By Tom Schardin, Staff Writer

Tony Mosey proved he can play at the Division I level last winter, but the Prior Lake resident understands he still has more to learn on the ice.

Mosey played in 39 of 40 games for the St. Cloud State University men’s hockey team last season, helping the team reach the NCAA Tournament. He scored five goals and added 11 assists in his freshman campaign.

Last October, Mosey was named Western Collegiate Association Conference (WCHA) Rookie of the Week after scoring two goals and adding two assists in a weekend sweep of Canisius College.

Mosey, a 5-foot-10-inch, 170-pound forward, said his first season in the highly competitive WCHA was what he expected and then some.

“It was fun, but it was very hard,” said Mosey. “I had some ups and some downs. Overall, it was a great learning experience and hopefully the team and I will have a better season next year.”

Mosey said the speed of the game is the toughest adjustment coming from junior hockey. He had 30 goals and 50 assists playing for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League in 2006-2007.

“Picking up the speed was tough,” said the 20-year-old Mosey. “You need to make quicker decisions with the puck and make plays much faster. The guys are bigger, stronger and faster at this level, so it’s a big jump.

Tony Mosey: 5 goals at SCSU last season.“I need to work on shooting the puck more,” continued Mosey. “You don’t get as many shots at this level, so you have to take advantage of your scoring chances.”

In the St. Cloud Times, St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko described Mosey as a player with good hockey sense. “At any moment he has the ability to subtly make a play that not many guys at this level can make,” said Motzko.

Mosey has spent the summer in St. Cloud, working out with his teammates and helping out at local youth hockey camps.

St. Cloud State has a good nucleus returning from last year’s 19-16-5 team (12-12-4 in the WCHA) and Mosey wants to make a bigger contribution in his sophomore season.

“I want us to get back to the NCAA tournament and get to the Frozen Four,” said Mosey.

Mosey didn’t play high school hockey at Prior Lake. Instead, he developed his game at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School in Faribault, which has one of the top youth and high school hockey programs in the country.

In Mosey’s bantam year at Shattuck, his coach was former Minnesota North Star J.P. Paraise. As a junior in the 2004-2005 season, Mosey scored 28 goals and had 35 assists in 53 games, helping Shattuck win the USA 18U national title. (Shattuck doesn’t compete in the Minnesota State High School League).

Mosey’s senior year was spent training and playing in the USA 18U National Team Development Program (NTDP). In 21 games, playing against and with some of the top players in the world at that age level, Mosey tallied six goals and six assists.

Mosey credits the Shattuck program for developing his talent when he first started there as a ninth-grader.

“That place is a hockey factory,” said Mosey. “You are surrounded by so many great people, great players and great coaches. I learned so much about the game when I was there. It definitely prepared me for this level.”

At St. Cloud this fall, Mosey will be expected to make an even bigger contribution on the offensive end of the ice. His game is centered on setting up his teammates for good scoring chances and being able to finish around the net.

“I’ve been pretty good around the net,” said Mosey. “I’ve always been a playmaker. I’m an offensive guy, so my game is passing and creating good scoring chances. That’s how I can help the team.”