Aug. 5, 2010

By Nate Ewell
UMass Lowell
Sr. | D | Ashburn, Va.

Key Statistics: His offensive contributions have been minimal, with 10 points each in his freshman and sophomore seasons followed by 11 as a junior, but Blair does his best work at the other end of the rink. He finished +8 last season after posting a +11 rating as a sophomore. Two of his 33 career points have been goals.

What He Does: At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Blair has the size and reach of a prototypical shutdown defenseman. He's got good footwork and agility for someone of that build, too, and better puck-distribution skills than his offensive numbers suggest.

The Bigger Picture: Blair and Maury Edwards - who we looked at in last year's A to Z - have spent three years paired together almost exclusively. With the graduation of Nick Schaus and Jeremy Dehner, Blair and Edwards will be the senior leaders of an otherwise youthful Riverhawk blueline. They should eat up a lot of minutes together. Blair, who head coach Blaise MacDonald praises for his off-ice preparation, attended Ottawa Senators development camp this summer as he prepared for his senior season.

Riverhawks coach Blaise MacDonald on Blair: "He's always been a pass-first, shoot-second kind of guy, but I think you might see that mindset change in his senior year. He's got an accurate, heavy shot that can do some damage."

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