Mason Morelli, 28, woke up on Monday morning with 0 games and 0 points at the NHL level.
By the time the sun was setting that same day, he had his first game under his belt — and two points to his name, including a goal and an assist.
And his family was there to witness it all.
The Vegas Golden Knights signed Morelli to a two-year, two-way contract on July 1, 2023. He’s in the midst of his first season with the squad, but has spent the entire year with the Henderson Silver Knights.
Until Monday.
A lap that Mason Morelli will remember forever. ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZNDLCTEGHu
— NHL (@NHL) February 19, 2024
The Knights called him up on Saturday (Feb. 17) and plugged him into the lineup two days later.
And he made the most of it.
With 54 seconds left in the first period, Vegas was on a power play when Morelli won a face-off in the San Jose Sharks’ end. He gave the Knights an early 3-0 lead just six seconds later.
IT’S A GREAT DAY TO BE MASON MORELLI!!!!
btw he’s officially the ???? emoji because he rocks!!!! pic.twitter.com/41493W1ufe
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 19, 2024
Jonathan Marchessault, Brett Howden, Alec Martinez, and Alex Pietrangelo were on the ice to congratulate him — the latter two were credited with the assist.
But Morelli wasn’t done.
With 1:16 remaining in the second period, Keegan Kolesar scored the Knights’ fourth and final goal of the game off a beautiful deflection in front of the net. Martinez earned the primary assist, while Morelli got the secondary assist.
Alec Martinez’s third assist of the day was a BEAUTY ???? pic.twitter.com/Pmhn70oM8Q
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 19, 2024
He finished the game with just over 12 minutes of ice time (second least among VGK forwards), but his two points were second-best on the team.
Mason Morelli Writes His Name in the History Books
It was a memorable night for the Morelli family — but a historic one, too.
With his goal and assist, Morelli became the first VGK player to score two points in his NHL debut.
He also became the 124th player to score their first career goal against the Sharks, and the third VGK player to do so — joining Cody Glass (Oct. 2, 2019) and Brayden Pachal (Oct. 12, 2024).
Tracing back to his roots, he’s now the first hockey player from Minot, North Dakota to play in an NHL game, record an NHL point, and score an NHL goal.
Congrats on your first NHL goal in your first NHL game Mason Morelli! We'll never get sick of seeing that cele! #ChargeAhead #TaurosAlum #MinotMade pic.twitter.com/mvYyrUwPpP
— Minot Minotauros (@MinotauroHockey) February 19, 2024
According to head coach Bruce Cassidy, he was only missing one thing:
“I told him he should have fought somebody,” he said. “That would have been a story, a Gordie Howe hat trick in your first NHL game. But that’s easier said than done in today’s game. I thought he played really well.”
After the game, Morelli gave all the credit to his teammates.
???? Morelli: It was a special moment with my family here. It was pretty cool. pic.twitter.com/eWYgphvY8B
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) February 20, 2024
“It’s a pretty special moment,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to put into words — it’s a really good group of guys that were very welcoming and they made it easy on me and they made some really good plays.”
What’s Next for Mason Morelli?
Morelli might be a rookie, but he packs a lot of experience — and still has a lot to give.
The former captain at the University of Nebraska-Omaha won the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears last season. He had 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 20 playoff games — capping off a 41-point effort (12 goals, 29 assists) during the regular season.
MORELLI FROM MINOT????????
Congrats to the Magic City’s Mason Morelli! The former Minot High and Minotauros skater tallied an assist in last night’s game seven 3-2 OT win to clinch the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears????
Mo counted four assists in the series vs Coachella Valley pic.twitter.com/NLWhrDlY7z
— Zach Keenan (@ZachKeenanTV) June 22, 2023
He has been just as productive since signing his first NHL contract with Vegas last summer. The 28-year-old rookie has 10 goals, 13 assists, and 23 points in 44 games with Henderson.
And now it looks like he earned himself another opportunity with the Golden Knights.
Morelli is set to appear in his second consecutive game on Tuesday night, but this one is a little different.
His first home game inside ‘The Fortress.’
The Knights host the Nashville Predators at 7 pm on Feb. 20. inside T-Mobile Arena. It’s the second half of a back-to-back, but they had time to rest due to the early game yesterday.
Morelli will be ready for more.
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