Prior to turning professional, Moran attended the Niagara University where he played four seasons with the Niagara Purple Eagles men"s ice hockey team which competed in National Collegiate Athletic Association"s Division I in the College Hockey America (CHA) conference.
In his final year (2009-2010) Moran was named to the CHA First All-Star Team. Moran played three years of junior hockey before enrolling at Niagara, the first two with the Buffalo Lightning of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League and the third year with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. In recognition of this first-time honor, Moran"s jersey was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto where it was displayed in a "season in review" collection.
