To make the professional ranks in the hockey world, kids nowadays are being told to be persistent. To never give up. If ever you meet a child who needs to put a face to this attitude to take on, you need to talk to him or her about Jeremy Morin.
The 27-year-old veteran forward has been working so hard to remain a professional hockey player. While he just saw his professional tryout agreement come to an end with the Hershey Bears in the American Hockey League, Morin is not giving up.
Which almost comes at a surprise when you look at his journey: Morin has played for 17 different teams in 11 different leagues — and counting. In a moving piece by Chris Kuc of The Athletic, Morin reveals everything he has done to be an NHLer and how he is not done.
“I’m just trying to prolong my career as long as I can,” Morin said last week. “I’m in a different phase in my career than I was five years ago. I just keep grinding and keep going and … I don’t know, I just try to keep playing.”
In all, Morin has been a promising prospect for the Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks (twice), Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Arizona Coyotes. He has also played for many AHL teams, and went overseas to play in Finland and Switzerland.
The Thrashers selected Morin in the second round, 45th overall, in the 2009 NHL Draft, but he got his first taste of the NHL playing for the Hawks after being involved in a major trade.
“It was definitely a tough team to crack, for sure,” Morin said to Kuc of the loaded Blackhawks lineup. “They gave me a lot of opportunities, though. There was some tough timing with some things that happened but at the end of the day, I got my chances. I can’t say that I didn’t. I don’t blame anybody for that.”
The hard work didn’t stop there and clearly isn’t over as Morin keeps working to get a crack at another NHL team.
“I know what kind of player I am and I think if I can get those minutes and get the mojo going again, then, yeah, I think that’s definitely a possibility,” he said. “Right now, I’m just trying to focus on helping this team out and just doing my part. It’s definitely a different role than I’m used to, especially in this league, but that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
For now, while many believe his path to the NHL won’t be an easy one, Morin takes it day by day and keeps focused on his ultimate goal.
What do you think will happen to Morin? Should he be encouraged to keep going or finally move on from his dream?
