PRINCETON, N.J. – Former South Carolina Stingrays center and two-time ECHL All-Star Travis Morin became the 460th player to play in the National Hockey League after the ECHL when he made his debut with the Dallas Stars in a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday.
The 27 year old registered 10:07 of ice time for the Stars whose lineup also included former ECHL players Krys Barch and Aaron Gagnon. Former ECHL coach Charlie Huddy is an assistant coach with the Stars.
The Idaho Steelheads are the ECHL affiliate of the Stars and the Texas Stars of the of the American Hockey League. Former ECHL coach Glen Gulutzan is head coach of Texas while former ECHL player and coach Scott White is Texas’ general manager.
Morin scored 175 points (62g-113a) in 147 regular-season games and 39 points (14g-25a) in 39 Kelly Cup Playoff games with the Stingrays from 2006-07 through 2008-09 and was part of the Stingrays 2009 Kelly Cup championship team. Following the 2008-09 season he was named the winner of the ECHL Sportsmanship Award while also earning the Reebok Plus Performer of the Yeear Award and earning a spot on the All-ECHL First Team. He participated in the 2008 and 2009 ECHL All-Star Games, scoring two goals and adding an assist. A ninth round selection (263rd overall) of the Washington Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Morin has 85 points (34g-31a) in 130 American Hockey League games with Hershey and Texas since 2007. He leads Texas this season with 32 points (13g-19a) in 45 games.
There have been 54 players from the ECHL All-Star Game who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League including 38 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level.
Seventeen ECHL players have made their NHL debut this season: former Idaho Steelheads goaltender and 2010 ECHL All-Star Richard Bachman (Dallas on Dec. 11), former Las Vegas Wranglers right wing Adam Cracknell (St. Louis on Dec. 15), former Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender Mark Dekanich (Nashville on Dec. 18), former South Carolina Stingrays left wing Stefan Della Rovere (St. Louis on Dec. 1), former Phoenix RoadRunners center Andrew Desjardins (San Jose on Jan. 3), former Cincinnati Cyclones goaltender and 2007 ECHL All-Star Cedrick Desjardins (Cincinnati on Dec. 30), former Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies and Idaho Steelheads defenseman Brian Fahey (Washington on Oct. 16), former South Carolina Stingrays goaltender and 2010 ECHL All-Star Braden Holtby (Washington on Nov. 7), former Texas Wildcatters left wing Matt Kassian (Minnesota on Nov. 5), former Ontario Reign center Dwight King (Los Angeles on Nov. 17), former Phoenix RoadRunners and Utah Grizzlies goaltender Nathan Lawson (New York Islanders on Dec. 18), former Trenton Titans defenseman Olivier Magnan (New Jersey on Oct. 22), former Trenton Devils center Brad Mills (New Jersey on Oct. 30), former South Carolina Stingrays center and two-time ECHL All-Star Travis Morin (Dallas on Jan. 26), former Johnstown Chiefs and Cincinnati Cyclones forward Chris Mueller (Nashville on Dec. 28), former Alaska Aces right wing Ryan Reaves (St. Louis on Oct. 11) and former Reading Royals and South Carolina Stingrays goaltender and 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs Most Valuable Player James Reimer (Tortonto on Dec. 20).
