Steelheads agree to terms with forward Mitch Moroz

Boise, ID (8/17/17) – Steelheads Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Neil Graham announced on Thursday that the team has agreed to terms with forward Mitch Moroz on an ECHL contract for the 2017-18 season. Moroz is preparing for his fourth professional season and his first in the ECHL.

Moroz, 23, was a second-round pick ( 32nd overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Draft and has spent the last three seasons in the American Hockey League. The Edmonton, Alberta native posted four goals and nine points in 41 AHL games last year split between Bakersfield and Tucson, along with 46 penalty minutes.

The 6-foot-2 forward has spent the majority of his professional career playing with the Oilers’ AHL affiliates, in Oklahoma City in 2014-15 and in Bakersfield for 2015-16 and the first half of last season. Moroz joined the Tucson Roadrunners as part of a trade in February, where he finished the season with three goals, six points, and 32 penalty minutes in 24 games with Tucson.

“Mitch is a power forward who uses his size and strength well to create room for himself and his line-mates,” said Graham. “He possesses a heavy shot and can create offense in tight spaces in front of the net."

In 147 career games, Moroz has posted 14 goals, 28 points, and 314 penalty minutes. Moroz’s toughness is well-documented, as he led the Condors with 99 penalty minutes in 40 games in 2015-16 and led all AHL rookies in 2014-15 with 169 penalty minutes.

Moroz also brings championship credentials from his time in junior hockey, when he was a teammate of another recently-announced Steelhead in defenseman Cody Corbett.

“Mitch was a key contributor on two championship teams in Edmonton and we expect him to take on a similar leadership role with our club,” said Graham. "We’re excited to add him to the lineup and we will continue to push his game to new levels."

As a member of the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League, Moroz won WHL Championships in 2012 and 2014, as well as the 2014 Memorial Cup. In 213 games across parts of four seasons with the Oil Kings, Moroz collected 64 goals and 123 points, as well as 12 goals and 34 points in 63 playoff games.

Moroz joins forwards Jefferson Dahl, Will Merchant, Connor Chatham, Steve McParland, Brady Brassart, and Tommy Thompson on the Steelheads roster for the 2017-18 season.