He didn't know exactly when it would come, but Thursday was a day that Jaiden Moriello had been looking forward to for quite some time.
In the midst of an explosive senior season at Kimball Union Academy, the 18-year-old from Saugus, Mass., took to social media to pledge his Division 1 commitment to UMass Lowell.
“I’ve wanted to play in Hockey East since I was a little kid watching the Beanpot and all of those games on NESN, so I’m really excited to be a River Hawk and play for Coach (Norm) Bazin," Moriello, a senior captain, told New England Hockey Journal Monday.
An '03 power forward, Moriello is currently in his third season playing under Tim Whitehead at the Lakes Region prep school in Meriden, N.H.
For Whitehead, who spent nine seasons behind the Lowell bench from 1992-2001 -- three of them with Bazin on the staff -- it's a thrill to see his current and former worlds collide.
“I'm so happy for them,” the ninth-year Kimball Union coach said. “Norm is a fabulous coach and to see him land Jaiden, I’m so happy for him because he's going to be playing for the guy who I think is the best coach in college hockey, and there’s a lot of evidence to back that up.
"Lowell really picked up a diamond in the rough."
I am proud and honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 college hockey at UMass-Lowell. Thank you to all of my family, friends, teammates and coaches for making this dream come true. #goriverhawks pic.twitter.com/U9fGyruVgJ
— Jaiden Moriello (@jaidenmoriello) January 13, 2022
For Moriello, the commitment marks the exclamation point on the latest chapter of his hockey journey, which predates his arrival at the Granite State prep school in 2019.
After playing his eighth and ninth-grade seasons at St. Mary’s High in Lynn, the ’03 winger played for the Junior Bruins in 2018-19. He planned to stay with the program for another season until he received a last-minute phone call from Whitehead asking if he’d like to join the team.
“It was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up and I’m so happy that we made that decision,” Moriello said. “It’s definitely one of the best decisions that I’ve made so far.”
Year one didn’t go as planned, however, as a broken leg caused him to miss all but four games of the 2019-20 campaign. Then, after months of rehab to get back on the ice, year two took a hit as a result of COVID-19.
While the pandemic ruined any semblance of a truly ‘normal’ season, things could have been worse. For Moriello, it provided valuable time to return to full health and focus all of his efforts on preparing for his senior campaign.
“Last year (without a real season) was horrible but our coaches did a great job of developing us. We were practicing, in the gym, doing video and playing games; they made it fun to come to the rink every day,” he said. "Having that distraction from the leg really gave me confidence. Playing against my teammates and just having fun got me back to my game and where I wanted to be.”
After a productive fall with the GBL Bruins 18-U, Moriello (who co-captains the Wildcats alongside Vermont commit Duncan Ramsay) started scoring and hasn't let up. Through 16 games, he leads the entire NEPSAC in goals (20) and sits third on KUA in points (27).
“Jaiden, man, he's such a fierce competitor,” Whitehead said of the newly-committed (6-2/190) winger, who is now the fifth D-1 commit on the team's roster.
“He just loves to play the game and compete, and he can score. ... Like most great scores, he scores in a lot of different ways. He can get his head up and put it in a corner and there aren't a lot of guys who can do it at full speed like he can.”
With a few other area schools showing interest in college plans, Moriello leaned on his coaches' advice.
“He thought my style of play really fits with Lowell, and he said great things about Coach Bazin," Moriello said of Whitehead's input on the process.
“His opinion meant a lot to me and my parents and when he said that, we really looked into it. We went there, loved the campus, loved the people, loved the way they were running things, and we just thought it was a great fit. I'm really excited."
Following his senior year, Moriello is expected to play a season of junior hockey before matriculating to Lowell for 2023-24.
In the meantime -- with KUA sitting it 13-1-1 in the No. 2 spot of the NEHJ Prep Hockey Power Rankings -- he and the Wildcats are primed for a New England championship run come March.
“We have a really good group here — a special team for sure,” Moriello said.
"We’re really talented and we have a lot of great kids; I’m just really excited to see what we can do.”
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