“He’s just taking monumental steps,” Noreen said. “He’s big and strong and he’s got skill but it’s the way that he works at it, and the way that he approaches it. He’s showing really well on the ice and that’s going to be great if you’re an NHL scout and you know what you’re looking for. When you see that, you’re like, ‘OK, that’s different, that’s special.’
“But wait until they sit down and have an interview with him, get to know the person and his background and what he’s about and his values and his morals and how he interacts with his teammates and how he interacts with anybody. That to us is the main separator. It’s that mindset and approach and it’s who he is as a person.
“He’s the type of kid who is going to maximize every resource and everything possible to chase his goals and dreams, and he’s inspiring to all of us.”
Noreen has been involved with USA Hockey for nearly a decade, most recently as coach of the U.S. Under-18 team for the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also led the 2018 U.S. Junior Select Team to a gold medal in the World Junior A Challenge.
Miami (7-3-0) is ranked 24th in the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI), the official system for selecting and seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament. It replaced the Pairwise system this season.
Morozov is doing his best to earn the trust of the Miami coaching staff, including offensive coach Troy Thibodeau.
“We’re working on using my body a little bit more,” Morozov said. “So in the corners, in the battles, for example, when I roll up in the offensive zone, he wants me to drive the middle more, so I create more space for myself.
“I’ve always been a big fan of (center) Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers), but he’s injured right now so I’ve been watching a lot of (center) Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers). I like those big, skilled, players.”