Etienne Morin – 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Etienne Morin

2022-23 Team: Moncton Wildcats 
Date of Birth: Mar. 9, 2005 
Place of Birth: Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec
Ht: 6-foot-0 Wt: 183 pounds 
Shoots: Left 
Position: Defense 
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2023 first-year eligible 

Rankings 

Etienne Morin is exactly what NHL teams are looking for in a defenseman. He is a mobile, two-way player who excels in transition. Last season, he averaged just under 21 minutes per game for the Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) as a 16-year-old rookie.

Related: THW’s 2023 NHL Draft Guide

Morin plays heavy minutes in all situations, especially offensively, with 20 goals and 65 points in 64 games. He is the main weapon and the quarterback on the QMJHL’s tenth-ranked power play (PP). His offensive instincts also allow him to combine his vision with excellent edgework, which he uses to make direction changes, opening up time and space to make a play or to walk the blue line where he can use his hard and accurate shot to score or generate rebounds. His performance at the Kubota Top Prospects game allowed him to showcase those skills and his leadership abilities against the best prospects in the Canadian Hockey League.

Etienne Morin Team Red
Etienne Morin, Team Red, 2023 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game (Ryan Molag / Langley Events Centre)

Defensively he is very capable as well. He has strong gap control and uses his skating and puck handling to his advantage against attacking forecheckers, as he retrieves pucks quickly and is able to identify passing lanes that he uses to begin the counter-attack in transition. In the defensive zone, Morin is able to play physically along the boards in one-on-one battles and in front of the net. His focus on becoming a 200-foot, all-situations player has helped build his confidence over the season and made him even more of a Swiss-army-knife type of weapon for his coaching staff.

 Other THW Draft Profiles 

Etienne Morin – NHL Draft Projection 

Morin is a safe pick for a team looking to add defensive depth to their prospect pool. He is projected to become a two-way defenseman who could fill a role on the second power-play unit. His progression from his first to his second QMJHL season indicates that he is willing to work, making him a good player to select as a project.

Quotables 

“He’s a kid who deserves what he gets because he’s a hard worker, and he’s a great teammate. He works hard in practice, he’s very mature in his approach, and he shows up looking to improve. He doesn’t deflect anything towards others. He takes it on his own shoulders. He’s like that in school. He’s a good student. He’s a guy who doubles down in everything he does,” Moncton head coach Daniel Lacroix.

Strengths 

  • Skating 
  • Work Ethic
  • First pass

Under Construction (Improvements to Make) 

  • Pace
  • Defensive game 
  • Strength

NHL Potential 

He has the potential to be a second-pairing defender whose mobility and first pass help a team begin the transition game. However, he needs to add strength and improve his foot speed and speed of play if he wants to reach that potential.

Risk-Reward Analysis 

Risk – 3/5, Reward – 2.5/5 

Fantasy Hockey Potential 

Offence – 5/10, Defense – 6/10 

Awards/Achievements 

Drafted 21st overall By Moncton Wildcats, 2021 QMJHL Entry Draft

Etienne Morin Statistics