Player Profile: Morgan Barron

Morgan Barron was born on December 2nd, 1998, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a versatile forward who primarily plays centre, but can be used as a winger as well. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Barron is a left-handed shot. Barron’s early playing days saw him in the minor hockey scene in Nova Scotia including two seasons of minor hockey with the Newbridge Academy Gladiators of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League. He enrolled at St. Andrews College in Ontario where he spent two seasons. Barron would also join the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) at the tail end of the 2016-17 season. Barron then joined Cornell University after graduating from St. Andrews College.

Drafted 174th Overall by the New York Rangers

Morgan Barron was a later NHL Entry Draft selection, he wouldn’t hear his name called until day two of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft when he was drafted in the sixth round (174th overall) by the New York Rangers. Barron would spend the following three seasons with Cornell University after being drafted and would be named Team Captain in his final season with Cornell.

Following the conclusion of Barron’s college hockey career, he joined the New York Rangers franchise after signing a three-year entry-level contract on July 31st, 2020. He spent most of the 2020-21 season with the Hartford Wolf Pack and later made his NHL debut for the Rangers on May 1st, 2021. Barron scored his first career goal on May 5th, 2021, against the Washington Capitals.

At the start of the 2021-22 season, Barron started with the Hartford Wolf Pack and later found himself with the New York Rangers again. However, Barron wouldn’t finish the season with the Rangers as he was traded at the trade deadline on March 21st, 2022.

Traded to the Winnipeg Jets

With the 2022 Trade Deadline pending, the New York Rangers were looking to make a big splash. They sent Morgan Barron, a conditional 2022 first-round pick, a conditional 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 fifth-round pick to the Winnipeg Jets for Andrew Copp and a 2023 sixth-round pick.

Barron became a workhorse on the Winnipeg Jets’ depth charts, solidifying the talent level that the Jets already have, but also brought an intense and highly physical nature that was sorely needed. In the same trade, the Jets drafted Brad Lambert with the 2022 first-round pick, Elias Salomonsson with the 2022 second-round pick, and Thomas Milic with the 2023 fifth-round pick.

The Jets yet again looked like bandits when it came to a trade involving picks and unproven depth players. Barron immediately made an impact with the Winnipeg Jets, posting four points (2G, 2A) in 14 games after the trade. He had a more impactful season in 2022-23, posting 21 points (8G, 13A) in 70 games. Barron found a stronger two-way role in 2023-24 when he posted 18 points (11G, 7A) in 80 games. He complimented this role in Winnipeg by being a plus-minus positive player in his two full seasons with the team.