"That's always been a dream, playing in the NHL, and it took me a long way," Morozov said.
"Lots of hard work, lots of adventures and challenges, which I'm supposed to overcome.
Now I'm here, I'm glad I'm here, I'm really thankful that I have such an opportunity."
Morozov also attributed his development to the perseverance demanded by his early transition to North American hockey leagues.
"All the struggles and adventures and challenges [in life], they taught me that consistency just works, you should never give up and keep going," he said.
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Miami University head coach Anthony Noreen praised the young center's personal maturity and physical capability to handle a demanding top-six role.
"We felt like his game was mature enough, but we really knew that, just who he is as a person, we felt he would thrive in our environment," Noreen said.
"I think he's played such a mature 200-foot game that even when he's not scoring ...
he's the guy that you love his game, you want him on the ice as much as possible," Noreen added.
Noreen further emphasized that Morozov represents a rare combination of physical size, skating ability, and high hockey intelligence.
"You don't get many guys that are 6-foot-2[¾], [205] pounds, and can skate and have a brain, and have all those things," he said.
"He's a rare package."
Before the Sabres selected him, other teams picking in the first round had also closely evaluated the center.
Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Danny Brière noted his organization's consistent focus on acquiring talent at the position.
"You can never have enough centers," Brière said.
Prospect analysts tracked Morozov's production fluctuation through the season, noting that his offense slowed down during the rigorous National Collegiate Hockey Conference schedule.
"Morozov is intriguing in that he went to college early and was one of the youngest players," said Chris Peters, FloHockey draft analyst.
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"He didn't look out of place and has the size and skill combination that suggests he could be a middle-six center with some scoring ability."
