The Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the Islanders’ prospect pool received a boost on Wednesday when University of North Dakota’s Collin Adams agreed to a two-year, two-way contract starting next season.
Adams was the Islanders sixth-round pick in 2016 and has developed into a talented center during his four-year tenure starring for the Fighting Sioux. He scored 14 goals and totaled 34 points, both new career-highs this season.
North Dakota won the 2021 NCHC Championship and Adams was a big part of it and was named to the NCHC All-Tournament Team.
Adams finished his collegiate career with 33 goals and 44 assists in 122 games. He also compiled a plus-32 rating.
Collin Adams is on 🎯#UNDproud @UNDmhockey pic.twitter.com/9Oof5fKaiD
— UND Insider (@UNDinsider) January 12, 2020
The Sound Tigers could benefit from Adams joining the team this year on an AHL tryout, even with only six games left on their schedule. Adams was playing first-line minutes the past two seasons at UND, and his speed and ability to possess the puck improved by a wide margin.
More importantly, the Islanders were able to get Adams to sign before he acme a free agent on Aug. 15 despite him not joining the varsity right away. He became the third player to sign their entry-level deal with the organization. Russian import Anatoli Golyshev signed his contract two weeks ago and is waiting to come to North America; Finnish d-man Robin Salo agreed to his back in mid-February.
Adams’ impact with the big club won’t be felt for a few seasons, but he’s coming into a situation in Bridgeport at an opportune time with the Sound Tigers searching for scoring depth.
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