Hurricanes’ Morrison named CHL Player of the Week
Toronto, ON — The Canadian Hockey League today announced that Los Angeles Kings prospect Brad Morrison of the Western Hockey League’s Lethbridge Hurricanes is the CHL Player of the Week for the playoff week ending April 29 after recording seven points (4G-3A) in three games with a plus-minus rating of plus-3.
Morrison becomes the first two-time award recipient during the CHL Playoffs for his efforts during the WHL’s Eastern Conference Championship Series against the Swift Current Broncos. Despite falling to the Broncos in six games, Morrison set a new team record for most goals in a single playoff and tied franchise leader Wes Walz for most points in a single post-season. His week began with a hat-trick and four-point performance in Tuesday’s Game Three on home ice where he earned first star honours in the 5-1 victory. The Hurricanes tied the series with another 5-1 win in Game 4 on Wednesday with Morrison contributing two assists. That would be as close as the Hurricanes would come skating to a 4-3 loss in Game 5 on Saturday with Morrison scoring once, followed by the Game 6 series finale on Monday with a 5-1 Broncos victory.
A 21-year-old from Prince George, B.C., Morrison finished his five-year WHL career in Lethbridge after being acquired by the Hurricanes from the Vancouver Giants midway through the 2017-18 campaign. He also spent four full seasons with his hometown Cougars who chose him seventh overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft. This season, Morrison produced a career-high 75 points in 74 games which included 40 points in 32 games with the Canes, then added 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points in 16 playoff games to lead all WHL scorers through three rounds. Earlier today, Morrison was signed to a free agent entry-level contract with the Kings.
The 6-foot-0, 171-pound product of Prince George, B.C. recently wrapped up the regular season portion of his WHL career, recording 263 points (112G-151A) in 334 games between the Prince George Cougars, Vancouver Giants, and Hurricanes. His figures included 30 power-play goals and 17 game-winning goals.
Also considered for the award this week was Joseph Garreffa of the Kitchener Rangers with one goal and seven assists for eight points in four games against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL’s Western Conference Championship Series, and Ottawa Senators prospect Drake Batherson of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada who scored three goals and three assists for six points in four games against the Charlottetown Islanders in their QMJHL Semi-Final series.
2017-18 CHL Players of the Week:
Apr. 23 – Apr. 29: Brad Morrison, Lethbridge Hurricanes
Apr. 16 – Apr. 22: Boris Katchouk (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Apr. 9 – Apr. 15: Jake Bean (Tri-City Americans)
Apr. 2 – Apr. 8: Pascal Aquin (Charlottetown Islanders)
Mar. 26 – Apr. 1: Gabriel Vilardi (Kingston Frontenacs)
Mar. 19 – Mar. 25: Brad Morrison, Lethbridge Hurricanes
Mar. 12 – Mar. 18: Dillon Dube, Kelowna Rockets
Mar. 5 – Mar. 11: Jayden Halbgewachs (Moose Jaw Warriors)
Feb. 26 – Mar. 4: Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Feb. 19 – Feb. 25: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Feb. 12 – Feb. 18: Aaron Luchuk (Barrie Colts)
Feb. 5 – Feb. 11: Maxime Comtois (Victoriaville Tigres)
Jan. 29 – Feb. 4: Ty Ronning (Vancouver Giants)
Jan. 22 – Jan. 28: Peter Abbandonato (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies)
Jan. 15 – Jan. 21: Jordan Kyrou (Sarnia Sting)
Jan. 8 – Jan. 14: Taylor Raddysh (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Jan. 1 – Jan. 7: Owen Tippett (Mississauga Steelheads)
Dec. 25 – Dec. 31: Ivan Kosorenkov (Victoriaville Tigres)
Dec. 11 – Dec. 17: Morgan Frost (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Dec. 4 – Dec. 10: Stelio Mattheos (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 3: Alex Barré-Boulet (Blainville-Boisbriand Armada)
Nov. 20 – Nov. 26: Cody Glass (Portland Winterhawks)
Nov. 13 – Nov. 19: Cliff Pu (London Knights)
Nov. 6 – Nov. 12: Aleksi Heponiemi (Swift Current Broncos)
Oct. 30 – Nov. 5: Albert Michnac (Mississauga Steelheads)
Oct. 23 – Oct. 29: Aaron Luchuk (Windsor Spitfires)
Oct. 16 – Oct. 22: Drake Batherson (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
Oct. 9 – Oct. 15: Tyler Soy (Victoria Royals)
Oct. 2 – Oct. 8: Kale Clague (Brandon Wheat Kings)
Sept. 25 – Oct. 1: Tyler Steenbergen (Swift Current Broncos)
Sept. 21 – Sept. 24: Kole Lind (Kelowna Rockets)
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 17 located in Western Canada and five in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for over 50 years. The WHL is also the leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 350 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.