Moroz finding his step in rookie WHL season
After what was a quiet start to his WHL career with the Prince Albert Raiders, 16-year-old rookie forward Luke Moroz appears to be settling in to his freshman year with the club. After registering just one assist in his first 14 games this season, the product of Grand Coulee, SK has been on a hot stretch with seven points in his last nine games, and now has 11 points in 34 games so far this year.
“I’m starting to feel a bit more like me again,” Moroz said. “I’m just finding my confidence and getting into my groove. It definitely feels nice, but slow starts aren’t good. I want to eliminate that as much as I can, but I’m playing with a lot more confidence now.”
Moroz finished third in team scoring with the Regina Pat Canadians U18AAA club last season, scoring 47 points in 40 regular season games. He followed that up with nine more points in 12 playoff games last season, which was good for a share for second place on the team. The Pat C’s went all the way to the league championship, where they fell to the Saskatoon Blazers three games to two in the best of five series.
Taking his experience from the U18 ranks to the WHL, Moroz explained what the transition has been like in his first year with the Raiders.
“It’s a huge change, it’s so fast and so physical,” he said. “You’re going against guys that are two years older than you in AAA, and now going against grown men in the WHL. That’s probably the biggest thing, combined with the speed in the game now.”
Selected in the first round, 15th overall by the Raiders in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft, Moroz has shown flashes of what he is capable of in the WHL. He scored his first career goal from his knees in Medicine Hat back on December 2nd, and has two multi point performances over his last nine games, including a three point performance in Brandon on January 14th. The forward has been more confident shooting the puck lately as well. In his first 22 games, Moroz mustered 13 shots on goal. In his last 12 games, the 5’9 winger has 22 shots.
“I’m starting to find those areas and those spots to open up on the ice,” he said. “I’m getting used to the game now, so I know where to be and I’m not just running around. I’m able to give myself better looks.
“My goal at the start of the year was to just get comfortable. I wanted to set myself up for a good draft year and do my role and learn a lot from the older guys. I was told to keep my ears open, and that’s been the biggest thing for me is just listening and learning.”
Sloan Stanick has been one of those older guys Moroz has been listening to this season. With overager Turner McMillen joining the team just a few weeks ago, Moroz has certainly gotten all the help he can get with those two helping him along the way, with the other veteran forwards guiding him through his first year as well.
“They’re great. Stan is my billet brother, and just learning from what he does is really good. With Turner coming in, I think I’ve built a little bit of chemistry with him and it’s been super nice to play with him. He came from Kelowna and he told me some of his experiences from there, so it’s all been good for me to learn.”
With the Raiders in a heated playoff race for what will likely last the rest of the season, Moroz explained what kind of mindset both himself and the rest of the team will need to be in as they head into the final stretch of the 2023-24 campaign.
“We just have to take it one day at a time. We can’t focus on three, four games ahead. We’re focused on Moose Jaw tomorrow and practice today. We just want to get better every day.”
The Raiders take on the Warriors in Moose Jaw tomorrow night. Prince Albert will return home to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drops at 7pm, and you can purchase tickets at the Raider office, or at Sasktix.ca.