Charlie Morrison’s rise keeps getting louder.
Less than a month after the Rangers took the 18-year-old defenseman in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft, Morrison is back on a bigger stage, this time wearing Canada colors at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario. Canada unveiled its roster Friday, with games set to begin Sunday and run through Aug. 1.
The annual event also includes the United States, Finland and Sweden, and it gives each country an early look at players who could end up on the 2027 World Junior Championship roster. Canada is hosting both the Summer Showcase and the World Juniors this cycle, with the tournament set for Dec. 26, 2026 through Jan. 5, 2027 in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
For Morrison, simply getting the call is meaningful. Canada invited 10 defensemen, and that alone tells you how crowded the path is.
“I never played for Team Canada, or even a Team New Brunswick either,” Morrison told reporters at Rangers development camp a few weeks ago, referring to his native province in Canada. “I started a little later, I was 8 or 9 when I started … so I’m a little bit of a late bloomer.”
That late-bloomer label fits the way Morrison has come up. He was selected No. 77 overall by New York, the Rangers’ fourth pick among nine in the 2026 draft and the second of their three third-round selections. He was also one of five left-shot defensemen the club added, a group led by Alberts Smits, the No. 5 overall pick.
Morrison didn’t come into the draft with much noise around him, and there wasn’t much buzz after the Rangers called his name either. But the 6-foot-3, 198-pound defender seems comfortable in that lane. The native of Miramichi in the Canadian Maritimes describes himself in plain terms.
“I’d say I’m a simple defenseman. I wouldn’t limit myself to being a one-way guy, but definitely better defensively than offensively,” Morrison explained.
“I like to play physical. I like to play kind of that rough-style hockey, whether that’s fight or not, whenever you have to stick up for a teammate, I’m willing to do that.
Play PK, block shots, that’s kind of my role.”
The challenge in front of him is steep. Canada brought in six defensemen who were first-round picks, including four from this year’s draft: Daxon Rudolph at No. 4 to the Buffalo Sabres, Carson Carels at No. 6 to the Calgary Flames, Keaton Verhoeff at No. 9 to the San Jose Sharks and Ryan Lin at No. 21 to the Sharks. The other two first-rounders are Jackson Smith of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Cameron Reid of the Nashville Predators, both from 2025.
Morrison’s numbers from last season at Quebec in the QMJHL show the kind of player Canada is evaluating. He posted 13 points, with four goals and nine assists, plus 58 penalty minutes in 41 games, while missing more than 20 games because of injury. Even so, NHL Central Scouting ranked him No. 39 among North American skaters ahead of the draft.
Two years earlier, he had 15 points, including two goals and 13 assists, along with 60 PIM in 63 games with Quebec. Now he’s headed to UConn for his freshman season in the NCAA, a move he says was made with development in mind.
“I left the CHL to go there and play against bigger, stronger guys, and further my development,” he explained. “They love that gritty style hockey, which kind of fits how I play. … It’s a pretty snug fit down there (at UConn).”
Morrison isn’t the only Rangers prospect in Windsor. Defenseman Sean Barnhill, a 2025 third-round pick by New York at No. 70 overall, earned an invite from the United States, which is sending two separate rosters to the Summer Showcase.
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