The 28-year-old Mason Morelli is the oldest skater to make his NHL debut this season, and became the first Golden Knights player to record a multi-point effort in his first game.
Two rookies made historic NHL debuts this month – the New York Rangers’ Matt Rempe and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Mason Morelli. For Rempe’s part, he became the first player to debut in an NHL outdoor game. But Morelli’s debut was one to remember for a different reason.
Look at the fine print in their bios, and you’ll realize Rempe and Morelli are literally a generation apart.
Morelli, 28, was born in 1996, which qualifies him as a millennial. Rempe, 21, was born in 2002, which places him firmly in Generation Z.
NHL players born in 1996 include David Pastrnak, William Nylander, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen. All have at least eight NHL seasons under their belt.
So it’s a fair assessment to say Morelli is a late-bloomer by NHL standards. Of the 81 skaters to make their NHL debut this season, Morelli is the oldest. He’s the oldest skater to make his debut since winger Dave Gust appeared in a Feb. 25 game with the Chicago Blackhawks at age 29 last season. Three-quarters of players to make their debut this season were 23 or younger.
And like Gust, who bagged his first NHL goal in that game, Morelli made the most of his opportunity, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a multi-point game in their debut in the Golden Knights’ 4-0 squashing of the San Jose Sharks.
The little-known native of Minot, N.D., has taken a journey to the NHL that’s been a 13-year voyage from junior to the sport’s biggest stage.
With stops in the junior North American League (NAHL), USHL, NCAA, AHL and a short stint in the ECHL, Morelli has undoubtedly taken the scenic route.
After playing for his hometown Minot Minotauros in the NAHL, Morelli was selected third overall by the Fargo Force in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft. Christian Dvorak, a veteran of 447 NHL games, was chosen three slots later. Nylander, who never suited up in the USHL, was selected 85th overall.
After accumulating 38 points in 113 games with Fargo, Morelli turned to U.S. college hockey.
Coming from a lineage of collegiate athletes, the Morelli family has strong ties to the University of North Dakota. Morelli’s grandfather Reg played for the Fighting Sioux (now Fighting Hawks) men’s hockey team, as did his father Matt.
But Morelli committed to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he eventually captained the team and led them in scoring in 2018-19. He parlayed that into a tryout agreement with the AHL’s Stockton Heat, where he earned his first professional contract in 2019.
Six seasons of AHL and ECHL play later, Morelli received his NHL call-up on Feb. 17 from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights, where he has 23 points in 44 contests this season. Vegas has suffered injuries this season to key players including Jack Eichel and William Carrier, which paved the way for Morelli’s debut in San Jose.
Since breaking into the AHL with Stockton in the 2018-19 season, Morelli has never been a top point producer at the professional level. His most proliferate season yielded a modest 12 goals and 33 points in 68 games with the Hershey Bears in 2021-22.
However, like many of the players on the Golden Knights’ roster, Morelli has championship experience. He was instrumental in the Bears’ 2023 Calder Cup championship run, posting a crucial 13 points in 20 games, third-best on the team.
The showing earned Morelli a two-way, two-year deal with Vegas worth $775,000 annually in October 2023.
Whether Morelli sticks around on hockey’s biggest stage is likely dependent on the Golden Knights’ injury stable.
Regardless, Morelli has been indoctrinated into the 99th percentile of players who can claim to have made it all the way. That can’t be taken away.