The Calgary Flames have announced that they have signed Western Michigan University defenseman Kenny Morrison to a two year entry level contract. More from the Flames press release:
Morrison, a native of Lloydminster, Alberta, played three seasons with WMU Broncos between the NCHC and the CCHA. In 37 games during the 2014-15 season, the 6’3”, 208 pound defenceman netted five goals, 10 assists for 15 points and 36 penalty minutes. His career college numbers were 54 points (16G, 38A) and 151 penalty minutes in 115 games. – Calgary Flames
I like to think of college hockey free agent signings as lottery tickets. If they don’t pan out, oh well. If they pan out, you could have a gem for a nice value. Kenney Morrison is about as nice as a lottery ticket as you can get. He has the potential to be something special on offense. His slap shot has a lot of potential.
The best thing about Kenney Morrison’s game is probably his defensive play. He was WMU’s most reliable defenseman this season. He rarely makes big mistakes. He has been relied on to play in virtually every kind of situation for WMU. The 6’3″ 208 pound right handed defenseman plays a physical game and is a deceptively strong skater.
The Flames are a great fit for Kenney Morrison. The Flames already have four great defenseman in Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman, and Kris Russell. Morrison will have the opportunity to learn under that quartet. He’s also a nice complement to those four. When you think of those four guys, they’re all generally viewed as “offensive defenseman” and they lack size. Kenney Morrison gives the Flames more size and a physical presence who can still be productive in the offensive zone. Judging by the fact that he got a two year contract, Morrison could see playing time in the NHL as early as next season.
Kenny Morrison seems very happy to be joining the Flames.
“I want to thank my teammates, my coaches and everyone who helped me get to this point,” Morrison said in a press release. “Calgary is a great organization from top to bottom and I am really excited to pursue my life-long dream of playing pro hockey.” – MLive
Here’s what WMU head coach Andy Murray had to say about his young defenseman.
“We’re excited for his opportunity,” Murray said. “I think Kenney came here and didn’t know what to expect and all of a sudden he’s leaving after three years with an NHL contract.
“I think everybody sees Kenney as a power play shooting defenseman. The one area where he has improved a great deal since he’s been here is he’s improved his defensive game and he’s raised his compete level.” – MLive
Morrison should be an effective defenseman for the Calgary Flames. At worst, he should be a nice third pairing option for them.
Ben Kerr had this to say about Morrison in his Top College Hockey Free Agent report:
“Morrison was highly sought after last year, but he choose to go back to Western Michigan. The 23-year-old has put up 5 goals and 15 points in 35 games this year, confrirming the assessments from last year. Morrison is a tremendous skater. He has outstanding speed, great acceleration, and superb edgework. As a result he is extremely mobile on the backend and a great two-way defender. Morrison has an absolute cannon from the point, and if he can be just a little more accurate could really do damage on the powerplay. He also plays an excellent defensive game, and his ability to change directions quickly makes him a feared hitter off the rush. There could be a huge bidding war for Morrison, who is probably the second best defenceman on the market.”
