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Buffalo Sabres History: Who Wore It, Number 72

By Melissa Kania

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Buffalo Sabres fans who have been visiting Sabre Noise for some time may be familiar with our “Who Wore It” series. We started this several years ago, highlighting one player to have worn each jersey number with the Buffalo Sabres. This series doesn’t designate who is the “best” to have worn that number, but simply allows fans to learn a little more about the team’s history and the players in it.

We last discussed jersey number 71, worn by two players in Buffalo Sabres history: Jochen Hecht and Derek Whitmore.

Today, we skip ahead to #72, which has been worn by just one player in Buffalo Sabres history: Luke Adam.

Adam, now 25, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres with the 44th overall selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He was playing with the QMJHL’s St. John’s Fog Devils at the time, and would go on to spend two more seasons in the Q – with the Montreal Juniors and Cape Breton Screaming Eagles – before making his jump to the AHL.

He made his AHL debut with the Portland Pirates on April 17, 2010 and went on to appear in three games in the Pirates’ series against Manchester. He had two points – both assists and a total of four shots.

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Adam would go on to spend a good portion of the 2010-11 season with Portland. He registered 62 points in 57 games, second-most on the team only behind right winger Mark Mancari (64). His 29 goals were also second-most on the team behind Mancari, while his 33 assists were third-most, behind Marc-Andre Gragnani (48) and Mark Parrish (34). Adam finished the regular season as a plus-18.

He also registered seven points (4-3) in 12 playoff games, but that season was big for Adam in another way: he made his NHL debut on October 26, 2010.

All in all, he appeared in 19 games with the Buffalo Sabres, notching four points in that time – including his first NHL goal on December 28, 2010 against the Edmonton Oilers.

The 2011-12 season saw Adam play mostly with the Buffalo Sabres, but also spend some time with the Rochester Americans. In 52 games with the NHL club, he registered 20 points; 13 points in 27 games with the Amerks.

The 2012-13 season, however, saw Adam play almost exclusively in the AHL, save four games at the NHL level. He registered 37 points (15-22) and 57 penalty minutes in 67 regular season games. In four games with the Sabres, he had one goal and two penalty minutes.

It was much of the same in the 2013-14 season, too. Adam registered 49 points (29-20) in 59 games with the Amerks. His 29 goals matched his career-high set with Portland in 2010-11.

In 12 games with the Buffalo Sabres, he registered one goal.

Then the 2014-2015 season came – and it was time for everything to change for Adam. After registering 20 points in 27 games with the Amerks, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets organization in exchange for Jerry D’Amigo.

Adam saw a fresh start with the Springfield Falcons, a team he registered 22 points (8-14) in 46 games with after the trade. He also made his debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets, appearing in three games with the team.

He didn’t stay in Columbus long, however, and was signed by the New York Rangers this July. It’s expected that he’ll report to their AHL club.

Next: The Benefits of David Legwand

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