Ethan Morrow, 16, is one of the stars for the Wellington Dukes in the Hasty P’s Cup. In his two games, he has stopped 98 of the 102 shots he’s faced. Photo submitted by Ethan Morrow.
By James Tubb
BELLEVILLE – At 16-years-old, Ethan Morrow looks like an OJHL veteran.
Through his first two games in a Wellington Dukes jersey, the youngster has excelled, stopping 98 of the 102 shots he has faced through his first two games while also picking up a win in both appearances.
For Morrow, who came straight from Kingston’s U16 AAA team to Wellington, the switch to the OJHL has given his skills a chance to be showcased already.
But showing off his talents are not the focus right now.
“As long as you are ready for games, it’s not that much of a change,” he said.
Ensuring that he is prepared for a game is a big part of Morrow’s success, but he is not superstitious. Unlike other players who have pre-game rituals, Morrow likes to keep it simple.
“If I have a good game, I just try to copy what I did for the next game,” he said.
The Dukes signed Morrow on July 20. He was coming off of a 2.73 goals against average in 19 regular season games for the Greater Kingston Jr. Gaels.
For the Kingston native, as long as he is prepared for a game he believes he can succeed at any level.
He goes against most hockey cliches and avoids the usual chicken and steak before a game.
“I don’t have any specific pre-game meal, usually just pasta. I try not to eat anything too heavy before a game. I really prefer to play lighter,” Morrow said.
Morrow prefers to let his play on the ice show his personality and who he is both as a player and a person.
One of the biggest benefits of being a goaltender for him has been the ability to express himself through his goalie masks.
“It is really the only position in hockey where someone can be different and express themselves through their mask,” he said.
He has had six different masks fashioned for him over his career including his newest one featuring Dukes along the side. His most memorable mask happens to be his first-ever, one that goes against the grain for a hockey mask.
“My first mask was of the Hulk. I loved it as a kid.”
He is gaining more confidence as the days with the Dukes because of the camaraderie of his teammates and how they have helped him develop in a short time at Wellington.
Morrow credits the other half of his goalie tandem Eli Shiller with helping him get prepared for games and accustomed to his new team.
“I have gained more from Shiller with every game that passes. I’ve learned not to take the game so seriously,” Morrow said.
Wellington Duke goaltender Ethan Morrow was the highlight of game three in the Hasty P’s Cup stopping 58 of the 59 shots he faced. Photo submitted by Timothy Bates/OJHL Images
It’s not only his goalie partner that he looks to learn from. Morrow says that he tries to learn as much as he can from NHL goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
“As I person I try to learn from Connor Hellebuyck, but as a player, I try to learn from Fleury, He’s been good for so long.”
He finds his Dukes teammates have made getting accustomed to his new dressing room easily. He’s joined in with the team’s ping pong games but often doesn’t fair as well as some of his teammates.
“All the guys in the room have been very welcoming,” he said.
“I’m not very good at all. Mason Reeves and the Dubois twins (Jax and Riley Dubois) are the best in the room.”
Morrow has felt comfortable in the dressing room even with teammates that are at least one to three years older than him. The only negative of the room is the country music that is played.
“In a town like Wellington, country music is very big. Ben Woodhouse or Evan Miller usually play DJ and they love country. I like almost everything except country,” he said.
Being different from his teammates is something that Morrow has had to get used to playing a different position with vastly different equipment.
In his second year of hockey, Morrow was playing at the house league level when he stepped into the role he would flourish in.
“Whatever kid was playing goalie either didn’t want to anymore or wasn’t available so I started a game. I just kinda stayed there after that,” Morrow said.
He excelled at the position and was selected in the 6th round of the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, 105th overall, by the Sudbury Wolves. With being drafted in the sixth round and only being 16-years old, Morrow has time to showcase his skills on the ice. But just as important he needs to show what kind of person he is off the ice.
If he continues to perform at the level he has through his first two games, he will likely don the Sudbury blue and play in the OHL sooner rather than later.
He attributes a lot of his skill to the two goalie coaches, Mike Murphy and Stephan Nichols, he’s had to help him become the goalie he is today.
“I worked with Mike before joining the Dukes and have ever since because he’s their goalie coach. In the off-season I turn to ‘Steph’ just to get a second set of eyes on me,” Morrow said.
He says both coaches know the game of hockey extremely well and have set him up for success with their training. For Morrow, both Murphy and Nichols see how the game is changing and have helped him learn the new game in his workouts.
The Dukes have four games left in the Hasty P’s Cup before waiting on a regular season start sometime in January. There is a strong chance based on the ability Morrow has shown in his first two games of the series, he will draw into the series again.
Playing this many games against their rival, the Trenton Golden Hawks, has been quite the experience for Morrow.
“I can feel the rivalry between these two teams on the ice and through the veterans. It’s been great,” he said.
As the season progresses, Morrow has his eyes set on two different goals.
“On a personal level I want to simply adapt to the league this year, that’s my goal. But, the ultimate goal is always a championship and I look to do that here in Wellington,” Morrow said.
“I just want to get as many chances as I can and grow not only as a player, but as a person.”
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