Rockford IceHogs Sign Notre Dame Standout Cale Morris

  

The Chicago Blackhawks organization added to their goaltending depth when the Rockford IceHogs signed Cale Morris to an AHL contract. Morris announced the signing via his Twitter account on Monday.

Morris, the 2018 Mike Ritcher Award winner for college hockey’s most outstanding goalie, posted a 52-28-18 record during his four-year stint at Notre Dame with a .931 save percentage. During that time, he was a two-time Big Ten Tournament MVP and posted 11 career shutouts.

Morris, the USHL Chicago Steel alum, will join a goaltending carousal in the Hawks organization that includes Malcolm Subban, Colin Delia, Kevin Lankinen and Matt Tomkins. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Morris is expected to be a mainstay in the net for the Hogs with Tomkins, while Subban, Delia and Lankinen will compete for the top three goaltending positions.

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Center Ice Forums Rockford IceHogs Sign Notre Dame Standout Cale Morris

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  • #18290
    Andy Campbell
    Moderator

    The Chicago Blackhawks organization added to their goaltending depth when the Rockford IceHogs signed Cale Morris to an AHL contract. Morris announced
    [To continue reading full article, click here: Rockford IceHogs Sign Notre Dame Standout Cale Morris]

    #18294
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    Hey Phuckin, you think this is why they let Gravel go?  They knew Morris was probably gonna be available and that they could sign him?……. I like this goalie, especially since he got to ND.

    Yes his NCAA  numbers are damn good, especially the last couple yrs, but I’ve seen enough of him to think those stats are well deserved, he’s been really good.  IMO a step up from Delia.

    No youngster at 24 yrs old.  If he starts well at RKF and with what I expect from the Hawk’s NHL goalies there’s a puncher’s chance we see him up when it’s obvious the Hawks aren’t making the playoffs.   And from there who knows.

    #18295
    Jeff Osborn
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=18294]Hey Phuckin, you think this is why they let Gravel go? They knew Morris was probably gonna be available and that they could sign him?……. I like this goalie, especially since he got to ND. Yes his NCAA numbers are damn good, especially the last couple yrs, but I’ve seen enough of him to think those stats are well deserved, he’s been really good. IMO a step up from Delia. No youngster at 24 yrs old. If he starts well at RKF and with what I expect from the Hawk’s NHL goalies there’s a puncher’s chance we see him up when it’s obvious the Hawks aren’t making the playoffs. And from there who knows.

    [/quote]

    I really don’t think so.  It’s a sneaky good signing, for sure, but then why do they have all these other space fillers in the org?

    Indy – Dan Bakala, Charles Williams, Tom Aubrun (?)

    Rockford – Matt Tomkins (?), Kevin Lankinen (?), Cale Morris (?)

    Chicago – Collin Delia (?), Malcolm Subban

    This just seems like a list “of guys,” not actual prospects they intend on developing.  Tomkins was drafted in 2012 and hasn’t even been an adequate AHL backup. They claimed Gravel would take too long to develop but you waste 8 seasons on Tomkins, who has developed almost zero since he went pro.  None of it makes sense.

    If you ask me, they should have dumped Tomkins and Subban, maybe let one of the Indy goalies walk, send Aubrun and Gravel to Indy with a vet (either Bakala or Williams).  Rockford could have Lankinen (or Delia), Morris.  Chicago really should have a cheap vet to keep the kid’s spirits up, then use the better of Delia/Lankinen.  That would have been MY plan as head of organizational goaltending development.

    #18299
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    Charles Williams, I knew that name rang a bell.  Indeed a black kid who played for the USHL Lincoln Stars long ago………. Phuckin, I didn’t even realize that all those goalies were in the system and especially at Indy.  I miss that kid you had here at The Rink who wrote about the Ice a couple yrs back.  Kid was good.

    “Morris was a sneaky good signing”?  Hell yea he was and that goes both ways.  Maybe other than BUF no system is as barren at the position as the Hawks.  Morris picked the right place to sign cuz the path to the Bigs, if you have that kinda game, is quicker with the Hawks than anywhere else in the NHL.  …….. Can’t tell you I was a big fan of Morris while he was in the USHL for 3 yrs but when PK O’Handley, the coach and GM of that club, trades for him my eyes opened.  O’Handley can evaluate goalies and Dmen, a big reason he has more wins than any other USHL coach.  We know all about the Steel but O’Handley has been doing what the Steel are for 18 yrs.  A  true USHL cornerstone franchise and his record shows why.   https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/907/waterloo-black-hawks/2003-2004

    Anyway, took a ride to ND a couple yrs back and sat 2nd level 1st row behind Morris for 2 periods.  They played U of MN and Mittlestat (damn that kid looked good and really really skilled).  Went away thinking the kid has really developed and loved his technical, efficient, calming/quiet game.  ………… Indeed, a sneaky good signing and as you point out so many goalies in the system as being just a guy Morris is not. He has a chance.

    Interesting to see where he starts the yr.  As part of a 3 man rotation in the AHL or The Man at ECHL Indy?

    #18300
    Jeff Osborn
    Keymaster

    today regarding the goalies in the athletic.

    Western Conference scout: “If I’m a fan, I’m not happy at all. If I’m Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith in particular, those three alone, they can’t be happy with the goaltending situation in particular. There was a plethora of goaltenders. There’s another goaltender I think in Darcy Kuemper that you can probably get out of there. But they didn’t do that. Going with those three guys, that’s a recipe for disaster. You saw it first hand, Crawford and (Robin) Lehner bailed them out, and a lot of the games they lost they should have lost by even more or not even been in games. I think that’s a problem.”

    Eastern Conference scout: “I think the veterans would have been more willing to buy into what they’re doing with this rebuild if they had re-signed Crawford or just been more up front with them about it. It now looks like they let Crawford walk over a measly amount of money. That has a negative effect.”

    Western Conference executive: “(Their moves are) a moot point. If you have no goaltending, you have no chance. Subban can’t play. Delia, I think in the best case, he’s a No. 2, and I don’t know if he is. Lankinen, he showed some good things down in Rockford at times and he also showed some not so good. But they’re high on him, they like him. I think they think he’s going to be the guy, but we’ll see. Goaltending is going to be a major thing, and I think the backend (defensively), too.”

    #18302
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    This is my point in JJ’s piece where he accurately points out that the Hawks are just backfilling with cheaper players and that nothing has really changed besides bringing up a not ready Boqvist.  Still a kind of rolling rebuild.  I agree with all that, but:

    Nobody in their right mind, even a homer fan, as the quotes you posted from execs and scouts, believes that the in house goalies can supply even decent goaltending, period.   That is why, despite what JJ points out, and I agree with, that this is a tank.  ………. Stan and the Hawks can not really believe Subban, Delia and Lankanin are anything else than a lottery team’s goalies.

    Caveat.  IMO IF, IF, IF any of these guys can play behind this club with a + .900 SPG Lankanin would be that guy.

    #18305
    Jeff Osborn
    Keymaster

    I’m not a Lankinen guy. He’s avg.  His only success in N/A in two full seasons was in the first 2 months of last season when Delia started off slow (eventually losing the starting job back to Delia).  Otherwise has been outplayed by Delia in every scenario.

    You can’t take IIHF worlds into account because that’s 2 weeks of play against a bucket of random middling players

    #18371
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    [quote quote=18305]I’m not a Lankinen guy. He’s avg. His only success in N/A in two full seasons was in the first 2 months of last season when Delia started off slow (eventually losing the starting job back to Delia). Otherwise has been outplayed by Delia in every scenario. You can’t take IIHF worlds into account because that’s 2 weeks of play against a bucket of random middling players

    [/quote] I’m not taking Lankinen’s 2 week run at the WC as the reason I think he has the best chance at a .900 SPG.  In fact I didn’t watch the WC and never do.  I watch jrs exclusively at that time of the yr.

    So with full disclosure I haven’t seen enough of Lankinen to make an educated analysis on him, almost the  same with Delia who I’ve seen a bit more of.

    I’m a snob this way. Delia played NAHL, wasn’t good enough to get a look at the USHL.  Delia played at a lower D1 school at Merrimack then went undrafted.  A lot of hockey evaluators passed on Delia his whole career.

    Lankinen on the other hand was thought well enough of in goalie rich Finland to have played internationally as a teen, although not in the WJC, started playing pro at 19 in Finland’s top league putting up good to excellent numbers at every stop culminating in freakish numbers at the WC.  …… Much much better competition his whole career than Delia.

    I don’t prefer Lankinen’s athletic style, Delia is more efficient IMO, but just going by the path of the two players to me there is no question, because of the path and how these two were viewed by decision makers since they were teens, Lankinen has the better chance of success IMO.

    #18372
    Mister Ricochet
    Participant

    And I’d add it won’t really matter as Lankinen is waiver exempt so he’ll likely be the one to start at Rockford while Subban and Delia start with the Hawks.  But would  I’d guess Delia would pass thru waivers if need be.

    I do like Delia though and respect his making it to the NHL.  He’s an easy underdag to root for and count me as one rooting hard for him, just not sure he has what it takes to play consistent NHL hockey.

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