Étienne Morin

June 2023 – Morin was selected 48th overall by the Flames. Pat Quinn

June 2023 – Morin’s season for the Moncton Wildcats, on paper, was impressive – he finished the regular season tied for first on his team in points, and third among all QMJHL defenders, with 72 points in 67 games played. 21 of those points were goals, and his plus-minus of +29 is higher than both runner-ups on his team, combined.

These totals are also why scouting is so important. First and foremost, Morin is by far the most utilized player on his team, and might even be the most-utilized in the QMJHL, playing well above 27 minutes a night on a regular basis. He plays first fiddle on both special team units, and hops on the ice almost every second shift at 5 on 5. Although this is certainly warranted based on his ability to transition pucks out of his zone, the defender struggles very hard in two areas. First, his footwork is a major concern, especially defensively. He has a lot of trouble keeping up with changes of possession and back-and-forth plays, mainly due to a recurring habit of keeping his feet planted. This is also an issue on the offensive side, where a vast majority of his shots come from a standstill, with no lateral lane adjustment to make sure the shot hits the net.

Then there’s the issue of decision-making, where he’ll force a pass through a lane that isn’t there or take himself out of a rush by chasing the carrier instead of holding the middle of the ice. The arsenal of passes, the handling skill and the shot itself are solid, but without major improvements in his footwork and decision-making, Morin will struggle very hard to make his game work against pros. If these issues are fixed, which is a big “if”, there is upside as a second-pair defenseman given the skills he possesses with the puck, both in transition and in the offensive zone. He’ll need a top-tier player development team and lots of attention to get there. Hadi Kalakeche