Former Winnipeg Jet defenseman Joe Morrow will attend training camp with the New York Rangers after signing a professional tryout agreement.
When the New York Rangers announced their training camp roster on Wednesday afternoon, there was a surprise name among the 56 invitees.
Defenseman Joe Morrow, wearing No. 70, is listed as a member of Team C. The 26-year-old appeared in 41 games for the Winnipeg Jets last season.
The left-handed defenseman was a first-round draft pick (23rd overall) of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
He has played in 162 games in his career for Boston, Montreal, and the Jets. Across four seasons in the NHL, Morrow has nine goals and 23 assists for a total of 32 career points. Not to mention, he’s a minus-12 for his career.
Morrow was not extended a qualifying offer following the end of last season with Winnipeg. Thus, he became an unrestricted free agent.
Morrow will have his work cut out for him as he comes to fight for a spot on a team that is very deep on defense. Aside from defensemen such as Jacob Trouba, Brady Skjei, and Marc Staal, he will have a difficult time beating out some of the premier prospects the club has invited.
Morrow will have an opportunity to be seen when his team hits the ice for their first full practice on Saturday afternoon.
Either he was invited as a pawn for competition or maybe head coach David Quinn and his staff thinks this kid has a shot to make the squad.
