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The Silent Star

By Roger Godin, Minnesota Wild Curator, 01/29/15, 11:30AM CST

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Rodney Dangerfield may be long gone, but his lament about getting no respect could well apply to Brooklyn Park native Travis Morin, who captured three prestigious awards in hockey’s highest minor league for the 2013-14 season.

Playing for the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Texas Stars, who would go on to win the Calder Cup as that league’s playoff champions, Morin won the Les Cunningham Award as league MVP based on an 88-point (32g, 56a) regular season.

If that wasn’t enough, he followed it with 22 points (9g, 13a) in the playoffs, which gained him the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP. In both cases he became the first Minnesotan to win the respective awards.

In the case of the Cunningham, he was only the fourth American-developed player to take the honor in a recognition that goes back to the 1947-48 season. For the Butterfield he was also the fourth Yank in an award that dates to 1983-84. It almost goes without saying that AHL All-Star recognition would follow on the first team. Oh, and we almost forgot something called the John B. Sollenberger Trophy, which goes to the AHL’s leading scorer. In this case he’s also the first Minnesotan and the third American to capture the award.

His accomplishments haven’t received the notoriety they deserve in the State of Hockey, where Morin learned the game in Minnesota Hockey youth programs, played for Osseo High School, and starred for the Minnesota State Mavericks.

Path to the Pros

During his four-year tenure at Minnesota State, Morin was named to the All-WCHA Second Team in his senior season of 2006-07 while serving as captain. While in Mankato, the Washington Capitals selected Morin in the ninth round (263rd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. After graduation, he starred for the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) for two seasons.

Moving on to the Texas Stars in their inaugural season of 2009-10, Morin helped lead them to the Calder Cup Finals. That summer, he was signed by the Dallas Stars and made his NHL debut in a 3-1 victory over Edmonton on Jan. 26, 2011. Since that time, Morin has played primarily for Texas in the AHL, though he saw limited action with Dallas in both 2010-11 and 2013-14, picking up his first NHL point, an assist, during the latter time frame.

Day with the Calder Cup

This past summer, the AHL MVP was back home in Maple Grove, where he hosted the league’s AHL equivalent to the Stanley Cup, the Calder Cup, for a day.

“We took it back to my in-laws place where we were staying. We had a little party later in the afternoon with a joint fifth-birthday party for my son and a Calder Cup party where all my extended family came too and a few friends came to hang out,” Morin said.

“We got the idea to go up to Culvers and see if they would fill it up with custard. So we brought it there and they filled it up and we had a giant sundae that we all ate out of. I had it the next day too and ended up going golfing with my brothers and my dad. So I brought it to the course and sat it in the cart next to me. We rode around with it all day, took some nice pictures on the golf course, but other than that, me and my oldest boy ate some cereal out of it one morning.

“It was nice for me to have it. I think my wife liked it for the pictures and the memories we could make. But I think my brothers and my dad probably appreciated it the most because they’re big hockey guys and it was nice for them to get to see it.”

The Next Step

The former Maverick found himself back in Austin this fall after training camp time with Dallas. He’s continued his high level of play, most notably in a game against Oklahoma City, in late October. Morin’s pass to Greg Rallo helped send the game to extra time. He finished the contest with four points, a hat trick plus an assist, helping his team salvage a point in the standings.

“You know what? He gets those accolades for a reason. He won them that point,” then-Oklahoma City coach Todd Nelson told Austin American-Statesman beat writer Sean Shapiro. “And it’s not like we weren’t warned about him. We always harped on our guys to pay attention when he’s on the ice.”

Mid-December saw Morin recalled to Dallas, where head coach Lindy Ruff had this to say about him early on in his call-up.

“He’s had probably one Grade-A opportunity every game. He’s played well defensively, which has allowed him to play some key situations even late in the game,” Ruff told Dallas Stars Inside Edge writer Mark Stepneski. “I’ve liked the way he’s skated. Second power play, he’s done some good work. I’d just like to see him finish a couple of his opportunities.”

Here’s hoping Morin can reinforce Ruff’s confidence as the season progresses and become a late-blooming NHL star in the tradition of a Brian Rafalski or Tim Thomas. In the offseason, Morin returns to Minnesota with wife Lindsey and sons Andrew, 5, and Lucas, nine months. He’s the middle brother of three and his parents reside in Plymouth.

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