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Oliver Moore
Oliver Moore2023 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: C, Shoots: L
H/W: 5’11”, 176lbs
Date of Birth: 2005-01-22
Early on in the scouting season, the prevailing thought was that Will Smith was the top NHL draft prospect on the U.S. NTDP team…and that very well may still be the case. However, Moore’s stock has skyrocketed over the course of the year to the point where ranking him ahead of Smith would not be seen as nonsensical. The reason for this has to do with Moore’s combination of speed, tenacity, and playmaking ability giving him both a high floor and a high ceiling as an NHL player. Simply put, Moore is beginning to look like a safer bet to be a quality pro compared to Smith.
The NTDP’s first line, composed of Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault, has been unstoppable this year. Oliver Moore has anchored the second unit with a rotating set of wingers. This has led to wild fluctuations in production, even though Moore’s play has been consistently strong. To close out the year, USA Hockey promoted the terrific duo of Cole Eiserman and James Hagens from the U17 team and they have been playing with Moore, elevating the quality of that second line as we draw closer to the IIHF U18’s.
Moore’s effectiveness as a play driver is linked completely to his skating ability. Widely considered to be the best skater available in the 2023 NHL Draft, he is a truly dynamic mover. Moore routinely beats defenders one on one with his speed and ability to carry the puck. Additionally, his offensive skill set is very well rounded; he is equal parts playmaker and scorer as a pivot. Away from the puck, Moore is relentless in pursuit of the puck, a quality that makes him an already effective two-way player. All of this helps to explain why Moore is considered to have such a sturdy floor as an NHL player in the future. It is easy to see his game translating well to the pro level.
The question scouts are asking themselves is, what is Moore’s upside? Moore compares himself to Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and that’s actually quite apt. If everything hits and his development goes according to plan (he’s headed to the University of Minnesota in the Fall), he does project as a Larkin type of top six center who can excel in all situations. But, just how likely is that? There are times where Moore struggles to identify passing options when the puck is on his stick and he becomes overconfident in his skating ability. This can lead to turnovers. If Moore’s vision as a playmaker does not evolve and his game is forced to simplify at the next level, it could lead to him becoming more of a middle six, high energy guy (ala Andrew Cogliano), rather than a go-to franchise leading center like Larkin. That said, Larkin and Moore do have similar career arcs at the same age, with Larkin playing second fiddle to Jack Eichel during his time at the NTDP before starring at the NCAA level with Michigan. Maybe Moore will do the same at Minnesota next year.
Skating
You would be hard pressed to find a better skater available this year than Oliver Moore. He builds up to a top speed so quickly with his powerful and efficient strides. It usually only takes Moore a couple pushes before he is up to top speed, which makes him so difficult to contain. On the counter attack, he routinely makes defenders look foolish because of his explosiveness, pushing past them wide. What makes Moore even more difficult to contain is the fact that he builds linear crossovers into his attacks and can alter direction without sacrificing speed. Many USHL defenders, international defenders, and even NCAA defenders have been left in the dust this year as he catches them flat footed. Additionally, Moore will alter his pace and can stop on a dime, opening up space for himself as he pushes into the offensive zone. Not only do you have to account for his speed, but you have to worry about defending all four planes of movement when Moore is attacking. While many probably notice Moore most for his ability to lead the offensive charge across the blueline, he uses his speed without the puck to be both an efficient forechecker and backchecker.
This is the perfect rush attempt to show Moore’s dynamic skating ability. He builds speed quickly using linear crossovers, gains the zone, then freezes the defender with a quick directional change without breaking stride leading to a scoring chance.
Moore out here breaking ankles. His quick push and directional change completely embarasses the Green Bay penalty killer. Then Moore makes a nice play to fake the shot and attempt a pass into the slot, but the play collapses.
Another play that sees Moore make an opposing backchecker look silly. He pushes into the offensive zone and then throws on the breaks, causing the Wisconsin defender to crash into the boards as he tries to stay with Moore. It would have been more impressive had Moore maintained possession cleanly out of that spin, but it was still impressive, nonetheless.
A great example of how Moore can use his speed at both ends. First he closes quickly on the backcheck, forcing the turnover. Then he gets on the counter attack and gains the offensive zone easily, nearly scoring on the backhand as he drives the net.
Another play, another example of Moore’s tremendous speed and quickness. He turns a routine two on two on the counter attack into a two on one and puts the puck into the back of the net with a quick snap shot.
Grade: 65
Shot
Moore has a wide variety of tricks in his bag when it comes to putting the puck in the net. That is why it is easy to see his goal scoring ability carrying over to the next level. His primary weapon is a snap shot that has a lightning quick release. He can beat goaltenders clean from distance with it and he uses it when working the point on the powerplay and when navigating traffic in the slot. He elevates the puck quickly and has popped a few water bottles this season with this quick snapper. However, Moore also has a powerful wrist shot and can one time pucks cleanly from the half wall, even if he employs them a little less often. In fact, Moore’s second best scoring weapon might just be his backhander. From my perspective, in watching a lot of 2023 draft eligible players, Moore might have the best backhand of any player eligible this year outside of Bedard. He is very confident finishing plays off on his backhand, especially on net drives where he is using his speed to push past defenders and cutting to the middle. Even with defenders leaning on him, he can elevate pucks quickly on the backhand and this actually gives him a ton of options as it pertains to finishing plays off as he gets tight to the net. Lastly, Moore is a competitive young man who loves to get himself in position near the crease and with his good hands, that means he gets his share of redirects/tips too.
Moore goes bardown in the BioSteel All American game with a quick wrister from the slot. He quickly squares himself to the net and the puck is off his stick in a flash. The majority of Moore’s goals look similar to this.
Here’s the longer, loaded up wrist shot that Moore will use when he has more time, such as on the powerplay. Again, significant velocity and pinpoint accuracy.
Backhand finish #1.
Backhand finish #2. It’s so important for elite speedsters like Moore to have a great backhand because it means that they can push tighter on their backhand without having to worry about handling in tight to get back to their forehand.
Grade: 55
Skills
For players who skate like Moore does, it can often take time for the hands to catch up to the feet. For Moore, he absolutely has flashes of being able to make moves to beat defenders one on one without altering his pace. However, he does have a tendency to overskate pucks and can lose control as he tries to push through defensive coverage at full speed. To an extent, he can skate himself into trouble too often. Moore’s hands and quick thinking are better on display when the game slows down. He is great at keeping plays alive along the wall and is tough to pin down. He routinely explodes off the wall, cutting to the middle, and that’s where you see his creativity become most observable. He can escape pressure and is tough to box in, using quick moves or quick cuts to bide time for him to make a pass or get a quick snap shot off. Moore is also a precise passer who can thread the needle through traffic to help set up scoring chances for his NTDP teammates. This is especially evident on the powerplay, where he often rotates to the point and becomes a primary quarterback. As mentioned, Moore also shows off his skill in tight to the crease with his finishing ability and penchant for tipping pucks.
This play could have been used in the smarts section or the skills section. It’s a really impressive play by Moore and it shows his creativity when navigating traffic. He comes off the wall and loads up for the shot, drawing attention, before pulling the puck back to his backhand. Then he slides the puck over to Danny Nelson for the goal.
Here’s a somewhat successful skilled play by Moore, attacking at full speed. He avoids one check, then quickly alters direction and chips the puck into open space, knowing that he can track it down. However, he is kept to the perimeter by the Muskegon defender (Dallas draft pick George Fegaras) and eventually loses the puck.
A failed attempt by Moore to enter the zone with speed as he tries to underhandle, but loses control in the face of an aggressive Green Bay defender. Would have liked to have seen Moore chip and chase here, a strategy that he could definitely utilize more to take advantage of his speed and tenacity.
Grade: 55
Smarts
This is the area of Moore’s game that is likely to divide scouts the most. On one hand, Moore shows great off puck awareness and attention to detail in his game. He is already a good two-way player with the potential to be an excellent two-way player as he gains strength. Not only does he have a great motor that helps him force turnovers and earn scoring chances, but he always seems to be in the right place, at the right time without the puck. He has a great understanding of how to use his skating gifts to impact the game when the puck is not on his stick. With the puck, his decision making is a little more inconsistent. I love how deceptive he can be, using the threat of his great shot and the threat of his speed, to draw in attention before dishing off. He builds this into his approach on the powerplay quite regularly and it really helps to open up space in the middle of the ice for his teammates. However, when he is attacking with speed, he definitely seems to be over confident at times and this leads to turnovers. He can skate himself into trouble and routinely tries to take on multiple defenders, rather than alter his pace and take the puck wide. Turnovers at the offensive blueline are particularly troublesome, as it can lead to counter attacks the other way for the opposition and there seems to be a hesitancy to play the chip and chase game. Defenders at the pro level will step up on him earlier, closing those gaps, and he will need to adjust. The question is…can he? The NTDP has had a difficult time finding linemates for Moore this year with the breakneck pace that he likes to play at; that’s certainly been part of the issue in regards to his head down, net drives. Now that Eiserman and Hagens have been promoted to the U18 and are flanking Moore, it will be interesting to see how that line performs at the IIHF U18’s against top end competition, and if Moore can develop chemistry and trust with his new, more talented linemates.
This time Moore enters the offensive zone, shot out of a cannon, as he goes end to end. However, as he tries to drive the net, he tries to push through three Wisconsin defenders and is easily neutralized. I love how he is middle of the ice focused, but he often displays overconfidence in his ability to beat multiple defenders and this can make him turnover prone.
This is a much better use of Moore’s speed. He explodes up ice and gains the zone, but recognizes Ryan Leonard is trailing the play and drops it back to him, resulting in a goal.
Moore actually does the right thing here and alters his pace after successfully gaining the offensive zone. But he rushes his pass under defensive pressure and just throws it to the middle, right on to a Chicago player’s stick. Reversing that puck back in deep would have allowed the NTDP to retain possession in all likelihood.
This play is from the same game against the Chicago Steel. Moore is put in a bit of a compromising position by his defender off the draw. Surprised by the pass, he then tries to make a move to gain the zone, rather than just chip the puck in deep and fight to regain it on the forecheck.
I think this play really exemplifies the need for Moore and his new linemates to develop chemistry. Moore makes a great read in the defensive zone and starts the breakout. But Cole Eiserman takes the same lane and ends up offering no support or spacing to Moore, which leads to a turnover. In a lot of ways, Eiserman is used to being that primary play driver and playing with Moore is going to make him a better player in the long run as he learns to play without the puck in transition.
Great defensive support from Moore in the defensive zone, then an expertly executed breakout as Moore chips the puck by the Green Bay forward to create a three on two. Eiserman drives wide this time and gets himself a great scoring chance on a nice pass from Moore. As mentioned, it will be really interesting to see how Moore’s play and production improves as he develops chemistry with Eiserman and Hagens.
Grade: 55
Physicality/Compete
Moore is not an overtly physical player. However, he is a physically intense competitor. Essentially, don’t expect him to be out there throwing his weight around, but he battles hard in all three zones and will work hard to force turnovers and earn his touches through traffic. He is a terrific forechecker and backchecker, understanding how to use his speed to apply pressure. He is not always effective in maintaining possession through contact. He does not win every 50/50 battle. He can lose jousts near the crease in the defensive end, causing his man to earn a quality scoring chance. However, none of those things are from a lack of effort. As he gains strength, expect those things to become less common, as the motor is constantly running. That said, in order to be a high end defensive center at the NHL level, Moore will need to increase his physical intensity level slightly.
This type of play is commonplace. Moore disrupts an exit attempt by a defender by surprising him with his closing speed, then he executes the stick lift and manages to win the puck battle to get the puck back to a teammate outside the zone. Moore’s speed makes him such a disruptive force.
Another tremendous hustle play by Moore. However, it also shows his high end anticipation without the puck. He knows the most likely play by the Wisconsin defender is to spin off, hoping Moore skates by him. However, he stops on a dime and forces the turnover, leading to a near excellent scoring chance.
This is the kind of play I’d love to see more of from Moore. He chips and chases and lays the body on the Wisconsin defender to help him gain possession. However, he’s forced off the puck by the second Wisconsin defender, as he doesn’t yet have the strength to fend off that challenge and protect the puck down low.
I believe that this play from the four nations against Czechia truly showcases Moores’ competitiveness. Even in a 7-1 game, Moore hustles on the backcheck to force the Czech forward off the puck, leading to a team USA counter attack.
Grade: 55
OFP: 57
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.