It's not too often the youngest player in college hockey already has an NHL-ready frame, but that was the case with Ilia Morozov. The 17-year-old Russian center often towered over his older opponents during his freshman season with Miami (Ohio) in 2025-26.
Morozov (6'3'', 205 pounds) didn't back down from the challenge of playing against more experienced foes, tallying 20 points (eight goals and 12 assists) in 36 NCAA games for the RedHawks. It helped solidify him as a top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft, where he was selected with the No. 20 overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres.
In the latest episode of Buffalo Sabres: Embedded, a behind-the-scenes video series, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen was shown talking highly of Morozov during a draft-night conversation with team owner Terry Pegula and assistant GM Jerry Forton.
"The Russian kid that came over here, didn't speak English. Now he's an A student," Kekalainen said. "He's built like a Greek God and work ethic through the roof. It's all pretty good. Every category he's like a beast."
Forton added: "Really good tester, too. Good athlete."
The Sabres went through several rebuild iterations during their 14-year playoff drought. The latest one, dating back to Kevyn Adams' tenure running the front office, placed a heavy emphasis on compete level and it's already clear Kekalainen plans to continue that trend.
Buffalo became much tougher to play against last season. A significant portion of that was thanks to rising stars like Zach Benson and Josh Doan, who are absolutely relentless on the forecheck and backcheck. They never take a shift off.
Morozov comes from the same mold. A lot of his success during his debut college campaign came as a direct result of his willingness to outwork opponents for contested pucks.
"I believe that life is fair," he told reporters at the 2026 NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. "If you put (in) honest work, if you do 100% every time … you'll get the result. That's my experience. If I wasn't doing something right, it was going the wrong way. If I'm doing right, it's going the right way. So that's, personally, just my experience. And I believe I did lots of work to be here."
It's an attitude that'll allow him to fit right in when he arrives to Western New York.
Ilia Morozov aims to finish college career on a high note before making NHL jump to the Buffalo Sabres
Morozov will head back to the RedHawks for at least one more season before potentially making the jump to pro hockey, likely starting with some time as a member of the AHL's Rochester Americans.
Although he's trending toward a long NHL career as a middle-six center, his focus for the time being is making sure to leave the Miami (Ohio) hockey program "even better than it used to be."
"I think it's a great opportunity, because this is going to be my second year," Morozov told the team's official website. "... I already have that experience, and I know what college hockey looks like. I know what I have to be ready for...and I think our team is going to be really good. I'm excited for that as well: To win some big games, some tournaments, and just enjoy hockey."
The forward should be in line to take on a bigger two-way role for Miami. It's possible he could then sign his entry-level contract with the Sabres after the NCAA season ends, possibly getting in a few games with the Amerks before the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Miami is scheduled to open the season Oct. 2 with a two-game road set against Northern Michigan.
The RedHawks play their home games at the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio, which is about a seven-hour drive from Buffalo. Sabres fans thinking about taking a trip may want to circle Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13 on their calendars.
That's when the University of Denver, featuring the organization's other first-round pick (No. 4 overall choice Daxon Rudolph), will be in Ohio to battle Morozov and Co.
The Sabres will hope Rudolph and Morozov each continue their recent development trends and end up donning Blue and Gold sweaters together for a long time.
They are two crucial pieces of a strong Buffalo farm system, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple years.
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