Chaz Lucius’ recent return to health and both practicing and playing with the Manitoba Moose consistently has been a bright spot in a season full of adversities.
The Moose has had a tough run up until this point of the 2024-25 season. They are last in the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Central Divison, second last in the Western Conference and the entire league. They are on an eight-game losing skid and are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games. They sit with a win-loss record of 6-16-0-1 on the season at the time of writing.
Needless to say, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the team.
Every team faces adversity, and the Moose has faced it. They’ve also had a lot of positives even during some dark times, and their biggest positive, and bright spot has been Chaz Lucius.
Lucius’ five points (2G, 3A) in nine games showcase his ability to generate a lot of offence with his quick hands and lethal shot. Many call him injury-prone due to amount of injuries he’s suffered in the past three seasons, but he’s still produced once he’s returned to action.
He had a slower start in the 2024-25 season, and it took him a while to transition from the load management system to playing and practicing full-time.
Seeing Lucius return to his scoring ways is certainly encouraging not only for his teammates but for himself. Add to the fact that Lucius scored his first goal of the season in the Moose’s 6-3 loss to Belleville on December 6th. He added an assist that same game and followed that game up with another goal in his first back-to-back set of games on the season.
All of this is a good sign for the 21-year-old forward who’s shown a lot of promise up until now.
“It felt really good, kind of like a weight lifted off of my chest for sure,” Lucius said about scoring his first goal of the season. “I don’t know how long it’s been since I last scored a goal, but I know it’s been a really long time and I’m glad I got it out of the way early,” Lucius added.
Chaz scored his last goal on November 26th, 2023.
Lucius, who has great vision on the ice, is a great candidate for the Winnipeg Jets second-line center vacancy.
Lately, he’s been playing the wing on occasion and excelling in that role as well. However, his vision, anticipation of developing plays, and timing on the ice have been excellent. You can add that he’s been great with his overall shot, controlling his power and precision, and utilizing the overall aspects of his game to make him a threat whenever he is on the ice.
It’s been a long road, and there’s still a lot of hockey to play in the 2024-25 season for the Jets’ prospect. The 6-foot-2 center will continue to make an impact on the Moose roster with his style of play and his versatility.
The 2021 18th overall draft selection by the Winnipeg Jets has played just 38 AHL games across three seasons for the Moose. He’s posted 23 points (6G, 17A) in that time and is currently on pace to score 13 goals and 32 points this season for the Moose.
The Manitoba Moose are back in action when they welcome the Rockford IceHogs to the Canada Life Centre on Friday, December 20th for game one of a weekend set.
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