Ilia Morozov finished his first college season with 20 points in 36 games for Miami (Ohio), a quick start for a 17-year-old center who entered men’s Division I hockey early. The production gives the Flyers a fresh look at a player being discussed around their No. 21 pick in the NHL Draft.
Ferris State opener
Morozov centered Miami’s top line against Ferris State in the season opener and logged 20 minutes in a 6-4 win. He added an assist on Miami’s second goal, the kind of first-night usage that showed the staff was willing to lean on him right away.
That first game matched the broader move that brought him to Oxford, Ohio. Morozov committed to Miami (Ohio) University and Anthony Noreen in August 2024, and the move became official in July 2025.
Early surge, late slowdown
The first six college games were the sharpest stretch. Morozov had four goals and nine points in that span, then his scoring slowed after Miami moved into National Collegiate Hockey Conference play against teams such as Western Michigan and Denver.
By the end of the season, he still finished with eight goals, 20 points and three power-play goals plus one shorthanded goal in 36 games. That mix left him as a young college center with usable scoring touch, not just a fast-rising name on paper.
Flyers and the center pool
The interest from the Flyers fits their recent draft habits. Since Brent Flahr took over starting with the 2019 draft, they have taken nine middle men, and eight of them came in the last three years with Danny Brière as general manager.
Brière said, “You can never have enough centers.” Chris Peters added that Morozov “is intriguing in that he went to college early and was one of the youngest players,” and also said he “could be a middle-six center with some scoring ability.”
Morozov’s route helps explain why he is being watched this closely. He had played one year for the Windy City Storm as a 15-year-old and then one year for Tri-City of the United States Hockey League when he was still 25 days away from his 17th birthday, then opened 2025-26 as the youngest player in men’s Division I hockey. The only real next step for the Flyers is their draft board at No. 21, and whether they use it on a center who already has one college season behind him.
