By Russ Cohen
Ilia Morozov was the youngest skater in college hockey. He was a center who played for Miami University. He is a well-built, fast-skating player, and the fact that all teams are looking for centers means his stock has been rising for a while now. The 2026 NHL Draft will be a good one, and he’s added to the center depth.
“So, I was really looking into that to play against the bigger and stronger guys who play better hockey, who are faster. And I believe that my game grew with that,” Morozov stated.
Morozov chose Miami because of the coach.
“Anthony Noreen. I know him really well. The coaching staff truly believed that I was ready to play college,” said Morozov.
He’s already solid on defense, and he backchecks well, so there’s not much to worry about there. He’s 48% on face-offs, so at worst, he is a third-line center, but I have a feeling he might outkick his coverage, so I say he’s a top-nine player to leave him the room to keep elevating his game. His comment about face-offs showed how challenging NCAA hockey can be.
“That was harder than in USHL, but then I had to adjust. It was pretty hard, but I think I’m strong enough to handle that,” Morozov added. “I worked out last summer to prepare for college.”
Morozov is a details guy. Even at this young age. He isn’t just practicing one-timers.
“I try to make every part of my game better.”
He met with 26 teams. Morozov hasn’t gotten enough credit for taking on this kind of challenge and improving as a result. He had some challenges this season, but he will be much better for it next season. According to InStat, he averaged 19:29 for his time on the ice. In NCAA hockey, as a 17-year-old, that’s impressive.
Morozov played in all situations. He averaged 1.53 hits per game, and he’s 6-3, 201 pounds. He can play around the net, but he can score on his wrist shot on his natural side, too. His offensive game has been slow in developing, but he might be a 15-goal guy in the NHL.
Is he a 40 or 50-point guy as well as being a shutdown center? He had 20 points this season and could double it next year.
