Wheeler had Morrow as Carolina's top prospect. Morrow was one of the most productive freshman defensemen in college hockey, led the Minutemen in scoring as a sophomore and then had a third straight 30-point season as a junior last year before turning pro. Most importantly, he played better defensively in huge minutes (25 per game) as a junior, taking important steps defensively. This year, as a rookie at the pro level, he has been one of the Wolves’ most productive players and has played 20 minutes per game in the AHL. Morrow is a real talent who made the jump from high school hockey directly into the NCAA look easy from a skill standpoint (though he has had to do some maturing/growing up on and off the ice) and has now done the same in the AHL. From a skill standpoint, he still has some learning to do in terms of his defensive consistency, but he’s an excellent transition defender who transports pucks confidently, plays boldly inside the offensive zone and possesses impressive handling skill for a defenseman. He’s an exit/entry machine who carves teams up through the neutral zone with head fakes, side steps and cuts — his skating impresses on its edges, even if he’s not explosive. When he’s on the ice, he wants to take over and direct play in possession, and he does so by guiding opposing players out of his way. On top of all that, he’s a 6-foot-2 righty whose defensive game has taken important steps to cut back on mistakes, stay in better positioning and eliminate some of the bad habits that concerned scouts. There’s real top-four, power-play upside to Morrow if he continues to round out his game.
REDLINES TAKE ON SCOTT MORROW 43. Scott Morrow — Shattuck St. Mary’s RD Elite footwork, edging, and long, smooth strides are his foundation as an elite 3-zone skater. Long and strong but still needs to unleash physicality; we have yet to see a game with a notable tone-setting, game-changing check. We also don’t like that he stayed for his 5th year at Shattuck and kept things on cruise control rather than challenging himself in the USHL. We like every other aspect of his game: team leader, shut-down defenceman with textbook positioning, laser-guided passing, and a special teams master. Consistently neutralizes and forces turnovers through pokechecks, then transitions quickly with up-tempo, high-velocity passes. Sometimes guilty of over-handling in the offensive zone, leading to turnovers when he should just keep the biscuit moving. Definite room for growth in physical tenacity and shot accuracy - especially the slapshot. Projection: 2nd pairing blue-liner with offensive tools. Style compares to: Jacob Slavin
If neither Dallas/Carolina are in top 10, the Rangers wil get the better of those first-rounders. If one pick is in the top 10, the Rangers will get the lesser of those first rounders. If both are in top 10, the Rangers will receive the better of those picks in 2027 that would be unprotected.
