Cameron Morrison named Aurora’s Athlete of the Year

September 7, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

A stint wearing the red and white, the leading rookie scorer at the USA’s highest junior level, and a pick in the NHL draft have all highlighted an amazing year for Cameron Morrison.

The latest trophy in the case for Morrison, who turned eighteen just last month, is the honour of being Sport Aurora’s first Athlete of the Year.

“Through careful consideration and deliberations, Sport Aurora’s Recognition and Celebration Committee made a very difficult decision, selecting the worthy candidate for this year from a number of nominations provided through the Sport Aurora membership and the Community-at- large,” said Managing Director Laurie Mueller.

“We have an incredible pool of excellent athletes in our Town as was demonstrated by the number and quality of the nominations,” added Committee Chair, Alan Dean, himself an honoured member of the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame. “The Committee did an excellent job in its selection and we are all proud of the work done to honour this athlete.”

Morrison’s stock in the hockey world has risen tenfold in the past few years, having first caught the eyes of scouts playing minor midget for the York-Simcoe Express in 2013-14. His over a point-per-game pace earned the Aurora native a spot on the top line of the Junior A Tigers the next season, where he, alongside linemates Johnny Curran and Michael Laidley, were the top offensive force in the OJHL.

Finishing second on the team in scoring as a 16-year old, Morrison earned the league’s Rookie of the Year honours before moving south to join the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. There he once again took home the Rookie of the Year trophy in 2015-16, scoring at over a point-per game pace against players as old as 21.

He competed at the Under-18 World Championships in spring for Canada, who finished fourth in the tournament after a shootout loss to Sweden in the bronze medal game. Morrison notched four points over seven games.

The most impactful moment of his young hockey career came in late June, while ranked as the 46th overall North American skater heading into the NHL draft. There he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche, 40th overall in the second round.

A stint at Avs camp in the summer has led into a recent move to South Bend, Indiana, where he is getting set to start his first year at the University of Notre Dame. Morrison is suiting up for the Fighting Irish, who compete in the NCAA’s Division I in the highly skilled Hockey East Conference.
Morrison will officially be announced as Athlete of the Year at Sport Aurora’s annual Breakfast of Champions on October 23 this year.