By Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When the Flyers were starved for defenseman, they used their first-round pick in 2013 on Sam Morin. At the time, Morin was an extremely raw prospect who began trending upward prior to the draft.
Four years later, the Flyers now boast the deepest group of prospects in the NHL, especially on the blueline. With flashier names like Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov, Morin's hype has been reduced because of his understated style of play, but make no mistake, Morin is every bit as exciting as his more dynamic colleagues.
Billed at 6'7" and weighing 227 pounds, Morin is hardly your average defenseman. When he was selected, many made the stretch to compare him to Chris Pronger. That comparison was and still is unreasonable of any player, but Morin does have some similarities to the former Flyers captain.
Morin brings an edge to his game that only men of his size can. He is physically dominant and has filled out his body as well as the Flyers could have hoped during his development. The way that Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger and Dustin Byfuglien are able to effortlessly move players is something that Morin is able to bring at only 22-years-old.
In an era where physicality is beginning to fall to the wayside in favor of finesse, Morin provides both in his game. With the snarl of 90's hockey riddled throughout his game, he is also clearly a product of the modern-day NHL teachings.
Others players with Morin's physical stature often look clunky maneuvering the ice, even Chara, who may have already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame. That clunky style is exposed by the ever-increasing pace of the game. If you cannot skate, your value plummets.
Morin has managed to become a fluid skater in general, let alone for someone of his size. On this play, Morin looks effortless gaining body position to halt the Islanders attack, combining is mammoth size with his impressive skating ability:
Sam Morin takes a couple strides, wins body position and helps clear the puck out of the zone pic.twitter.com/djPD4yyKhl
— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) September 20, 2017
The game is no longer dominated by size. Johnny Gaudreau is approaching superstar status. Tyler Johnson has become one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the league. Defensively, Ryan Ellis has established himself as a top defenseman while standing well under six-feet tall.
Morin's ability to skate is a neccessity in today's NHL, but his size and physical play harkens back to the 90's when Rob Blake, Scott Stevens and Pronger ruled the ice by dominating players with their bodies. While Morin can skate exceptionally well, the art of hitting is not lost on him:
Morin lowered the boom, then denied the fight after a clean hit. Kid wants and needs to be on the ice. pic.twitter.com/hK0cbqXXgA
— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) September 20, 2017
Morin fits in today's NHL, which is becoming increasingly more difficult for oversized players that are not playing goalie. The average height of an NHL player is 6'1", which Morin clears by half a foot. Speed rules the day, and Morin has equipped his repertoire with a skating ability suitable for the faster NHL.
Anything but average, Sam Morin is an anomaly to see on the ice. His size draws attention on its own, but his gracefulness on his skates makes him truly a walking — or would it be skating? — contradiction. He has adapted the style of the game's giants that came before him, but morphed that style so that it is not out of place in the speed-oriented style that is being adapted across the league.
The first name in the Flyers defensive revolution has seen his hype decrease as more players joined the prospect list. This year Morin is a favorite to make the NHL roster, and it may be time to start hyping up the goliath defender.
