If you’ve been following the Blackhawks this season, then you know Jonathan Toews has been on an absolute tear to start this season. Toews has had some help this offseason in the form of a new trainer, Adam Oates. He currently has 9 points (5G, 4A) in 5 games.
Who Is Adam Oates?
Adam Oates is a former NHL player who has moved onto being a skills trainer for various NHL players. Oates considers himself a “late bloomer”, but you couldn’t tell by looking at his extremely successful 19-year career in the NHL. He would eventually become an NHL Hall of Famer in 2012.
Scor Scor Scor Season Tm Lg GP G A PTS +/- 1985-86 DET NHL 38 9 11 20 -25 1986-87 DET NHL 76 15 32 47 -1 1987-88 DET NHL 63 14 40 54 16 1988-89 DET NHL 69 16 62 78 -1 1989-90 STL NHL 80 23 79 102 9 1990-91 STL NHL 61 25 90 115 15 1991-92 TOT NHL 80 20 79 99 -9 1991-92 STL NHL 54 10 59 69 -4 1991-92 BOS NHL 26 10 20 30 -5 1992-93 BOS NHL 84 45 97 142 15 1993-94 BOS NHL 77 32 80 112 10 1994-95 BOS NHL 48 12 41 53 -11 1995-96 BOS NHL 70 25 67 92 16 1996-97 TOT NHL 80 22 60 82 -5 1996-97 BOS NHL 63 18 52 70 -3 1996-97 WSH NHL 17 4 8 12 -2 1997-98 WSH NHL 82 18 58 76 6 1998-99 WSH NHL 59 12 42 54 -1 1999-00 WSH NHL 82 15 56 71 13 2000-01 WSH NHL 81 13 69 82 -9 2001-02 TOT NHL 80 14 64 78 -4 2001-02 WSH NHL 66 11 57 68 -2 2001-02 PHI NHL 14 3 7 10 -2 2002-03 MDA NHL 67 9 36 45 -1 2003-04 EDM NHL 60 2 16 18 0 Career 19 Seasons NHL 1337 341 1079 1420 33
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Oates was a playmaking specialist in the NHL as he racked up 1079 career assists. He currently sits at 7th all-time in assists. Here are some of his career highlights.
Life After Hockey Has Been Rewarding For Adam Oates
Although Adam Oates is done playing hockey, he’s not done making assists. Adam is known as a hockey whisperer and has worked with many NHL stars such as Mark Scheifele, Steven Stamkos, Max Pacioretty, Jack Eichel, Sam Gagner, Darnell Nurse, Greg Pateryn, Kevan Miller, Zach Parise, James Van Riemsdyk, Blake Wheeler, Travis Zajac, and more. Many of his clients have seen career highs after he has worked with them. You can see why in this promo video.
If you’re curious about the work Adam Oates does with various NHL players, make sure you visit his company’s website, Oates Sports Group. There isn’t much footage of individual player workouts, because Oates prefers to keep each player’s workout as private as possible. However, you can see player testimonials, links to interviews and podcasts, and more on the website.
The Adam Oates Effect On Jonathan Toews and the Blackhawks
As mentioned in Episode 115 of the always entertaining Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Blackhawks’ Captain, Jonathan Toews, is one of Oates’ latest clients. Toews’ offseason hiring and hard work have paid off in a big way. He looks fresh, his burst is back, and his inner fire is burning as bright and strong as it ever was.
Toews has gotten off to arguably the best start of his career this season. As of right now, he is tied for 7th in goals (5), tied for 9th in points (9), and already has 1 hat trick through just 5 games. Toews’ red-hot start has the Blackhawks in 2nd place in the Central division and 3rd place in the Western Conference with 8 points.
Adam Oates has Jonathan Toews firing on all cylinders right now and it’s trickling down to the rest of the team. Let’s see if Toews can keep this momentum going for the remaining 77 games of the 2018-19 NHL season. The Blackhawks’ success ultimately depends on their Captain, and the rest of the core players, building off of the early season success.
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