Étienne Morin: an interesting choice for the CH

As you know, the NHL draft is fast approaching, and just as in the NBA draft, it’s a generational talent of the future.

The rest of the NBA draft had a few surprises, like Scoot Henderson, who was supposed to go second (like Adam Fantilli), but ended up going third.

There are likely to be even more surprises in the NHL draft, as the crop is simply incredible with all kinds of talent.

Much has been made of the possible fifth-round picks for the Montreal Canadiens, but the possibilities for picks #31 and #37 are just as numerous.

Ethan Gauthier, Oliver Bonk, Lukas Dragicevic and even Eduard Sale are popular names late in the first round, but there’s another Quebecer who stands out more than the others in my opinion.

Gauthier, Denis Gauthier’s son, didn’t have a great season with the Sherbrooke Phoenix alongside Joshua Roy. In 66 games, he collected 69 points, including 30 goals, which isn’t bad for a youngster, but nothing to be alarmed about either.

However, Moncton Wildcats defenseman Étienne Morin caught my eye this season.

In 67 games, he collected no less than 72 points, including 21 goals.

Need I remind you that he was the only defenseman in the QMJHL’s top 13 scoring defensemen at the age of 17-18?

Only Tristan Luneau (winner of the QMJHL’s best defenseman award), and Frédéric Brunet, a 19-year-old defenseman approaching his twenties, were ahead of him.

The Valleyfield-born defenseman answered a few questions from TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau during an interview.

I invite you to listen to the interview, right here, as it’s very interesting.

In fact, in this interview, the young left-handed defender confessed that he’d love to be able to play with the ferocious Arber Xhekaj.

Anthony Martineau asked him a question about his playing style to help us determine what type of player he is.

I have to say he surprised me with his answer, saying he resembles Marc-Édouard Vlasic.

“I compare myself a lot to Marc-Édouard Vlasic. He’s a very good defender. He reads the game well and is very intelligent with the puck. I have some of the same qualities, I have a good wrist shot and good agility on the ice.” – Étienne Morin

To think that he amassed more than a point per game with 21 goals and that he compares his style of play to that of Vlasic, one of the best defensive defensemen in the league at one time. Quite impressive, he could be a nice gem late in the first round, or even in the second round.

Following this question, Martineau asked another question on the same subject, namely what his biggest flaw was. To this, Morin answered his explosion, but reassured people by mentioning that, this summer, he would be working hard on his legs in order to improve his explosion on the ice.

Even though he’s left-handed, he could still be an interesting choice for the CH. With picks #31 and #37, he could be a very good option. He has excellent stamina and fitness, as mentioned in the interview.

– Good to know.

– A good win for the Jays.

– Good low-paying contract for the Blues. One more year for Perunovich to make his mark.

– Very amusing article from TVA Sports, which puts a positive spin on this miserable season.

– What a catch!

Astros rookie Corey Julks robbed Mookie Betts of a home run with that catch 😱 pic.twitter.com/cRycTnHIlp

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 24, 2023