Carolina Hurricanes select Scott Morrow with 40th overall pick

The Hurricanes had to wait a little longer to make their first pick of the 2021 NHL Draft after trading back from 27th overall and picking up two second rounders from the Nashville Predators Friday night.

With the 40th overall pick, the first of four second rounder and 11 day-two picks that the team currently holds, the Canes selected defenseman Scott Morrow of Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep. Morrow tallied eight goals and 48 points in 40 games last year, and is committed to UMAss.

In her story profiling options for the Hurricanes past the second round, Sarah Avampato took a look at what Morrow might bring, here’s what she had to say about him:

Morrow is a 6-foot-2 defenseman with a penchant for jumping up into the play, fooling opposing defenders with his deceptive playmaking and for making creative plays to teammates. He also has a penchant for clearly taking shifts off, getting visibly frustrated when the game isn’t going his way and overall displaying low on-ice energy at times. He’s an intriguing prospect because of the offensive side of his game, and how clearly he was able to dominate at the high school/prep level, but it’s unclear so far as to how he will adapt to tougher competition.

At his best, Morrow makes opposing players look silly as he steals pucks and races off for highlight reel goals. At his worst, he looks disengaged and out of sync with his teammates. Morrow is committed to UMass, where he will have the opportunity to mature as a player and develop his game. His creative, offensive upside makes it easy to see why he’s worth a pick in the draft, particularly if you can afford to be patient with his development.

Matthew’s take: Morrow is a player that can reach great heights with the Hurricanes. He has size, tremendous offensive skill, and the ability to become a top four defenseman at the NHL level. Morrow fills out the depth chart a bit and gives the Hurricanes another defenseman to develop. I love this pick for the Hurricanes because they can afford to let Morrow develop, work on his skating, and become a top defenseman at the college level.

The Hurricanes will be back on the clock shortly at pick 44.