Jeremy Morin is not going to find himself in the headlines or the highlight films very often.
But the young left wing made a statement at the end of the 2013-14 regular season, and it's one that made general manager Stan Bowman and head coach Joel Quenneville take notice.
Morin played 24 games last year with the Blackhawks after he was brought up from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League. In the first 18 games, Morin did not do much to get noticed as he scored one goal and four assists.
However, he looked like a different player in those final six games when he scored four goals and two assists. He was at his best in an April 6 game against the St. Louis Blues when he scored a goal and an assist.
It wasn't just the numbers; it was the variety of skills he showed in the process. Morin showed toughness and hunger as he went to the net and controlled the rebound of a shot by Bryan Bickell and powered the puck past St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott.
Later on in the game, he carried the puck around the defender and led a two-on-one. He made a perfect pass to Patrick Sharp, who tucked the puck in the net.
That surge appeared to put Morin in a good position in the offseason. The Blackhawks responded by giving him a two-year contract extension that will pay him $700,000 in 2014-15 and $900,000 in 2015-16.
While he is not an upper-echelon player who will dominate the action, he is a role player who is likely to man the left wing spot on the team's fourth line.
That's a key position on a team like the Blackhawks because the fourth line often represents the difference when they are playing other high-quality teams. The top lines often cancel each other out when the best teams meet, and it's the third and fourth lines that can grind out goals and make the difference.
While Morin appears to have an excellent position to make the team, he is facing tough competition from players who want to take that spot away from him. Joakim Nordstrom and Peter Regin are his primary competitors.
Morin has had a good camp, and Quenneville appears to be one of his supporters.
"[Morin is] a guy that we’re going to need here, and his camp’s been fine, and we want to see him," Quenneville told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "But we don’t want to think anybody’s a lock [where] they’re going to be content and satisfied with where they’re at. Last year, Morin showed that he can handle it. And he probably wants more.”
When Morin is practicing or playing in preseason games, his mind is on his business and doing whatever he can to show Quenneville that he can be a key member of the team. However, when he's not on the ice, he is trying not to obsess about the Blackhawks' roster and his spot on it.
“It’s in the back of your mind a bit,” he told Lazerus. “But you can’t focus on that. I have to find my game."
Morin appears to have the inside track because of his offensive upside. He has a good shot, and he will go to the dirty areas in front of the net. And that gives him a chance to score goals. He's also creative with the puck and can deliver it to his linemates so they are in a good position to register scoring opportunities.
If he can close out camp with a strong finish, he should be on the roster when the Blackhawks open the season Oct. 9 at Dallas.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2218071-what-can-jeremy-morin-bring-to-the-chicago-blackhawks
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