The Carolina Hurricanes have signed UMass defenseman Scott Morrow to a three-year entry-level contract.
The deal will pay Morrow $807,500 at the NHL level in 2023-24 and $832,500 from 2024-26. He will receive $80,000 at the AHL level for all three seasons, and the deal includes a $277,500 signing bonus.
This means that a year of the contract will already be burned up for this season.
"Scott is a dynamic, offensive-minded defenseman who has consistently been one of the top-performing blueliners in college hockey,” said Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell in a press release. “He has shown the drive and dedication to graduate in three years, and we look forward to seeing the next steps in his development.”
The 21-year-old blueliner finished up his junior season at UMass this year with six goals and 30 points in 37 games.
Over his NCAA career, the 2021 second rounder had 26 goals and 94 points across three seasons.
The 6'2", right-handed defender has always been notable for his offense and skating ability, but he also saw his overall defensive game reach new heights this season as well.
He was also named to the Hockey East All-Star Third Team this season.
Other notable defensemen that have come through the UMass system include Cale Makar and Brandon Montour. Also, his uncle, also named Scott Morrow, was drafted by the Hartford Whalers in the fifth round of the 1988 draft, although he never played with the organization.
The Hurricanes initially acquired the pick used to draft Morrow from the Nashville Predators along with another 2021 second-round pick (Ville Koivunen) in exchange for Carolina's 2021 first-round pick (Zachary L'Heureux).
Morrow was asked if he was anxious to make the team at this year's development camp and said at the time that he wasn't too concerned about joining the team ASAP.
"That’s not really what I’m focused on from a day-to-day standpoint," Morrow said at the time. "I have a lot of things that I need to improve before I get to that point. I have a short-term kind of focus right now. I’m just trying to get better every day."
If he hadn't been signed, Morrow was eligible to become a free agent this summer, but now he's officially a Hurricane.