There is no shortage of talent now in Edmonton, with two first overall picks in Taylor Hall and this year's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. On the blueline, the likes of Teubert, Plante, Peckham, and Marincin seem to be the so-called future of the Oilers blueline, which does not look especially impressive in comparison to it's forward corps and the future bluelines of teams like Ottawa or Toronto. With that in mind, Tambellini returns to the podium.
"With the nineteenth pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Edmonton is proud to select, from the Portland Winterhawks - Joe Morow."
Puck-moving offensive defensemen have become a premium in the NHL since the lockout, with an emphasis on the transition.
Morrow is a blueliner who can be a part of a successful transition game. At 6'1, 200 lbs, Morrow is already a strong young man with some NHL Ready size. He boasts a lot of good tools; size, mobility, puck skills, defensive abilities, but nothing to wow the fans.
His strength is well documented from last season, but where the Alberta native improved most was in his skating, continuing to get more and more mobile. Playing on a strong Winterhawks team, Morrow began to jump into the play much more than scouts saw in previous viewings as he got more comfortable, improving his stride and footwork.
Morrow is a smart defenseman who will make the right pass most of the time, and will rarely take risks.
Offensively, Morrow has a cannon of a point shot, though some remark that he can use it a bit too much, and the wind up can be a tad excessive. Coaching should be able to fix this for Morrow, who will need to learn to be a bit more creative from the point.
While Morrow is neither an elite offensive blueliner or a top shutdown defenseman, he has a nice combination of both. A future top four defenseman, who could play a number two role with the right development, Morrow adds a much needed skill set to the Oilers organization.
Good for 9 goals and 49 points in 60 games with Portland, Morrow has continued his strong play into the post season with six goals and 20 points in 20 games. There's not much to dislike about Morrow's game; he is no longer a hidden gem for scouts.
Taken Previously...
1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Gabriel Landeskog
3. Jonathan Huberdeau
4. Dougie Hamilton
5. Adam Larsson
6. Sean Couturier
7. Ryan Strome
8. Ryan Murphy
9. Duncan Siemens
10. Mark McNeill
11. Nathan Beaulieu
12. Jamie Oleksiak
13. Mika Zibanejad
14. Joel Armia
15. Mark Scheifele
16. Matt Puempel
17. Brandon Saad
18. Sven Bartschi
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