He proved to be a leader on and off the ice: Adam Lowry Jets Nation year in review

Oh captain, my captain! Next up on the Jets Nation year in review series is none other than the captain of your Winnipeg Jets Adam Lowry. If you’re new to this series, it’s an off-season breakdown of each player on the Winnipeg Jets roster. I’ll take you through how they did in the 2023-24 season, and then look ahead to next season to see how their season with the team could go.

Earlier this afternoon I covered Josh Morrissey, an assistant captain of the Jets, and now it’s time to talk about the Jets captain, Adam Lowry. The 31-year old from St. Louis, Missouri has been in the Jets organization since being drafted in the 3rd round, 67th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Lowry almost tied his career bests from last year, playing in 81 games and contributing 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points. Last season, in 82 games, Lowry had 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points.

In the 1st round of the NHL playoffs, Adam Lowry scored 2 goals in the 5 game series loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Now sitting at 702 career NHL games, Lowry has been around this team long enough to experience all of the highs and lows that the team has gone through since being relocated back to Winnipeg. However, the big story with Lowry this season was him being named captain.

Being named a captain is an honour in the NHL that any player would inspire to achieve. In September, around a month before the 2023-24 season began, The 31-year old centre was named the 3rd captain since the Jets relocated back to Winnipeg from the Atlanta Thrashers. The decision to name a captain just 1 season after removing the C from former Jets captain Blake Wheeler was maybe sooner than expected. Last season, the Jets had 3 alternate captains, Mark Scheifele, Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry.

What some people don’t know about Lowry is that his dad was once a captain in the NHL. Dave Lowry captained the Calgary Flames in the early 2000s, late in his 1000+ games career. Having someone so close to Lowry that has gone through the experience of being a captain on a Canadian team certainly would help him along the way. I’m sure he also got some advice from former Jets captains as well, including Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd.

Enough can’t be said about how well Lowry handled his 1st season as a captain. Just from observing how he interacted with his teammates, he seemed right at home taking the main leadership role for this team. Both on and off the ice Lowry proved to be a leader this season, claiming the Community Service award at the Jets season-ending awards night.

Getting more into his on-ice performance, Lowry was part of a staple 3rd line on the Jets that included him centering a line with Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter. This trio seemed to click almost right away, and as they built more chemistry throughout the year, they were rewarded with more ice time and opportunities throughout the games. Nicknamed the “LAN” line, they played almost like what a LAN cable does, providing a consistent, reliable connection to the source, that being the team.

Going a little deeper into Lowry’s specific standouts among his teammates was that he was perhaps a surprising high end playmaker. According to JFreshHockey’s model, Lowry ranked highest among the Jets for passing score at 5v5 per 60 minutes. This is calculated on a player’s shots and chances created by shooting or passing, which Lowry thrived on doing in his 3rd line role. Although his line’s primary role was being a bottom 6 shutdown line, the depth on the Jets offense this year was a result of the chances that were generated by Lowry’s line.

Switching over to Lowry’s contract, and the Jets appear to be getting good value from Lowry. He signed a 5 year, 16.25 million dollar deal in April 2021, meaning he has 2 seasons left at 3.25 million per year. Lowry won’t be a free agent until 2026 at the age of 33, and judging by Lowry’s commitment to the organization so far in his career, he could end up being on the team for the rest of his career. Of course, anything could happen between now and then, but I would suspect that the Jets would sign Lowry to a short-term deal around the same dollar value in 2026 for the captain.

Overall, Adam Lowry had a successful 1st season as the captain of the Winnipeg Jets. He’s proven that he is a staple on this team, and someone who will continue to show his presence on the ice with whatever role he is tasked with doing. Don’t be surprised if Lowry reaches 40 points next season, as you have to remember that he’s currently in the peak window of his career. It’s unknown if Appleton and Niederreiter will once again be his linemates, but even if they aren’t, Lowry will be able to work alongside whoever the new coach sees fit. His very solid two-way game, along with his high quality leadership skills, will both be on full-display for the Winnipeg Jets in the 2024-25 season.