It’s not often you hear of a 30-year-old “looking to make the leap” into the NHL. But then, there aren’t many 30-year-olds who have scored as many points in the AHL as Travis Morin has over the past few seasons, with only seven NHL games on his résumé.
Morin’s 2013-14 season was his best as a professional. The Minnesota native had 88 points (32G, 56A) in 66 regular-season games with the Texas Stars. He then added 22 points in 21 playoff games, on the way to a Calder Cup championship.
For his efforts, he was named both the regular-season MVP of the AHL and the playoff MVP. And according to the Dallas Morning News, with Dustin Jeffrey and Chris Mueller having moved on to different organizations, the Stars believe Morin “could be among the first call-ups” next season.
The challenge for Morin will be cracking a Dallas roster that doesn’t exactly have a shortage of scorers in its top six. The organization is also stocked with a number of good, younger forwards, who will similarly be looking to make the leap next season.
“They tell me I need to just get quicker and make plays faster, and I think that’s what I started to do this year” Morin told NHL Live in June. “Hopefully it leads to something next year.”