Brad Morrison

History

2011-12:  Brad Morrison attended the Okanagan Hockey Academy in British Columbia. He played in six games with the school’s Red Varsity team as a 15-year-old, scoring 5 goals with 4 assists, and was a dominant scorer for the school’s bantam prep team. He was selected by Prince George in the first round (7th overall) of the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. 

2012-13: Morrison made his WHL debut, appearing in two November games for Prince George, and skated in five games for the Cougars during the season. He was the fourth-leading scorer for the Cariboo Cougars in the British Columbia midget minor league and played for Team British Columbia in the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup. Morrison scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -3 with 4 penalty minutes in five WHL games. He scored 20 goals with 30 assists and 26 penalty minutes in 38 regular season games for Cariboo. The Cougars swept South Island before falling to Okanagan in the BCMML semifinals. Morrison scored 1 goal with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games.  

2013-14: Morrison skated in 55 games for Prince George in his first WHL season and played for Canada Pacific U17 squad in the 2014 World Hockey Challenge. He scored 12 goals with 9 assists and was -4 with 12 penalty minutes for the Cougars. Prince George finished fourth in B.C. Division, six points behind Tri-City for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Morrison scored 3 goals with 3 assists and 2 penalty minutes in six games for Canada Pacific at the WHC. 

2014-15: Morrison was the third-leading scorer for the Prince George Cougars in his second WHL season, trailing Jansen Harkens (79 points) and Chase Witala (69). He scored 23 goals with 27 assists in 67 regular season games and was -3 with 30 penalty minutes. Prince George finished third in the B.C. Division, falling to Victoria in a first-round playoff series. Morrison scored 2 goals with 5 assists and was -1 with 4 penalty minutes in five playoff games. He was ranked 124th amongst North American skaters in the Central Scouting final rankings and was selected by the New York Rangers in the fourth round (113th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft. 

2015-16: Morrison attended his first training camp with the Rangers and skated in the Traverse City tournament for prospects before returning to the Prince George Cougars for his third WHL season. The Cougars’ third-leading scorer behind overage forward Chase Witala and Bruins’ prospect Jesse Gabrielle, he scored 28 goals with 34 assists. One of four players to skate in all 72 regular season games for Prince George, he finished the year -7 and had 35 penalty minutes. The Cougars finished fourth in the B.C. Division and were swept by U.S. Division regular season champion Seattle in a first-round playoff series. Morrison had 3 assists and was -2 with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games. 

Talent Analysis

Morrison is small and somewhat undeveloped, but there is something very special about his creativity with the puck. He has natural offensive gifts—excellent vision, hockey smarts, and great hands–and is willing to play in traffic, where he often loses the battles, but tries to find other ways to make things happen.

Future

Morrison spent his third season with the WHL's Prince George Cougars in 2015-16. Yet to sign an entry-level contract, he will likely spend one more season in major junior before beginning his pro career. His combination of skill and creativity suggest he can be an effective second or third line scorer when he is NHL-ready.