C Brad Morrison (2015, 113th, NYR unsigned; UFA signed by LAK; traded to CHI; traded to FLA)

[R S]

Deserving of a thread as he continues to produce, already far surpassing his 2013-14 season totals. He's currently sitting at 31 points in 37 games and has been a pleasant surprise in Prince George this year.

He makes his debut in my midseason draft rankings, essentially being ranked as a 6th or 7th round type of player right now.

34 (NR) – Brad Morrison – C – Prince George Cougars – Morrison is the first 100% newcomer to this list as he was (admittedly) a bit of an oversight on my behalf in November, having should have been listed as an HM. The Westside, BC product has had a good year, already surpassing his 2013-14 totals this time around. He’s not big, listed at only 161 pounds, but he’s 5’11 and is very quick and speedy. He’s not afraid to dart in and out of traffic and should be tough to handle once he adds more bulk to his frame.

http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/12/2015-nhl-draft-rankings-midseason.html

Click to read more...

 

[arsmaster*]

Deserving of a thread as he continues to produce, already far surpassing his 2013-14 season totals. He's currently sitting at 31 points in 37 games and has been a pleasant surprise in Prince George this year.

He makes his debut in my midseason draft rankings, essentially being ranked as a 6th or 7th round type of player right now.



http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2014/12/2015-nhl-draft-rankings-midseason.html

He's not going to drop that far IMO.

He's on freakin' fire lately and also though he's fairly slight, he has the skating and talent base to be a contributor in pro.

 

[hockeyhelmut]

C Brad Morrison-Prince George Cougars,WHL(2015 Draft)

Enjoyed reading your midseason rankings RS. I'm not surprised to see Morrison on your list. I would actually have him ranked higher although he did have a bit of a slow start but is now one of the more talented forwards in the 97 draft group IMO. First noticed him at u17. He's very quick and creative. Exciting to watch. Really surprised he wasn't at the u 18. Don't know what happened there but being drafted 7th overall you should be putting up some big numbers. They have him down for 16G 16A in 39 games +8. I also am enjoying watching Tyler Soy's game. He is also making a case for himself as a top forward in the 97 group.

 

[phillipsj89]

This kid is GOOD.

Really sneaky, great vision, good finish. Size could be a factor (although, not as much as once was.)

His biggest knock was his defensive zone coverage, which has improved greatly this year. Also, he sometimes makes the wrong pass which can lead to odd man rushes.

I predict he goes mid rounds to a team looking for a small forward project.

 

[arsmaster*]

This kid is GOOD.

Really sneaky, great vision, good finish. Size could be a factor (although, not as much as once was.)

His biggest knock was his defensive zone coverage, which has improved greatly this year. Also, he sometimes makes the wrong pass which can lead to odd man rushes.

I predict he goes mid rounds to a team looking for a small forward project.

Your allegiances changed? Blazer fan gone full Cougar now (your avatar change).

Post more, you've got great insights.

 

[phillipsj89]

Your allegiances changed? Blazer fan gone full Cougar now (your avatar change).

Post more, you've got great insights.

Thanks dude.

I haven't completely switched allegiances (I still follow the Blazers quite closely) but since I live in PG and go to games live, it is much easier to form an opinion. Blazers will always have my heart, but it is big enough to share two Junior teams.

 

[statsking]

chl prospects game

this seems to be a very strong draft there will be lots of sleepers and steals i think

 

[phillipsj89]

this seems to be a very strong draft there will be lots of sleepers and steals i think

Very well could be. Morrison has now broken into the NHL CSS NA rankings at 150. I would look for that to rise in the next iteration.

 

[statsking]

bc strong

bc has a lot of depth in talent in the 97 draft class

 

[phillipsj89]

Morrison Fails to score on this incredible individual effort. This guy has some skill, if he can strenghten up a bit, look out.

The play Starts at about the 1:50 mark.

http://www.pgcougars.com/video/52992

 

[statsking]

Morrison Fails to score on this incredible individual effort. This guy has some skill, if he can strenghten up a bit, look out.

The play Starts at about the 1:50 mark.

http://www.pgcougars.com/video/52992

nice

 

[R S]

Highlighted recently at FutureConsiderations.ca.

While listed as a center, he has also spent time on the wing this season — giving head coach Mark Holick a versatile weapon for his top-6 forward group. Morrison’s game revolves around speed as everything he does, he does with pace. He has break-away speed, lightning-quick hands and the ability to process the game at that same speed. It’s also worth noting that Morrison doesn’t play a perimeter game.

Continued...

http://futureconsiderations.ca/plenty-value-whl-sleepers/

 

[hockeyexpert]

new favorite player

this kid is one of my new favorite players after watching the first round playoffs. Cant seem to get an idea where he will go in the draft though being in Craig Buttons top 100 list around 60 and outside the top 100 for the Central Scouting rankings around 120? saw this video on twitter kids got some serious skill.

 

[lovetowatch]

this kid is one of my new favorite players after watching the first round playoffs. Cant seem to get an idea where he will go in the draft though being in Craig Buttons top 100 list around 60 and outside the top 100 for the Central Scouting rankings around 120? saw this video on twitter kids got some serious skill.

pretty sick video. kids got talent... where abouts is he supposed to go in the draft ?

 

[joeyabs]

supposed to go to Flames

 

[lovetowatch]

supposed to go to Flames

hmm is that right, you have someone on the inside or just a flames fan I looked at a few lists and some have him ranked 2nd 3rd round and some have him in 5th or 6th round. So its hard to tell but either way I hope the NUCKS take him hes gonna be a fun player to watch

 

[R S]

A steady climber for me all year, Brad Morrison clocks in at #13 on my final WHL player rankings for 2015: http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html


#13 Brad Morrison

Team: Prince George Cougars
Position: C/LW/RW
Shoots: L
Height: 5’11.5
Weight: 154
GP: 63
Goals: 23
Assists: 27
Points: 50
Pts/Gm: 0.79
PIM: 30

Player Analysis: Brad Morrison is a speedy and dynamic forward for the Prince George Cougars…is most definitely one of the fastest pure skaters from the WHL in this year’s NHL draft class…regularly catches defenders on their heels and flat-footed due to his quick bursts to the outside…has extremely good acceleration and can get up to top speed in only a few strides…looks light on his skates while he flies around, having the ability to change directions and make defenders miss…skates with a slightly hunched stance, making him look much smaller than he’s listed…despite his lack of size and weight he doesn’t back down…plays an aggressive style of offensive game and excels in traffic, going to the crease and to tough areas…receives the puck well and has purely skilled hands…shoots the puck well…wrister is hard and accurate…does a good job getting shots away despite traffic and sticks…can shoot in stride…often follows his shot to the net, looking for rebounds…has good hand-eye co-ordination on deflections and for knocking elevated passes out of mid-air…an extremely smart offensive player who is dangerous off the rush and off the cycle due to his ability to take advantage of holes in a defence…does suffer a bit from tunnel vision at times, failing to use his linemates as well as he could…seemed to be a bit selfish at times when the puck was on his stick and I think making that one extra pass might do wonders for his game and give him another element of offensive punch…owns a relentless motor off the puck…attacks in situations when he doesn’t have the puck…isn’t a super strong defensive player but he isn’t simply running around chasing the play…his good hands and quick stick help him defensively, making up for his lack of mass…while he may not have a boatload of defensive value to his game currently, his speed and work ethic could make him a decent two-way forward and penalty killer in certain situations if he really works at that part of his game over the next 3-4+ years…has shown decent versatility this year, playing both centre and either wing in the Cougars top 6….was also a regular contributor on the powerplay…scored 97 goals and had 170 points in 68 games in his bantam draft year…had 12 goals and 21 points in 55 games as a WHL rookie in 2013-14…produced consistently this year with 0.73 PPG up until December 31st and 0.76 PPG from January 1st until the end of the regular season…his 23 goals were tied for the 5th highest total among first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards…18 of those goals came at even-strength, which was the 6th best mark among that same group of forwards…scored 11% of all Prince George’s goals during the regular season…his 50 regular season points were good enough for 10th best among first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards while he was also 10th best in PPG average among that group…averaged 0.55 even-strength PPG during the regular season, 10th best among first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards…had 17 primary assists, the 8th highest mark among first-year draft-eligible WHL forwards…was a 1st round pick, 7th overall, by the Cougars at the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft… overall I see Morrison as an extremely talented and dangerous offensive player in this draft…while his lack of mass definitely hurts him, I can see him providing major value down the road if he slides outside the top 120 picks, not unlike Rourke Chartier from the 2014 NHL Draft…with the proper development his game could end up being somewhat similar to a player like Andrew Cogliano, given that his defensive game takes a couple of big strides forward…I value him as a legit 3rd round pick this year and think he has top 6 NHL potential, even though I feel like he’ll end up more as a 5th round pick come June’s Draft…

 

[RyanOhReally]

Hope the Leafs grab him in the 4th with one of their picks. He could be a real sleeper to add to the rebuild

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Very happy with this pick. I think this might be the sleeper pick of the Rangers this year

 

[WTG]

Absolute steal.

Wanted him in the 3rd round

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

This thread hasn't been updated all season, so I might as well update it. Maybe some frequent WHL watchers can comment more.

He has 28+34=62 points in 70 games. Game #70 is in the third period right now though.

I got a chance to watch him for the first time today. My initial impression is that he skates very well, has very good hands, very good stick handling, but he tries to do too much with his stick handling and turns the puck over in every zone. He's not especially good defensively, some standing around, but I think this part of his game can improve. He doesn't seem to like to shoot the puck, more of a pass first guy who just likes to hold onto the puck. He's probably around 6'0, give or take an inch, but he's skinny, needs to put on weight. There's a lot of talent in his game, but he needs to simplify his game.

 

[jnk96]

I saw Morrison at PG training camp today and thought I'd get this thread back up. Because, well, it seems like nothing has changed over the past year.

Last season, his production went up a bit but it is still quite far below a point per game. That isn't always a bad thing, but I feel like Morrison has enough talent to easily put up a point per game or even more. He is such a good skater and extremely skilled, but he simply won't let go of the puck. If he decided to pass a bit more, he could easily get 15 more assists per year.

Cody described it quite well above:

does suffer a bit from tunnel vision at times, failing to use his linemates as well as he could…seemed to be a bit selfish at times when the puck was on his stick and I think making that one extra pass might do wonders for his game and give him another element of offensive punch…

He gets the puck, takes off with it, skates around the net, skates a whole lap around the offensive zone, goes back behind the net, gets pinned against the boards and loses the puck. He keeps his head up most times, but it seems like he only does that to see where his opponents are, not to find open line mates.

I obviously didn't just come here to rant and bash a young player, but I hate seeing someone with Morrison's skill play that style. If he finally starts to play less selfish, he could be a big-time steal by the Rangers. But if he keeps playing this way, he doesn't have a future in the NHL -- because NHL defensemen won't let him run around like junior players do.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Yup, sounds like Morrison.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

I saw Morrison at PG training camp today and thought I'd get this thread back up. Because, well, it seems like nothing has changed over the past year.

Last season, his production went up a bit but it is still quite far below a point per game. That isn't always a bad thing, but I feel like Morrison has enough talent to easily put up a point per game or even more. He is such a good skater and extremely skilled, but he simply won't let go of the puck. If he decided to pass a bit more, he could easily get 15 more assists per year.

Cody described it quite well above:



He gets the puck, takes off with it, skates around the net, skates a whole lap around the offensive zone, goes back behind the net, gets pinned against the boards and loses the puck. He keeps his head up most times, but it seems like he only does that to see where his opponents are, not to find open line mates.

I obviously didn't just come here to rant and bash a young player, but I hate seeing someone with Morrison's skill play that style. If he finally starts to play less selfish, he could be a big-time steal by the Rangers. But if he keeps playing this way, he doesn't have a future in the NHL -- because NHL defensemen won't let him run around like junior players do.

exactly what he did in Bantam too. Strange he is still doing that and his junior coach hasn't put a stop to it

 

[Anthony Mauro]

exactly what he did in Bantam too. Strange he is still doing that and his junior coach hasn't put a stop to it

Someone will try once he turns pro and it will define Morrison as far as if he will make it. I liked Morrison's tools at the draft and thought he had growth upside. Up until this point he hasn't held up his end of the development process.

Still have hope the Rangers will get through to him. Hunch is they really loved him in 2015, as someone with his profile could have easily went undrafted and they grabbed him 4th round in a really deep draft.