Calgary Flames prospect Etienne Morin is far from experienced when it comes to the professional side of hockey. He was officially signed to an amateur tryout offer (ATO) this morning, and soon after hopped on the ice for his first practice with the Calgary Wranglers.
Look who just stepped onto the ice at Wranglers practice, newly ATO-signed prospect Étienne Morin. pic.twitter.com/oShQOsNpS2
— Julian McKenzie (@jkamckenzie) April 10, 2024
Despite only skating with his new team once so far, he was able to pick up some valuable lessons from his teammates.
“Pro habits. Everything is so perfect,” Morin responded when asked what he learned after stepping off the ice following his first practice with the Calgary Wranglers. “It’s different in junior. Every single pass is on the tape; the pace is up. It feels nice to be here.”
The addition of Morin comes following the conclusion of his season in the QMJHL with the Moncton Wildcats, a year in which he had 12 goals and 49 points through 57 games. He acknowledged that it was a bit of a down year from the season prior when he managed 21 goals and 72 points in 67 outings, but believes there are still positives he can take away from it.
“For myself, it was more of a tough year, I’ll be honest,” Morin said. “I still think I did some good things. I’m just going to build from that because you build from losses. Going to build from that year, and being around here with pro guys is going to help me a lot for next year, too. I just can’t wait, and I’ll work as hard as I can.”
🍎Etienne Morin picked up 3 assists on Saturday in a 5-4 loss to Chicoutimi in game 2 of the series—Morin was +2 and registered 5 shots on net
Moncton will go on the road down 2 games to none. #Flames pic.twitter.com/UckSPvHsRS
— Flames Prospects (@BlastyProspects) March 31, 2024
Morin is considered one of the better blue-line prospects in the Flames’ system. The 19-year-old was selected 48th overall in the 2023 draft and was recently listed as the Flames’ eighth-top prospect by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic.
“I’m a two-way defenceman. Especially this year, I’ve been working a lot defensively,” Morin said this afternoon. “I’m great at the blue lines. My agility is good. I have great vision. My strongest asset is probably my IQ. I can [read] passes and everything [even] when I’m not facing the play, things like that.”
Isolation Cam on #2023NHLDraft prospect Etienne Morin. The @monctonwildcats smooth skating 2-way defender is a high end play maker who transports pucks with both his passing and his feet. pic.twitter.com/ykSYDS2dnk
— Shaun SDR Scouting (@SDRscouting) April 23, 2023
While the Flames would certainly like to see what Morin can do with the Wranglers to close out the season, getting him in the lineup may be difficult. With just four games remaining and playoff seeding yet to be determined, head coach Trent Cull was adamant that he would go with the lineup that gives his team the best chance to win.
“Today was his first practice, so I’m not sure where the future lies for him,” Cull said. “We’ve got a lot of guys on our blue line, too. It’s part of the balancing of us and my bosses on how we put together a lineup. It’s not just throwing a guy in, either. We want to make sure we have good pairs. We want to make sure we’re putting ourselves in a situation to keep winning hockey games.
“We’re heading into the playoffs in two weeks, and we want to do well. If Mo’s a part of that, then awesome. Hopefully he gets a chance to get into a game, and we’ll go from there.”
Morin’s opportunity could come soon, as the Wranglers will be welcoming the Abbotsford Canucks to town for a back-to-back set beginning tomorrow night. Regardless of what his role is to end the season, simply being around players every day at the professional level will go a long way in helping develop what is a very intriguing prospect.
- You might also like:
- Kuzmenko trade looking excellent for Flames as he extends point streak