Tori Hartman Mason Morelli (11) of the Hershey Bears signed a two-way contract with the Las Vegas Golden Knights organization earlier this summer after winning the Calder Cup.

The end of June and early July featured a busy couple of weeks for Mason Morelli. The 27-year-old forward and Minot native won the Calder Cup with the Hershey Bears on June 22, helping Hershey hoist the cup for the 12th time in team history.

“It’s pretty tough to put into words. It was pretty special and we had a lot of fun. The biggest part for me was the group we had in Hershey. So many good teammates, coaches and the staff there. It was awesome,” Morelli said.

He added, “Getting to win the cup and sharing that moment and memory together is something I’ll never forget. It was cool too because my family was able to be there. It was very special and hard to put into words.”

It was a much-deserved moment for Morelli, who was a long-tenured player in Hershey. In three seasons with the Bears, Morelli appeared in a total of 155 regular season games and 23 playoff games.

Nine days after Morelli won the Calder Cup with Hershey, his time with the team came to an end after he determined where the next chapter of his hockey journey would take place. “After the season I was waiting to hear what might happen and it kind of came a little sooner than later which was nice.”

What happened was Morelli inked a two-year, two-way contract with the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. With it being a two-way contract, it means Morelli can be called up to the NHL team at any time or sent down to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.

“I think it was a good fit just because I can hopefully bring a good element to their game. I hope I can go there, make a good first impression and have a good experience with them. I’m really excited. I owe a lot to Hershey and that organization, so a lot of credit goes to them,” Morelli said.

The deal with Vegas marks Morelli’s first-ever NHL contract which is a big milestone in his hockey career. Between winning the Calder Cup and then signing an NHL deal less than two weeks later, this was one of the more memorable pair of accomplishments during his career.

“I feel like everyone’s career is a string of a lot of little accomplishments. I think I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of little accomplishments and with winning the Calder Cup it was a pretty fun thing and is something I won’t ever forget.”

Morelli added, “I’m just really excited and thankful that I’m getting an opportunity to hopefully make a good first impression with Vegas and have a contract with them. I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people. It’s been fun and hopefully it can be the start of a good new chapter in my life.”

Shortly after signing his deal with the Golden Knights organization, Morelli spent time in the Magic City with his family and the community that has supported him along the way.

He even made his way back to the Maysa Arena while the Minotauros were hosting main camp to watch his brother, Mackley Morelli, skate and to offer advice to those hoping to be in his shoes one day.

“I think what goes around comes around and if you put your time in and you work hard and you are good to other people, then I think you are already ahead of the next guy. That’s my biggest thing, just work hard and be a good person,” Morelli said on what it takes to make it to where he has on the ice.

Earlier this week, the community continued to show their support for Mason Morelli and his family, as the Vardon Golf Club hosted the third annual Reggie Morelli Memorial Golf Tournament. The tournament was sold out and serves to honor the legacy and life of Reggie Morelli.

Reggie Morelli scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the 1959 national championship game for the University of North Dakota. The goal by Reggie Morelli helped UND secure their first national title in program history and paved the way for the future success of the premier college hockey program.

Brad Berry, current head hockey coach at UND, and Todd Schaefer, current head men’s golf coach at UND, were among those from the UND and Grand Forks community who came out to show support at the tournament.

Being a big hockey family, Reggie Morelli laid the foundation with his career at UND. Matt Morelli followed in his dad’s footsteps by playing at UND from 1987-1990.

Mason Morelli was the third generation to play college hockey by attending the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and Mackley Morelli is currently playing at Minot High with the hopes of being the next in line to play in college.

With his work ethic and skill and the support he has received, Mason Morelli has carved out an impressive hockey career. He will look to continue his trajectory forward when he begins a new chapter with the Golden Knights organization during training camp in September.