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Osseo native Travis Morin reflects on past, looks forward

By Sam Wigness, Sport Ngin, 04/23/15, 10:15AM CDT

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Standout in high school, college and minor leagues eyes full-time shot at NHL


Osseo native Travis Morin played in six games for the Dallas Stars last season.

Even after setting all-time scoring records for his high school and American Hockey League teams, Brooklyn Park native Travis Morin is still fighting for a permanent spot in the NHL.

As former Osseo coach Garret Strot puts it, “He’s just never had that chance to stick. He gets a cup of coffee, but he doesn’t quite get the full meal.”

High school memories are beginning to blur for Morin, now 31, but he recalls playing for one of the stronger hockey teams in Osseo history.

“Back when I played Osseo had a pretty good program,” the forward said. “It was a good place to play hockey back then. We had some good teams, we lost a couple times in the conference finals and missed our shot at state.”

Morin made varsity as a sophomore in 1999 and helped the Orioles improve to 15-10-0 after going 8-15-1 the previous season. Strot could tell early on he had something special in Morin.

“He was easy to coach because he was kind of quiet, but right away as a sophomore you could see his hands and other skills were great” Strot said. “I remember I stuck Todd Nelson on his line. Todd was really fast, and that line just took off. Travis ended up with 30-some points.”

The Orioles finished third in the conference and made a statement by beating No. 1-ranked Elk River in the section semifinals.

“We were down 4-1 and came back to put it into overtime and then won in overtime,” Morin said. “I don’t think I scored any goals that game, but I honestly can’t remember.”

Osseo improved every year with Morin on the roster, and so did the young forward under Strot’s guidance.

“Travis was a real coachable kid,” said Strot, who still looks for Morin on the golf course in the summers. “His sophomore year he took a penalty that wasn’t a good one and I got on his case and sat him down. Years later, he told me, ‘Man after that I never wanted to take a penalty again.’ And he really didn’t, he just moved his feet and got better from it.”

Morin said Strot was an easy-going coach – as long as the team was working hard – and had a gift for getting the best out of his players.

The Orioles went 17-7-3 in Morin’s junior season and took second place in the newly-founded Northwest Suburban Conference.

“Trav’s senior year he had a chance to play juniors but came back, and I think that’s a huge part of his development,” Strot said. “He was one of our captains and he started maturing as a leader that year. One of the best things for him was to be a captain and lead one of the best Osseo teams in a long time.”

Morin led the Orioles to their first and only Northwest Suburban Conference title (the first in any conference for Osseo since 1985) and was named Metro Player of the Year by the Star Tribune and one of nine Mr. Hockey finalists. He scored 66 points his senior year to become Osseo’s all-time point leader, passing former NHL player Trent Klatt.

Morin spent his offseasons playing summer camps alongside Spring Lake Park's David Backes, and the two began a lasting friendship. During a Select 17’s tournament, Morin caught the eye of Minnesota State University-Mankato coaches.

“One of the assistant coaches watched me play and said he was interested in having me play there,” he said. “I thought about it for a couple months and didn’t really hear from anyone else. I thought ‘It’s only an hour and half away from home and it's good WCHA hockey, why not?’ ”

Morin spent four years with the Mavericks – three with Backes at his side – putting up 133 points (58 goals, 75 assists).

“We were never as good as they were this year,” Morin said. “We never made it out of the first round of the WCHA playoffs. We would have had a great team my senior year, but David Backes left early and Ryan Carter left early, and losing those guys made it a little tougher on us.”

In 2004, Morin, a 6-foot-2 forward, was drafted 263rd overall by the Washington Capitals. In the 2008-09 season he led the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL to a Kelly Cup championship with 88 points in 71 games.

“I loved it down in South Carolina, it wasn’t where I wanted to be hockey wise, but Charleston was a great city,” he said. “We had pretty good fan support and we won a championship while I was there. It’s a place where I had a good time -- one of the better places I’ve played.”

The next year, Morin led the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League to the Calder Cup finals. He has spent six seasons with the Dallas Stars affiliate and has been called up for 13 NHL games -- including six last season -- where he has recorded one point.

Last year, Morin won the Most Valuable Player for the regular season and playoffs after scoring 88 points in 66 regular season games and 22 points in 21 playoff games. He recorded his 100th goal, 200th assist and 300th point as a Texas Star this season.

“I just keep doing what I do,” the 2014 Calder Cup winner said. “I try to help the team down here, but if they call me and say they need me, I’ll be ready. It’s still my goal to be in the NHL on a regular basis, but I’ve enjoyed playing in Austin, and I’m going to keep playing.”

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