Morrison, Winterton Get the Call

When the Kraken announced the recall of forwards Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton from American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley late Sunday, Firebirds head coach Dan Bylsma was not surprised. He’s been positive about both AHL rookies thriving in the all-zones systems of play shared by the Kraken and Western Conference-leading Firebirds.

“It's fun to watch to see what kinds of players they can be and the attributes they bring,” said Bylsma. “With both Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton, you’re getting a gamer and competitor and a guy who just seems to have a knack for getting the job done and scoring big goals. To watch these guys now, it’s not a ton different than watching Tye Kartye [last season]. They have slowly earned the opportunities, slowly building and getting better. Now they’re getting a chance to show they’re pretty special players.”

The undrafted Morrison is sixth in scoring among Coachella Valley skaters with 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points in 60 games. Winterton, who appeared in three Kraken games in November, has scored six goals in his last seven games and departed for Seattle second among CVF teammates in goals with 21. Winterton is fourth in goals among all AHL rookies, while Morrison’s points total is top 10 among first-year AHLers.

Sitting in his locker after Monday’s Kraken practice, Morrison talked about Bylsma and Firebirds VP of Hockey Operations Troy Bodie calling him into the office quarters Sunday. At the training center for treatment on a quiet day for the team, Morrison got the good news that enduring three years of not getting drafted by any NHL team is now most decidedly a footnote of his past. Tuesday looks to be his NHL debut.

“It definitely wasn't easy at the time,” said Morrison about three NHL Draft days during his years of eligibility. “But I think it's kind of molded me into the person and player I am today. I think subconsciously, it's been kind of helping me, and yeah. It's not something I think about too often [anymore].”

Instead, Morrison focused this season on adjusting to the AHL and, this week, the NHL. He said being confident in his abilities is a big plus: “I'm trusting my game and making plays at the AHL level that I made in junior.”

What makes this even more exciting for Morrison and Winterton is they are long-time teammates who played and starred in three seasons together with the Ontario Hockey League Hamilton Bulldogs. This year, they are housemates (along with 2022 fourth-rounder Tucker Robertson). Morrison joked Monday he has spent more time with Winterton than anyone else in hockey over the last few years, especially this season, and “I’m not sick of him yet.”

This pair of friends are now on the same AHL-to-NHL path and likely the same line playing the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena. But while Winterton was selected in the third round of the Kraken’s 2021 inaugural draft class, Morrison signed last April in the final stretch of another strong OHL playoffs performance.

He and Winterton won the 2022 OHL title together but were traded to different teams midseason last year. Morrison finished his OHL days with the Ottawa 67s, which fell one game short of the league championship (losing to Robertson’s Peterborough Petes in a Game 7). The six-foot, 180-pound center notched in all 30 OHL postseason games he played with a grand total of 27 goals and 28 assists for 55 points.

Morrison is quick to point out that his time in Ottawa provided a crash course in playing the 200-foot game so vital to sticking on pro rosters. His coach, former NHLer Dave Cameron, “harped” on working just as hard and effectively on the defensive part of his play.

Winterton, the Kraken’s 2021 third-round draft choice, was a prolific scorer in the Ontario Hockey League, who has been worked into penalty killing duties this season to round out his game and prepare him for the NHL level. The result, said Bylsma, is “he went from the fifth or sixth forward on the kill to the first guy over the boards” when Coachella Valley is shorthanded.

For his part, Winterton said Monday “I’m a completely different player” than his standout junior days. After getting great results from a summer workout regimen with Kraken sports performance consultant Gary Roberts, Winterton said he is continuing to “get stronger” and “get more meat” on his frame in training sessions with the Firebirds.

“He plays a straight and simple game, super smart player,” said Kraken analyst Eddie Olczyk, who broke into the NHL as an 18-year-old. “Now he looks like he can play with any type of player. And it’s not easy to play with any type of player.”

Winterton said he has gained perspective about playing in the NHL from the three games he played alongside Shane Wright, who is excelling and playing a full season with high confidence for the Firebirds.

“I think I've matured a little bit more, just kind of my overall game,” said Winterton about his AHL experience since playing for the Kraken in November. “I feel really good about my game now, and I’m ready to play well.”