The following comes from the Nashville Predators of the NHL.
Nashville Predators Sign Forward Steve Moses
Nashville, Tenn. (April 9, 2015) – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Thursday that the club has signed free-agent forward Steve Moses to a one-year, $1 million contract for the 2015-16 season.
Moses, 25 (8/9/89), set the Kontinental Hockey League goal-scoring record in 2014-15, netting 36 goals in 60 games for Jokerit (Helsinki, Finland) during the club’s inaugural season in the Russia-based league. The 2015 KHL All-Star also tied for seventh in KHL points this season (36g-21a-57pts, 60gp), helping Jokerit to a 40-win campaign. The Leominster, Mass., native spent his first two professional seasons with Jokerit, then in the Finnish Elite League, in 2012-13 and 2013-14, amassing 61 points (34g-27a) in 97 games. In 2012-13, Moses led the league in game-winning goals (7), and paced all rookies in goals (22).
The 5-9, 172-pound winger played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire from 2008-12, recording 98 points (47g-51a) in 148 collegiate games, including 22 goals in 37 games as a senior in 2011-12, which ranked him among the Top 15 in the NCAA. Moses played his junior hockey with the Boston Junior Bruins of the EJHL from 2005-08.
“It’s always been my goal to play in the NHL,” Moses said Thursday morning at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. “This is the first step, so I’m obviously really excited.”
“I wanted to come to a place that has a chance to win,” Moses said. “[Nashville is] a great organization and a great team. There probably won’t be a whole lot of pieces [changing in the summer], so if they feel they can add one piece and help the team, that’s pretty exciting for me.
“I wanted to go to a place where I could play right away and contribute, and I think, hopefully, that’s kind of what their plan is. We’ll see what happens next season, but like I said, it was important to me to go to a place that I think has a chance to be a winning team. This team is already that way, and if they feel that I can come in and help and make the team better, then it’s really exciting for me and something that I definitely will embrace.”
“I like to shoot the puck; I like to create offense, and I’ve been a goal scorer for the majority of my career,” Moses said. “That’s what I like to do, but I’m definitely not going to shy away from anything as a smaller guy. The way Nashville plays, pushing the pace and forechecking and trying to create offense, I think that’s a big part of why I chose to come here and that’s the game I like to play.”
