Morrow 'Ready To Learn' After Joining Canes

RALEIGH, NC. - Under 24 hours after inking his three-year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, Scott Morrow was on the ice with his new teammates.

"Trying not to mess things up" while wearing #56, the 21-year-old admitted it's been a bit of a whirlwind since playing his final college game last week.

"It's been crazy.  A lot of 'thanks yous', a lot of people reaching out," he began when he spoke to reporters in Raleigh on Wednesday.  "It's all a bit of a blur right now, but I'm hoping it becomes normal really soon."

After a dynamite freshman season at UMass in 2022, where he produced 33 points in 37 games and finished fifth among all NCAA defensemen in scoring, there were rumblings that the 2021 second-round pick may be coming to Raleigh.

Although he ultimately elected to return for a sophomore and then junior season, the organization always remained excited about having him aboard.

"Our staff, our scouting staff, (Development Coach) Peter Harrold has watched him every step of the way.  We knew this moment was going to come, it was just a matter of when his season ended," Rod Brind'Amour said of his new blueliner.  "It was a natural progression."

Producing 30+ points again in both of his seasons back at school, the offensive side of his game has always been solid.  He was a Hobey Baker Award nominee this season and was named to a Hockey East All-Star team in all three of his seasons.

However, Morrow is most proud of how he added size and his game grew defensively, key improvements over the last two years.

"I think I'm physically ready," the right-handed shot answered when asked why now was the right time to turn pro. "The best thing about college is by playing fewer games you get to spend more time in the weight room.  I'm a big guy, but I came out of high school with a lot to learn in terms of getting stronger and using my physicality on the ice, especially in the defensive zone - stopping plays and battling in front of my own net. It was good for me to get to a point where I felt like I was one of the stronger guys in college, physically, before I turned pro."

Now that he is a Hurricane, the team is focused on letting him settle in and getting him up to speed on the way they want to do things.

"We've got no expectations yet. He's here and he's going to add some depth for us for sure. He's going to learn how things operate around here and we'll see where it goes," Brind'Amour shared.

It will be a quick process for the Connecticut-born defender though, as practice days for the group are extremely limited the rest of the way. The team has just three practices scheduled before their regular season comes to an end on April 16.

"I'm trying to learn as much as I can. There are so many guys here who are better at things out there than I am," Morrow said of his mindset. "I just want to pick up on those little skills and there's a lot of guys in here that have been in the league for a long time. They know what it takes to have that longevity and how to be pro day in and day out. I just want to kind of pick up on those habits, take it into the summer, and go from there."

With that being said, Morrow's debut appears to be in the not-so-far-distant future.

Brind'Amour said he does anticipate using the newcomer once he's got his feet under him.

"We'll see how everything moves along, but we've got to give him some time," the head coach said when asked if he plans to use the would-have-been summer free agent. "We don't want to set him up for disaster, chucking him in there, not knowing what we're doing."

Allowing him to draw in could be a way to get a few lineup regulars some rest ahead of the postseason and allow the prospect to get a taste of the NHL game.

What skillset will Morrow bring to the lineup when he does get in?

“Scott has a unique ability to be able to create offense in a variety of different ways," Canes Assistant General Manager Darren Yorke, who runs the draft for Carolina, offered.  "When he gets on the offensive zone blue line, he uses his edges to create separation. The one-on-one skill set at his size can be very challenging to defend."

Going from the NCAA to the best league in the world is certainly a jump up in competition, but the team hopes Morrow will continue using his confidence to his advantage.

"He can beat you in tight with the small area game and he can use his reach to get around you. If he gets into open space, he has a very deadly shot," Yorke furthered his description.  "Just from an offensive standpoint, he has multiple different assets that allow him to have success.”

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