[Sandman]

RHD Scott Morrow,6'2"192lbs (Shattuck St,Mary's, USHS):30gp/8g/40a/48pts,30 PIM. Morrow was second-leading scorer in the Prep School circuit, and first among D-men by 13 points. There was a Scott Morrow who played 4 games for the Flames back in 1994-95 FYI,lol. Scouts wish that Morrow played against tougher competition in the USHL, as High School hockey is a step down. It should be noted though, that Shattuck has a much better program than other schools, and has alumni like Crosby, Keller, Toews, Okposo, and Parise. This year at Shattuck, he averaged 24:48 minutes a night playing in all situations, with over 9 shot attempts per game. Clearly, he benefitted from being generally bigger and faster than the competition-drafting HS players is always a risk, but this kid has an undeniably good toolkit.

Morrow is already a dominating presence at any level with his size and skating-his mobility is elite in all facets, all directions-edgework, agility, and he can turn on a dime. He's one of the finest skaters in the draft. As much as he's head and shoulders above his opponents, his film is undeniable-he can control the pace in all 3 zones, dart in and out of traffic with apparent ease, and break down the other team's defensive play. He has that offensive IQ and vision, and he loves to pinch, or look for seams from the half wall to the slot for a high-danger pass.

Morrow thrives in the neutral zone-he's uber aggressive, and chokes out rushes. He isn't without the puck for long. He doesn't let the play come to him, he attacks and removes time and space. He's effective in entries and exits, and makes good transitional passes. Doesn't drive play through dangerous situations, he will circle and look for another lane. He's an accurate passer, and owns a wide variety of passes he can dole out with proficiency-saucers, slap-passes,no-look, and high-velocity. He also has a dangerous shot that he uses to create havok around the net. In the defensive zone, he works to prevent chances, and is good at forcing attackers to the half-wall and away from high-danger opportunities. He's very aggressive in his board play, and will dish out crosschecks and borderline dirty hits to defend his zone. Blocks shots, and passing lanes well.

Morrow has a dangerous shot, but his mechanics sap some of it's power and accuracy-at this point, it's good for creating offense down low, but he'll need to work at it. Morrow's overall defensive game needs to be tuned-up for the next level-the fact that he's playing at a lower level covers up some of this-although, he was reportedly good defensively in 6 USHL playoff games for Fargo, where he had 0 points and was minus 2. He's prone to turnovers sometimes. His stickhandling gets mixed reviews, but it looks like he carries the puck too far in front of him, and that means the competition at the next level will be able to steal it from him. He has to learn to carry with his hands close to the body, from the hip. He's still fairly raw, and not very battle-tested. Good news is that he's going to North Dakota this fall, and they apparently have a great program for developing players. The biggest comparison he gets is Tyson Barrie. Morrow may go in the late stages of the first round, but I think he might have to wait until the second.