Morrissey looks to bust through

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This article was published 20/09/2016 (3354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JOSH Morrissey spent part of his Monday morning at the MTS Iceplex perched at the lonely end of the rink.

With a bundle of pucks at his feet, the 21-year-old former first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets unleashed each piece of rubber into an empty net.

It wasn’t a case of the moody Mondays for the team’s prospect defenceman. Besides some extra work at the opposite end for goalies Michael Hutchinson and Eric Comrie, most players had vacated the ice surface. It was just Morrissey, some rubber and some twine, putting in some last-minute work he hopes will help propel him to The Show this season.

“I’m not setting anything too crazy, but definitely my goal is to make the team and push for a spot,” said Morrissey. “I think every year you go into camp and that’s the goal, but as you get older, and after playing one year of pro hockey now, I’ve had a little taste. The goal is to push and make that jump (to the National Hockey League).”

With training camp beginning Thursday with physicals, Morrissey remains the only Jets’ first-round pick between their inaugural season in 2011 and 2014 not to have a permanent place on their 23-man roster on game nights.

Depending on which circles you roll in, Morrissey is anywhere from a late bloomer, to a work in progress, to a bust, given his 13th-overall status in the 2013 NHL Draft.

In a hockey-mad town, some expect quick, meteoric rises out of lower first-round picks.

The former Western Hockey League standout has heard the talk.

“Everyone has their own path,” said Morrissey. “Obviously, you want it to be right away. You wish at your 18-year-old camp you’d make the NHL and there you go. But everyone has different stages, different things to work on. Everyone also had different opportunities and number games to deal with. It’s situational.”

Morrissey spent his first long off-season in a while, devoid of playoff hockey and Team Canada and NHL development camps.

He said he’s grateful for his year spent in the American Hockey League with the Manitoba Moose, the Jets’ farm club, which allowed him to grow into his pro skates.

“I think it took my game to another level,” said Morrissey.

That level has come with a bit of help. Employing the services of a sports psychologist, Morrissey, who views the game as more mental than physical, said everyone in the league is in good shape, so getting ahead with his noggin has been a significant focus.

“I think what separates guys is in between the ears,” said Morrissey. “Going through the season, you have ups and downs. As a first-year pro, you might be playing really well, you might be playing really bad, and you have to learn to deal with adversity you haven’t dealt with before.

“At the end of the day, I’m giving myself the chance to be the best version of myself. If you can be at your very best every night, that’s what makes elite players elite in this league.”

The former Memorial Cup competitor has become detail-oriented, focusing on the minutia of his game. While he’s added mental fortitude to his repertoire, he hasn’t forgotten about the body he goes to war with each night.

A few years back, Morrissey added 10 pounds to his arsenal over the summer but admits it wasn’t done the right way. He was too bulky and a bit slower — a no-no for a guy known for his ability to dictate the transition game quickly.

“I’ve put on around seven or eight pounds of muscle this off-season,” said Morrissey. “You’re playing against men now, a lot of big bodies. It’s a big change. Body position is huge, especially not being a big guy (the blue-liner is listed at 6-0, 195 pounds on the team’s website).

“I feel more explosive than I ever have. I put on most of that strength in my legs. I feel more powerful,” said Morrissey.

“It helps my game, with speed, getting pucks quicker and lower-body and core strength for battling guys in the corners. I feel more stable.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck