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The Calgary Flames organization has made a point of drafting and developing promising defensive talent. Especially since there has been a lot of shuffling and trading in that position in the Craig Conroy era. Among these young prospects is Etienne Morin of the Moncton Wildcats.  After just his first year in the Flames’ prospect pool, Etienne Morin has landed himself at number 10 in the FlamesNation prospect rankings this summer.

Etienne Morin

Defenceman; Shoots Left
Born March 9, 2005 (age 19) in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada
6’0”, 185 lbs
Drafted in the second round (48th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Morin showed signs of exceptional hockey talent from a young age. In his minor career he jumped around leagues in Quebec and Ontario playing for the Lac St-Louis Grenadiers Bantam AAA then the CIHA White U18 AAA then he attended the CIA Voyageurs U18 Prep hockey school in 2020-21. This school is a part of the CCSHL, the same league our local Edge Hockey School plays in.
Morin made his debut in the QMJHL in the 2021-22 season for the Moncton Wildcats and played 64 games his first season. He averaged about a point every two games and finished his first year with eight goals and 25 assists for a total of 33 points. The next season, his production more than doubled with 72 points in 67 games. The difference in this season? Likely something to do with the fact it was his draft year.
In that same season, he was also picked up by Team Canada for the U18 World Championship. He played in three games in that tournament and put up an assist. He wasn’t picked up for the World Juniors last year but that is something to work towards this season as he and Zayne Parekh participated in the World Junior Summer Showcase earlier this month.
Last year with the Wildcats, Morin served as the team’s alternate captain and played in 58 games. He didn’t explode in the production category as much as the season prior but he was still a very effective defender. He finished the season with 49 points consisting of 12 goals and 37 assists.
In playoffs, he played in four games putting up three assists. The team’s post-season run was brief as they were swept by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
The drop in points this year wasn’t cause for concern as McKeen’s Hockey’s Jeremy Tremblay said in his comments on Morin. He said:
“Morin has been the quarterback of the Moncton Wildcats defence for two seasons, playing a lot of minutes there. Although his offensive production slowed slightly from his draft year, Morin’s defensive play and decision-making took a step forward this year. The defender remains a smart passer who plays calmly under pressure and likes to join the offensive rush as often as possible. With his difficulty defending the rush and his lack of speed, the question remains how well his offensive production will translate to the NHL, as he has the intelligence, mobility and physicality to play there.”
Etienne Morin did make his professional debut last year too for a brief appearance with the Calgary Wranglers. He played in their game against the Abbotsford Canucks on Apr. 12 and didn’t register any points but did get a shot on goal.
Morin is now solidified in the organization as he was signed to his entry-level contract on July 5. We will be seeing more of him in the near future.

Expectations for 2024-25

Etienne Morin isn’t expected to jump into a full-time role in the Flames affiliation system just yet. The plan is to spend next season with the Moncton Wildcats of the QMJHL as alternate captain at least or possibly a leadership promotion. Other familiar previous captains of this team include Jonathan Aspirot in 2018-19 and Jakob Pelletier in 2019-20. It would be cool to see another Flames prospect follow in their footsteps.
Morin has his sights on representing Team Canada again this season and even if his production falls somewhere in between his last two year with the Wildcats, that will still be one heck of a season for this prospect. Hopefully, he will get a few more showings with the Wranglers this year so Flames fans can see a little bit more of him on home ice.