Before he got drafted by the New York Rangers.
Before he checked into a swanky Manhattan hotel suite and received the grand tour of the Rangers' hockey home at Madison Square Garden to get him primed for his summer audition with the team, "Broadway" Brad Morrison got busy in the gym.
He hung out with his brother-in-law -- Buffalo Sabres defenceman Josh Gorges -- and lifted weights, rode the bike and ate his fill of mom's homecooking to try to put some more meat on his bones.
All that hard work to build a body better able to withstand the punishment of being a marked target for WHL opponents appears to have worked.
The still-lean Morrison has packed on another nine pounds. He's another inch taller, appears a lot stronger on his feet, and as he proved in his first training camp session Saturday, he's still got that sniper's touch.
"Josh is a good role model for me and there's a lot other guys there who help out as well and the biggest thing was to try to get bigger, stronger and faster this summer, so I'm pretty excited for the season," said Morrison. "Just staying strong and not getting knocked off pucks as much is going to help me contribute offensively. Even being strong in your own end, guys can't knock you down and that makes you a better player. I was trying to work on that this summer and I think I accomplished that."
Morrison's first-period breakaway goal for Team Hamhuis in 6-4 win over Team Brewer left everyone in the rink envious of his magic scoring touch. A few quick side-to-side stick shifts and a shoulder fake or two got Marcus Allen guessing, then Morrison tucked the puck in between the goalie's legs. It was the type of goal Cougar fans have come to expect from the speedy 18-year-old Prince George minor hockey product.
"He's so dynamic and so quick and he just wants the puck all the time and he'll do anything to score, he just has that nose for the net," said Cougars general manager Todd Harkins. "He's just a great kid all around."
Morrison put up decent numbers in his second full WHL season. He ranked second on the Cougars with 23 goals and was fourth on the team in points with 50. The Rangers picked him in the fourth round, 113th overall.
The thrill of getting drafted and flying to New York the following morning for the Rangers' prospects camp is still fresh in Morrison's mind. He'll get another chance to make an impression on his future NHL bosses in just over a week when he plays for the Rangers in the preseason tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
"When we were at their practice facility we saw all the big names on their team," said Morrison. "A lot of them were wandering around the rink and the coach, Alain Vigneault, was there and it was cool to see their environment, kind of seeing what it's like in the NHL.
"It was a lot of fun going into Times Square and seeing all the sweet stuff that goes along with that city. It was a treat for me and I'm going to take that back to the season. The main thing they care about is how you do with your WHL team so I'm aware I have to have a big season this year. We're looking good, we have a lot of depth."
Training camp wrapped up Sunday night. Following in the tradition of D Kirk Bear, who played for the Cougars last season, this year's camp participants included a Leppard (Jackson) a Bison (Bartek) and a Eagletail (Kobe).
Following Sunday's scrimmages, the Cougars reduced their roster to about 28 players. They'll need a few reserves when they lose seven players to NHL camps just before they head to Kennewick, Wash., to play three games in quick succession Sept. 9, 10 and 12. The Cougars open the preseason this Friday in Kamloops, then play in Kelowna on Saturday.
Through three scrimmages, Brogan O'Brien was leading the training camp scoring race with four goals and three assists. Witala had three goals an three assists and returning veteran Tyler Mrkonjic had two goals and four assists.
D Josh Anderson of Team Chara and F Kody McDonald of Team Hamhuis dropped the gloves for a scrap during their scrimmage Sunday morning, with a close decision going to Anderson. They will both see action in tonight's Black-White intrasquad game, starting at 7 at CN Centre. Cougars scouts will handle the coaching duties with Trevor Sprague and Tom Hengen teaming up against Lyle Feser and Bill Horton. Players for each intrasquad team will be picked by the honorary coaches in a draft.
