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Question: Can you share your thoughts on the overall development of Boyle, Moulson, Purcell and Trevor Lewis?

Morris: Brian can impact a game and if he can just keep his intensity level up he can be a dominant force. He has great hands, he sees the ice, he can win important face offs and he’s a huge presence in front of the net. There’s no question he’s a big reason why we have had such great success on the power play. I think his upside is huge and he just has to realize with a little more snarl in his game he will be a force for the Kings too.

I would say for Ted Purcell, his offensive instincts are exceptional and he sees things that most players and coaches don’t see, so he has a knack for being creative. We are still working on fore-checking and his back-checking and his defensive play and once he masters that end of the game and realizes the importance of it he should be a factor. He still has to put some bulk on him because he’s still a thin kid, so he’s going to have to put in some hard work in the weight room. He does have the frame and the head to play with other great players and I think that sometimes he would really benefit from playing with really good players because he sees things that guys at this level don’t and sometimes I think when he gets the puck he can hold it and hold it, but guys just aren’t getting open.

Matt Moulson has been a big surprise for everyone with how well he has played. He’s not the quickest guy in the world, but from the tops of the circles down he has the ability to fend off the defenders, find open men and cycle well and he makes quick little plays and that is a gift he has and he’s worked hard at it. And he’s got a great attitude. He could be a guy who can impact a line because of his smart play.

Trevor Lewis has had a funny year. He started slow and over the course of time and guys got called up he got pushed into some roles where he performed really well. He really wasn’t doing a whole lot of scoring, and I can’t say he was playing poorly, but he wasn’t making a lot of things happen. When he got put with guys like Moulson and Purcell his game really started to grow. He’s still an ’87 birth, so he’s very young. There have been times when he’s been a bit of an enigma, but at the same time he has the ability to play with other good players. He’s killed penalties and been on the power play and I just think he’s got to play with more intensity to bring out his best qualities. He’s a very teachable kid with strong skating ability and he can make plays and has a good shoot. He’s still got some work to do at this level.

Questions: Any other players stand out in your eyes?

Morris: One guy who’s really made some big strides since he came back from his broken leg has been Marc-Andre Cliche. His game has grown leaps and bounds. He’s a very honest centerman and he’s very defensively responsible. Since he’s come back he has been playing with a tremendous amount of confidence with the puck on his stick, he’s making some plays and scoring some goals.

I think Lauri Tukonen has also really turned it up a notch. He’s getting more physically involved, scoring some big goals and we’ve even put a letter on his sweater because he is starting to speak up in the locker room. This being his third year, his game has really started to take off. His game has been inconsistent, but as of late, playing with guys like Brian Boyle, those two guys have really complemented one another quite well.

David Meckler has 18 goals right now, and while he’s not really fleet of foot, he’s got some of Matt Moulson’s qualities where from the top of the face off circles down he’s really strong with the puck. He’s just got to work on the length of his stride, but he’s a very teachable kid.

Question: And then there’s goaltending. Last season you got to ride LaBarbera all the way into the post season and this year has been goalie-by-committee with Dan Taylor, Erik Ersberg and now Jon Quick. Do you feel you’ve gotten adequate goaltending this season?

Morris: I think all goalies have the course of the year where they let in some soft ones, and unfortunately in this last little bit we’ve had a couple that were a little suspect, but they’re young kids. Jon Quick has played very well for us and Dan Taylor had a stretch where he was pretty much unbeatable. Just the uncertainty of not knowing where they’re going to be with all the movement that these guys have had, you really have to give them a lot of credit. We miss Erik Ersberg. It’s funny that both goalies we started with are now in Los Angeles and the goalies we have started in Reading. It’s been a challenge trying to come up with some consistency, and when you’re playing in front of a confident goalie it certainly helps your team’s mental preparation for a game and also allows you to play with a little more flair in your offensive game when you know a guy is going to make a save that he’s got to make.

Question: Any lessons learned from least season’s success and playoff experiences that you can apply to this season?

Morris: It’s all about consistency. And when you play that many games – this is the equivalent of three seasons for a lot of our guys that have never played at this level – so they’re well into their third season right now. Playing night after night with long stretches and trying to find ways to motivate and to play hurt without veteran leadership, you can bet there have been moments when these guys are looking at each other and scratching their heads and saying ‘holy smokes,’ never realizing that pro hockey was this demanding. But collectively they are a good bunch and they are fun to coach.