Sabres system one day.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to talk with Mark Adams before the end of the 2009-10 season. The young blueliner discussed his development with the Steel, his selection by the Sabres, his high school hockey career with Malden Catholic, his commitment to Providence College, his minor hockey in Boston, how he got the nickname "Roo," and his favorite NHLers.

McKeen's: Well unfortunately, you guys are out of the playoffs now. So, 2009-10 is almost done for you, but how would you say the season's gone for you this year?

Adams: It's been real good for me. It's been a development process. Coach [Steve] Poapst and coach [Jon] Waibel have helped me out a ton. I feel like a completely different player from September to now.

McKeen's:: Along those lines, at the beginning of the year, what were the biggest adjustments that you faced coming into the USHL and how did you feel you did adapting?

Adams: I'd say my first few months, well, the first six to eight weeks I wasn't really getting the feel of it. I also wasn't intense enough when I played. But, coach really showed me how to bear with it. You've got to focus throughout the whole 60 minutes, you can't take off any shift. You have to play harder defensively than in high school hockey, where it's more pond hockey, where you're just going all out as far as offense.

McKeen's: You kind of touched on this, but in what areas of your game do you feel you've improved the most this season?

Adams: I'd say defense and probably transitioning. Instead of (pauses)… last year you could just take the puck back and beat three kids and just take it past them. Now, you can basically beat one guy, but then you've got to get rid of it.

McKeen's: I was talking to Nick Mattson a while back and he said the same thing. Back in Minnesota high school it'd be, he said, "Yeah, back in high school I could t-drag five guys and maybe go top shelf"…

Adams: Exactly.

McKeen's: … but if he tries it in junior hockey, you'll get laid on your [posterior].

Adams: Yeah, exactly.

McKeen's: Going forward, in what areas of your game do you feel you need to improve the most to take your game to the next level?

Adams: Well, it's not one area. That sounds like a modest answer, but it's true.

McKeen's: (Chuckles) A little bit of everything, huh?

Adams: Yes.

McKeen's: On the other hand, what would you say are the strengths of your game and the style that you play?

Adams: Umm, I think my strengths are my skating, and I'm a pretty good puckmover. That's probably my biggest strength, moving the puck.

McKeen's: Last summer, you were drafted by the Sabres in the fifth round of the draft. When did you learn you'd been drafted and how did you find out?

Adams: I first found, my advisor was at the draft, and he texted my dad. Then, I got a call from one of the Sabres' personnel, and they told me they took me in the fifth round.

McKeen's: I was going to ask this question later, but I think I'll ask it now. Who is your advisor?

Adams: Jay Fee.

McKeen's: Okay. Not long after (pauses)… I guess I'll ask this first: What did the Sabres tell you when they contacted you?

Adams: They said congratulations, we took you in the fifth round, 134th overall, and we'd like to see you at prospect camp - pretty general. They had a lot going on, first rounders to deal with and that sort of thing.

McKeen's: Not too long after that was the development camp that the Sabres had. What were the foci of the Sabres' camp and how did you feel you compared to the other prospects?

Adams: I was the youngest guy there I think. I think me and Marcus Foligno were the youngest guys. It was definitely tough, playing with guys like Tyler Myers and Nate Gerbe and Chris Butler, all of those guys that are playing regular shifts in the NHL. It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life, though.

McKeen's: I was looking at the rosters for the camp, and I see Chris Butler, and I was like, "He played like 48 games up in the show last year."

Adams: Yeah.

McKeen's: Development camp?

Adams: He played for Sioux City, too.

McKeen's: That's right! Yep, back in the day. Tim Kennedy, too, he played in the USHL back in the day as well. Of the prospects there, which ones impressed you the most and why?

Adams: Umm, I'd say my roommate, Alex Biega. He was just like, a great all-around kid. He really helped me out. I didn't know one kid. He obviously plays at Harvard, and I'm going to college next year. Hopefully I'll be able to play kind of like him.

McKeen's: He's kind of from your neck of the woods.

Adams: Yeah. He's a Quebec kid, but he played prep school in Connecticut (Salisbury).

McKeen's: Yes. I should have stated it that way. I read that the Sabres have some sort of blog where you enter notes after every game you play. If so, tell me about that.

Adams: Yeah. We just go on and log into our account write down how we played. Not so much the wins and losses, just more how you played.

McKeen's: What will tonight's entry be, then?

Adams: Umm, I don't know. I had some good plays. I thought I played a solid game. Obviously, we're a little upset about last night, getting knocked out of the playoffs. But, we still have to be playing hard.

McKeen's: Very, very few players are drafted directly out of Massachusetts high school hockey. Did you ever consider going to play prep school or maybe playing in the EJHL or anything like that?

Adams: No. My coach back home, Chris Serino, I don't know if you've heard of him, he coached at Merrimack for about seven years and at UNH. He was a great, great coach for me in high school. High school hockey is so much fun. So, when I was there, I never really thought about leaving until after I was drafted, especially when (pauses)… Malden Catholic, everyone talks about hockey out there isn't that great, but it helps kids come into themselves and be a lot more confident, and the coaching staff is really superb there.

McKeen's: That's true. When you have a coach of the caliber you had, you're going to get that quality instruction. Plus, the crowds in high school are a little better than in the EJ (background noise muffles what I say at the end).

Adams: To a point. We had about 500 to 1,000 students. Sometimes when you go to Lincoln, you get like 5,000 crazy fans.

McKeen's: Oh, right. Yeah, here in the USHL, but in the EJHL…

Adams: Oh, yeah. It's not even close. It's a good league, though.

McKeen's: Oh, certainly, just not the huge fan bases. The next step for you is college next year, right?

Adams: Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

McKeen's: Obviously the Sabres want that, otherwise some things with your rights come into play. With colleges, when did they first start recruiting you, who else was in the mix, if I can ask, and what made you decide to become a Friar?

Adams: Well, after my sophomore summer I played in some tournaments, and I think the first school to contact me was Holy Cross, a pretty good academic school and also a good hockey program. After that, when I played for the Little Bruins, for Andy Powers and Chris Masters, that really helped me a lot, too. I started to get a little more attention from some local schools. Then, I had a solid season and coach Serino helped me out and got me talking to coaches and thinking about visits. Then Providence offered me, and that was one of my dream schools growing up. It was about an hour from my house, in Hockey East. So, I was thrilled.

McKeen's: Going back to the beginning of your career, when did you first start playing and how did you get that start?

Adams: I lived in a town called Hamilton, 25 miles from Boston, just northeast. Right down from my house is a school called Pingree, a Division II prep school, and they have their own rink. My dad took me over one Saturday morning for family skate, when I was about five or six. So, we'd go about once a week until I was playing.

McKeen's: And went from there. For what organizations did you skate for at the different age levels up through your minor hockey ranks?

Adams: I played for Agawam, I played for the Middlesex Islanders, then in the summer I played for the Junior Bruins and the Boston Icemen.

McKeen's: What was that first one again?

Adams: It's called Agawams, a house program.

McKeen's: I'll have to Google that. Playing with the Little Bruins, it sounds like you did before and after with them?

Adams: Oh, yeah. They're…

McKeen's: Pretty well-known.

Adams: Yeah. They've had a lot of really good players play for them. You've probably heard of Billy Arnold.

McKeen's: Yep.

Adams: He was on my team.

McKeen's: There have been all sorts of guys to come out of the Junior Bruins. One of your teammates now, Kevin Lind, is pretty much a certainty to be drafted, and you've gone through that. So, what advice have you offered or would you offer to Kevin in regards to the upcoming draft?

Adams: Well, Kevin's a little more well-known prospect than I was going into the draft. He might be a second-round or third-round pick. He's obviously had a great season. He probably knows a little more about the stuff than I do, with John Moore last year. Kevin's a great player, and he's going to have a great career.

McKeen's: Also, recent addition Ian Young, well, not that recent, but he wasn't here the whole year. What's he like? What's he added to the equation? Do you think he has draft chances?

Adams: Ian's my partner right now. We've been playing together for about two months. He's probably the best puckmover I've ever played with. He makes solid passes. They're always on your tape. He's a great player. I know he isn't ranked, but neither was I. I can see for sure, him being picked. I think he'd be a very wise choice, because he could come back next year before going to college and have an unbelievable year.

McKeen's: Watching him tonight, I paid a lot of attention to him, and he reminds me a little bit of Matt Donovan. I don't know if he's going to be quite that good, but if you start looking like Matt Donovan, that's not bad. Your nickname is "Roo." Where did that come from? What's the story behind that?

Adams: Well, when I was born, my grandmother gave it to me, because my dad is also Mark. So, we'd have Mark and Mark, and that'd be a little confusing…

McKeen's: … and the Funky Bunch.

Adams: (Chuckles) Yeah, exactly. She decided to give me the nickname of "Roo." It comes from Winnie the Pooh, with Kanga and Roo. So, my mom was "Kanga," and I was, and that's not really a great name for a lady, but "Roo" just kind of stuck.

McKeen's: Well, there we have it, I guess. To close things out, who were some of your favorite players in your youth and who are some players today who you feel you're similar to or that you'd like to equate to?

Adams: My favorite players? NHL?

McKeen's: Sure, unless there's someone else in some other league.

Adams: Okay. Growing up, I was a [Peter] Forsberg fan. As I got a little older, I became strictly Bruins. [Dennis] Wideman. I like [Steve] Montador, who played with them last year. All-time favorite player? Has to be Cam Neely. He's a Boston guy.

McKeen's: He did good things for Bruins back in the day. Any defensemen you feel you're similar to?

Adams: Hmmm (pauses)... maybe a [Niklas] Hjalmarsson type, on Chicago. A puckmover who's not too crazy, too flashy.

McKeen's: Niklas has come along. I was able to see him in the AHL, and he was one of the younger players on that team and now here he is.