Calgary Flames 2025 Prospects Rankings: #7 Etienne Morin

Welcome back at The win -column Calgary Flames Prospect Rankings. Next in our countdown is defender Etienne Morin. The 20-year-old defender has recently completed his last year in the CHL, making his Moncton Wildcats the QMJHL championship claim.

Morin is selected in the second round of the 2023 design and is generally considered as the best links perspective of the team. After ranking 11th in the prospective list of last year, Morin jumps up four places to seventh thanks to some diploma and a strong season in the Qmjhl.

Morin and his development so far

As mentioned, Morin recently completed his fourth and final season in the QMJHL. Morin spent all four seasons with the Moncton Wildcats, who saw a number of incredible lows during his term of office and a number of incredible highlights. During his concept year in 2022–23, Morin wore an insufficient wildcats -blue line on his back. He would end the season with 72 points in 67 games to bind for the team leader of the Wildcats. For the context, the next highest scoring defender on the Wildcats that season only had 18 points. Morin was literally the only remarkable defender on the Roster and was given the task of playing a ton of minutes in every situation, that season earned almost 28 minutes a night.

At first glance, his D+1 production drop-off seems like a large red flag. However, when you consider how much he was asked to play in his concept year, the drop-off starts to make sense. The Wildcats started to build a much better grid around him, allowing him to take a step back and concentrate more on his overall play and development in both zones. He still led 48 points in 57 games, which again led his blue line in scoring.

Last season the Wildcats were an absolute Juggernaut, who placed an absurd record of 53-9-9 -0 and win the QMJHL title. Morin was a large part of their success, again in the blue line with a team-best 58 points in 62 games, while on average about 23 minutes a night it is on average. He followed his impressive regular season with an even better play -Off Run and placed 20 points in 19 games to lead all QMJHL defenders in Play -Ooff scoring. He also began to show important signs of improvement in his defensive match, with more a two -way threat rather than strictly an attacking one.

Morin’s strengths

Shot

Morin’s Scot is undoubtedly his greatest overall power. There is a reason why he posted 55 goals from the Blue Line in his QMJHL career. His release is very impressive, just like the power of his shot. He pays a threat to the blue line when he has the puck, because defenders must always be aware of his ability to absorb the puck on the net. You will not find much defender who can shoot the puck so effortlessly and as clean as Morin.

He offers the kind of shooting skills that a serious weapon of the blue line at NHL level could be, and as a point threat to a Power Play unit.

Vision/Playmaking

Morin owns impressive vision and play skills. There is a reason why the Moncton attack walked through him almost every season on the blue line that he played in the Qmjhl. He is a creative player with the puck and is often able to find opponents in passing lanes that other defenders do not notice. He is great at spreading the puck and generating opportunities for his teammates.

Again, just like his shot, his playing capacity was one day to translate into a Power Play role at the NHL level. Although he is not in any way not an elite -offensive player, he is still a very strong, even if he is not super flashy.

Physicality

Morin is not the largest player, who is about six feet long, but that does not ensure that he avoids the physical aspects of the game. He is good at using his body to break out plays, fights for Pucks low and causes problems for moving ahead. He is able to use his impressive balance and strength to surpass larger players, and is never afraid to set it up for the net or in the corners if he has to.

Just like his attacking talent, Morin is not the most physically impressive defender you will ever see, but he has some impressive physical tools.

Morin’s weaknesses

Skating

The biggest weakness in his game is his skates and attitude. He does not offer a powerful pass and wears a bit of a strange posture and movement when it is informed. It can cause him to be caught flat, because his gear is not the best. He may have difficulty keeping up with the gaps against fast players.

His skating can cause quite a few problems defensively, because he can be caught from position and behind the piece, which leads to opportunities against. Morin will have to make it one of his primary goals to improve in the coming years if he hopes to become a full-time NHL player one day.

Decision -making

Another aspect that Morin has to work on is his general decision -making. Sometimes he can play bad, low probability with the puck that leads to sales and opportunities. His skates is a big reason for that, because he can be caught behind the game and then plays low-iq to try to catch up or compensate for his lack of speed.

He is also not the best in reading plays, at both ends of the ice. Sometimes he will try to do too much or to force a bad game, even with better options available. In defense, he can be caught due to poor anticipation and the ability to predict where the game is going.

Morin’s next steps

Morin’s CHL career is officially over and he will insist on a full-time role on the Blue Line of the Calgary Wranglers this coming season. Although he has a number of striking holes and points for improvement, his overall two -way capacity is a reason for optimism. He reminds me of a TJ Brodie-Type defender, never the best in something, but an overall strong, reliable option in the middle of your line-up.

It will be crucial for Morin to keep working on his skates and overall decision -making with the Wranglers in the coming seasons. If he can take steps in those areas, there is a very good chance that he can find a house on the blue line of the Flames within three years.

With the full lack of depth on the left on the left, there is currently no one in the way of Morin in the organization. It will be up to him to prove that he needs what is needed to play at the next level. With some herbs in the AHL, I have completely convinced that one day Morin can become a real solid second-parting defender in the NHL.

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