Caleb Moretz’s hot start to the hockey season has helped him land an NCAA Division I scholarship.
The Flin Flon Bombers forward signed on the dotted line with the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers, with the school announcing the signing on Oct. 4.
Moretz has jumped out of the gate as one of the SJHL’s most effective forwards this season.
Through his first 12 games, the Fairbanks, Alaska native has scored 21 points, including 11 goals. As of Oct. 15, that put Moretz at second overall in league points, only trailing teammate (and occasional linemate) Brandson Hein. Moretz was also named SJHL Player of the Week on Oct. 1.
Moretz was also the top SJHL scorer still eligible to play in the NCAA – Hein has played in the WHL and is ineligible for American college hockey.
In a post on the SJHL website, Moretz said the scholarship offer and signing happened quickly – he had only heard from the Tigers during the SJHL Showcase in Warman last month.
“The first time I talked to them was in Warman,” he said.
The Tigers program has used Saskatchewan-based junior players in the past, including Brady and Chase Norrish from the Yorkton Terriers. The twin players each served terms as the Tigers’ captain. One of the Tigers’ current players, Regan Seiferling, also played for Yorkton.
Moretz has headed to Rochester for a campus visit and will return to Flin Flon in time for the Bombers’ home date against Estevan.
Moretz is the second current Bomber to accept an NCAA scholarship – forward Chrystopher Collin signed an offer with Bowling Green State University last spring, but a recent training camp stint with a major junior team in New Brunswick has raised doubts over his NCAA eligibility.
Trades
Some new faces have joined the Bombers’ forward core.
Leyson Coleman was acquired by the team from the AJHL’s Lloydminster Bobcats, joining the Bombers in time to suit up Oct. 5 against Kindersley.
Coleman brings some size and toughness to the Bomber lineup – in 43 games with Lloydminster last season, Coleman only scored one goal and finished with five points, but the 19-year-old from Lac La Biche ended with 126 penalty minutes. At 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, Coleman ranks as one of the largest players on the Bomber roster.
Meanwhile, the Bomber crease will be less crowded after the club traded goalie Hunter Young on Oct. 10.
Young was dealt to the MJHL’s Selkirk Steelers in exchange for a player development fee. He lost both his starts this season, losing to Nipawin and Yorkton in September. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Okotoks, Alta. native will join an interesting goalie situation in Selkirk – the team already has three goalies on the roster, including former OCN Blizzard netminder Logan Thiessen, whom the Steelers traded for earlier this month.
The Bombers acquired forward Caleb Franklin from a BCHL club Oct. 20 for future considerations. The Bombers also moved forward Tristan Weigel to the OCN Blizzard in September. An 18-year-old forward from Warman, Weigel made the Bombers out of camp, but played only one game, finishing without a point.
