MONTREAL – Zachary Morin is adamant that when he left home to play his second season with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, the disappointments of the past were behind him and his intention was to stay the course on the trajectory he was on. was committed. ” I was full in “, he affirms without hesitation.
Soon, however, his enthusiasm waned.
“I arrive there, my training camp is going really well,” he told RDS this week. I have positive comments. But we get to the matches, I don’t play much. I wonder why. Last year, it was a bit the same. My role was really minimal. I think my last gameI played like four minutes. »
Since we have already referred to it twice, a word about the past. Last season, Morin joined the Phantoms after struggling in a AAA league in Michigan. His plan was to play two years in the top junior circuit in the United States, then join the renowned Boston University program in 2025.
This rookie season did not live up to his expectations. He expected to fill an offensive role, but only amassed 19 points in 54 games. So this fall, when he saw that the scenario seemed to want to repeat itself, he felt that he did not have the luxury of patience.
Considered by NHL Central Scouting as a potential second or third round pick in the next draft, time was against him if he wanted to maintain an enviable reputation in the eyes of evaluators.
“To be honest, I’m not sure,” he replies, trying to explain what went wrong in Ohio. They asked me to do things, I thought I was doing them. With my ice time, clearly they were not satisfied. I think just changing the environment and coming back home was better for me. »
For the young man from Lachenaie, “home” is now in Saint John, New Brunswick. Because they had selected him in the eighth round in the most recent QMJHL draft – he had also been a first round pick of the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2023 – the Sea Dogs were Morin’s plan B.
His agent Charles-Olivier Roussel, who wore the team’s colors in the early 2010s, made contact and the details were quickly sorted out. The Phantoms’ season was only four games old when Morin packed his bags to return north of the border.
“I could tell they wanted me a lot. I thought a fresh start could revive me and rebuild my confidence,” he reiterates. He swears that ongoing discussions between the NCAA and the Canadian Hockey League, which aim to allow players from the three main junior leagues in Canada to maintain their eligibility for American universities, did not influence his decision. His scholarship at BU? Ancient history as far as he is concerned.
So far, in any case, his bet seems to have been the right one. In eleven games in the Maritimes, the man who defines himself as “an offensive guy, who wants to score, who wants to bring offense”, has collected twelve points. He was held off the scoresheet on just two occasions.
A question of “feelings”
We can guess that the Quebecer’s decision left a bitter taste within his former team. If he does not regret having renounced his commitments to see to the advancement of his career, Morin is ready to admit that he was sometimes the architect of his own misfortune and to make his mea culpa.
“Of course when you’re 16, you expect a lot. You think that because of what you did when you were younger, everything is a bit owed to you. It sure is a little frustrating. As a good Quebecer, that’s annoying. But you learn from it. Whether you like it or not, it’s like that on every level. You have to prove yourself,” he remembers from his experience.
Over the past year, Morin became known as a player who sometimes had difficulty managing his emotions or who could become easily discouraged in a period of adversity. Shortly after arriving in Youngstown, he began seeing a psychologist based in Quebec. To this day, he continues to confide in her when he feels the need.
“One thing I had trouble with was talking about my feelingsabout how I feel. I often kept it inside,” he confides with great candor.
“Last year was hard for me. I’m a guy who puts a lot of pressure on himself. I found it hard not to play a lot, to be far away. Just talking about it to someone who isn’t your father, your coach or your girlfriend, let’s say, I think it’s good. »
The teenager feels better equipped to handle the ups and downs of a season and even if his time in the United States did not lead to the avenues he envisioned taking, he does not regret his decision to go there. having tried his luck.
“Today I can play in several situations. I can play up and down the lineup. Mentally, I really learned a lot. There are many things I will take away from this experience. »
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