May not be a make or break off season but this certainly feels like one where in 3 years if the hawks are really good you look back and say wow I can’t believe Davison was able to trade for x and drafted y and z. Going to be a really interesting month
from the Athletic on 19th spot The Blackhawks are well-positioned to take a cut here, including on a winger. They’ve added Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Ryan Greene to the pool down the middle. They added defencemen Kevin Korchinski and Sam Rinzel to a pool that already included Ethan Del Mastro, Wyatt Kaiser, Alex Vlasic, Nolan Allan and others last year. I expect if all of the above names are gone, this decision will come down to Yager, the 6-foot-5 Daniil But and Oshawa Generals centre Calum Ritchie (who has also successfully played the wing internationally. Ritchie is fresh off of shoulder surgery, though, and while they can afford to play the waiting game with But and his KHL contract given their timeline, I think Yager wins out on position if he’s available here. Note: It feels like the above names are the perceived true cream of the crop. That 19 may not be the top 19, but they aren’t going to linger much past it. And once they’re gone, the draft should really open up into a much larger second tier. At forward, Calum Ritchie, Quentin Musty, Eduard Sale, Otto Stenberg, Andrew Cristall, Bradly Nadeau, Charlie Stramel, Ethan Gauthier, Oscar Fisker Molgaard, David Edstrom, Gavin Brindley, Riley Heidt, Carson Rehkopf, Danny Nelson and Kasper Halttunen are all names I’ve heard in different conversations about the first-round (more or less in that order). On defence, attention will turn to Oliver Bonk, Mikhail Gulyayev, Tanner Molendyk, and Etienne Morin for most teams, as well as Lukas Dragicevic for a minority.
Boston got Davidson to the Cap floor, and no contract will be on the books once the ELC start coming due. Still can take on bad Ks if a team pays up but now under no leverage to do so.
Still hope Davidson has something up his sleeve that isn’t just drafting a shit load of players tomorrow
so likely one of Ritchie + Perreault + Moore + Stenberg edit: this is who Powers has as his list the USA Development kids just take 3-4 years b/c they usually go play NCAA (when they should go to CHL) then need another year because of NCAA in AHL
Spoiler BASEL, Switzerland — “He’s so fast he makes fast people look … not fast.” That’s Unger, the prison snitch, reporting back to Captain Knauer of the speed of Earl Maggett in the Adam Sandler-led remake of “The Longest Yard.” But it could just as well have been a quote about Oliver Moore, a potential top-10 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft — and certainly its fastest. Dan Muse, the head coach at USA Hockey’s national development program, puts it this way: “Even if I don’t know the rest of the pool that’s out there, I’d be surprised if you were able to find anybody that’s faster.” Brian Galivan, the longtime strength and conditioning coach for the program, goes a step further. “I would put him up there in the same speed category as Connor McDavid and I would think he’s probably faster than Connor McDavid was at the same age. I’m not comparing him as a player but from an athleticism and speed standpoint, I’ve never trained (McDavid) but there’s no way he’s as fast as Oliver,” Galivan said on a recent phone call. “Dylan Larkin was here just before me but if I had to bet I’d put my money on Oliver all day. And that’s said professionally. Like I’m sorry man, there’s probably very few guys in hockey who could beat him in a race.” Galivan thinks Moore could have been an Earl Maggett-equivalent on a football field, too. “Oliver is probably one of the few guys who could play professionally in another sport,” Galivan said. “I think a lot of what Oliver has was God-given. We’re not going to take any credit for it. He’s a special athlete and I’d be hard-pressed if there was anyone in the draft class who is as good of an athlete as him. There’s just no way.” That’s Moore. He’s the skater who makes other skaters, even fast ones, look slow. He’s also more than that — more than just the speed — and now the No. 8-ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s final list for the 2023 draft, too. And it was all on display on Thursday, when he began the final chapter in his draft year at U18 worlds with a two-point game in USA’s tournament-opening win over Latvia. When Muse and Galivan talk about Moore’s skating, they don’t just talk about him as uppercase Fast. They might start with that, but they always finish with something else: He’s also the driver of this year’s national under-18 team. “I mean, his speed is crazy; it’s at a crazy level the acceleration that he has, the ability in transition, and when we talk about competitors, his compete level is extremely high. I think when you combine that with that speed, it makes for a very exciting player and a guy who can really drive play and drive momentum on both sides of the puck,” Muse said. Though the team’s first line (made up of potential top-five pick Will Smith and potential top-10 picks Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault) has received most of the attention, it’s Moore, the team’s second-line centre, who stirs the drink. For most of the season, that was with Danny Nelson and Will Vote, a likely second-rounder and a potential late-rounder in 2023. For a spell more recently, that was with the under-17 team’s two kid stars Cole Eiserman (one of the top prospects for the 2024 draft) and James Hagens (one of the top prospects for the 2025 draft). Now in Switzerland, it’s with Ryan Fine (a potential late-round pick in 2023) and newcomer Carey Terrance (a likely mid-round pick in 2023) of the Erie Otters. Throughout the season, whenever Muse has been asked about his first line, he has usually found a way to also talk about Moore, almost as if he’s his fourth first-line player. “What we hoped from Day 1 was that they were going to push each other and I think they have. We try to put those two lines on different teams in practice every day so that they’re going up against each other,” Muse said. “And Oliver Moore is a team guy. I don’t think he bats an eye at (being on the second line). He just goes out there and plays and finds a way to make an impact. And if you look at the minutes that he plays, I’ll tell you right now that it’s not any different than the guys on that top line. It’s very, very much the same.” Smith, a strong skater in his own right, has relished those head-to-heads opposite Moore in practice, even if the opposing centreman is tough to contain. Smith also saw it in game action at the BioSteel All-American Game when they played on opposing teams and Moore opened the scoring. “It’s definitely hard to guard him. Whenever we’re going one-on-one you’ve got to make sure you know where he is because he can slip away pretty quick. And he’s strong. Very. Very strong,” Smith said of Moore, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 188 pounds. Without Moore, Muse says his team would look and play much differently. In fact, in key moments this season, when the team has needed a big shift, Muse will tell you that his go-to pairing up front has often been Moore with Leonard. “As a coach, I love having the one-two punch where you can pick things up based on the side of the ice the faceoff’s on or whatever it might be. (Moore’s) a guy who plays every situation. He’s a guy who is playing the middle for us but he can play both wings too, penalty kill, five-on-five, four-on-four, three-on-three, power play, you name it. He has become a very versatile player,” Muse said. The same themes permeate into the gym, where Galivan points to Moore as the leader on a team full of them. Earlier this season, it was Moore who went and got a Life Time Fitness membership for himself so that he could take advantage of the facility’s saunas, and use some of the tools that Galivan’s gym, GVN, doesn’t offer. Now all of the players have one. “For me, Oliver drives the team. He drives the team on the ice, off the ice. He just does everything so hard,” Galivan said. “He’s not a loud guy, he’s not rah-rah or any of that. He leads by example and he has been a fantastic influence on not just the ’05 birth year but the ’06 birth year. He’s a captain for a reason. All of the physical attributes, all that stuff’s great, but he’s a hell of a leader, which is tough to do in this group of kids because they’re all the same age so to stand out in that regard is not easy. There’s a lot of really good leaders in this group and I think Oliver’s even probably a step ahead of them in that.” Galivan compares Moore to two players he has worked with: Flyers first-rounder Cutter Gauthier, who he had at the program, and Jets star Mark Scheifele, who he trains in the offseason. Gauthier’s the only player he can remember who was as into the process of becoming a pro hockey player as Moore has been. And Moore shares Scheifele’s all-in approach to training. “All of the stuff that’s not sexy and cool, he enjoys that. And that’s a really special thing because if you’re going to play hockey for a long time, not all of that stuff can be a chore. For him to have that at 18 is pretty damn cool,” Galivan said. “And he has put a ton of intent in terms of how he trains. Whether we’re doing a breathing exercise, a mobility exercise, a speed or strength exercise, everything is done with complete intent.” When Moore is asked about where his speed and athleticism stem from, he doesn’t go to that intent that Galivan talks about. He starts with others. He models his game after Larkin and Nathan MacKinnon, but it’s the state of Minnesota, and the outdoor rinks he would spend days and nights on, and his family that he goes to first. His dad, Brian, played in high school before going on to become a corporate lawyer in St. Paul. Two of his cousins played at Benilde-St. Margaret’s School. His brother, Howie, who is 16 months older than him, played high school hockey as well. He fell in love with hockey because of them, played high school hockey at Totino-Grace in Fridley, Minn. (scoring 70 points in 42 games as a freshman and sophomore) because of them, and is committed to play at the University of Minnesota next year because that’s where he has always wanted to play. The intent, he says, comes from his mom, Shawna, a retired librarian who worked in his school growing up. The speed came naturally, but has been honed by his skating coach Katie McDonough. He was always a fast kid growing up, but only on the track as a sprinter in the 100-metre and the mile. He says his speed on the ice didn’t come until around the seventh grade, a full three years after he’d begun skating with McDonough. He was sent to McDonough because everyone — his parents, the coaches of his Minnesota Blades AAA team — could see that while he was a natural athlete “there was just more in him.” McDonough had to go back almost as far as the basics of learning to skate because he had an “obvious, very evident” jump into his skating stride that was propelling him vertical instead of forward — a habit from jumping out of his starts as a sprinter — and costing him energy and efficiency. In place of skipping and jumping on his skates, McDonough taught him how to get low, which muscles he should be using, and when and why he should be engaging them. From there, he found a different starting place on the ice than the track, developed “an incredibly strong core and legs” so that his upper body wouldn’t fail him when he drove into the ice, and eventually became “pristine” at both the “flow pace and the slow pace.” “I always say that every single hockey player can do any drill that you put in front of them with motion. Not every single hockey player can do any drill from a standstill and build the motion. And that’s what Oliver’s very good at,” McDonough said. “From the drop of a hat, from a dead stop, I can say ‘I want you to find your fast feet and from this point to that point I want you to get there in 10 seconds.’ And then I’ll say in five seconds. And a lot of hockey players are ridiculously inefficient, so getting him to maximize his movements was critical to his speed.” Once the speed came, he credits his offseason skills coach, Brian Keane, for helping him hone when, where and how to use it. Through heavy video work showing him NHL players and also situations he was in during his under-17 season at the program, Keane helped Moore find his “speed dial” — an internal barometer for knowing when to go 10 out of 10 on the dial, eight out of 10, or five out of 10. Keane also worked with him on his scanning and awareness before he touches the puck so that he’s constantly asking himself “Is this a time where we want to get the burners going and really attack, or pull back the dial, wait for support, and understand our numbers and what we can take advantage of?” The ultimate goal was for Keane to help Moore learn to deploy his speed in “functional ways.” “He has really been helping me out just with situational awareness off of the rush to use my speed as a superpower and not just an asset,” Moore said. “I use my skating to my advantage to separate from defenders and just try to create space for my teammates out there. And I like to compete, that’s a big part of my identity and my game now. Those two things are the staples of my game. (But) you don’t want to go 100 percent all of the time because it’s pretty easy for defencemen to read off of you and get a good stick on you, so I just try to read off of the defenceman’s gap.” That work, Muse said, has made all the difference. “The speed is the driving part of his game. It’s one of those things that makes him a unique player. But he’s a guy too that if you go back a year when he got here, he has learned to change speeds, which I think is important for a player that plays that fast,” Muse said. “Because there’s a time to slow the game down, there’s a time when you play as fast as he does that you’re going to push defences back and you want to change that gear. It has been really great to see how his game has evolved overall.” Today, when McDonough and Keane look back on all of that work, they don’t chalk Moore’s speed up to God-given. He has put in the work. “I think he has a real maturity to him. And he’s OK with not having all the answers and trying to work through it. I was really impressed by that commitment to improve and just the dialogues we had throughout the process. He’s a very impressive young man,” Keane said. “It’s probably not talked about enough how important being OK with being unconformable is, and taking a step back before taking a step forward. He’s OK with getting messy and working through it to come out the other side and a lot better player. And he already has all of these different aspects with his speed, the way he can create, and how he can play a 200-foot game.” His skating has been his obsession. McDonough says he’s the first player at the rink, the first one on the ice and the first one stretching, and he’s been like that since his youth hockey days at an age when other kids weren’t even thinking about some of the things he was thinking about. “He likes to learn. He’s very good at when he sees himself do it right and wrong, he can understand what it felt like in those moments and he can see all of the big pieces and all of the small pieces,” McDonough said. “And all we do is pick apart all of these things that he’s good at and find the bad things. So to a lot of people, you’d look at him and say ‘he has nothing to work on’ but talk to Oliver and he’ll tell you all of the things he needs to work on. For Oliver, those are big things, but for most players, they would love to skate at his pace, his speed.” When NHL scouts have called her this season — and many have — that’s what she has told them. “He’s a coach’s dream. You’ve never met a player that wants to work as hard. He’s a natural leader in just by him holding himself to a higher expectation and standard so that naturally everyone around him works a little bit harder,” McDonough said. “He’s a beast. There’s not one thing that I can ask of him that he won’t do, and he won’t leave the ice until he can do it and/or he’ll ask for the video and he goes on his own time and picks apart things in those videos. He’s always doing one extra on top of the five extra the coach gave. He’s going the extra mile every time.”
2024 = 3 second rounders 2025 = 2 second rounders 2026 = 2 second rounders plus top-10 protected firsts in 2025 (tampa) and 2026 (leafs) lotta trade assets
People seem to really like what the hawks have been doing in the draft. Don’t know what that actually means but it’s better than everyone shitting on them
really would like to see them take some more advanced prospects instead of picks or veterans at this point.
he was a huge piece of shit earlier in his career. Dirty af on those anaheim teams. He seems to have toned it down some, but perhaps thats b/c he has been playing on a team with strong leadership in Tampa. While he knows how to be a professional, and he'd do things to protect Bedard, we dont need him around the locker room. He probably wouldnt even be moveable, except to Tampa or Dallas, as a deadline piece.
2023 Draft Grade: A+ Chicago added a lot of talent this weekend. The headliner is Connor Bedard for obvious reasons — he’s a potential star you can rebuild around. But Oliver Moore could be a top-six forward one day. Adam Gajan is a very talented goalie, and several of the forwards they added after Gajan have chances to play. Chicago added a lot of skill, only taking one defenseman in 11 picks. This draft should be a big part of the turnaround in Chicago. Draft Class 1. Connor Bedard, C, REGINA (WHL) July 17, 2005 | 5′ 10″ | 185 pounds Tier: Bubble generational player and elite NHL player Skating: Above NHL average Puck skills: Elite Hockey sense: Above NHL average Compete: Above NHL average Shot: Elite Player comparable: David Pastrnak Background: Bedard was the clear best player in the WHL this season. He had one of the best individual performances ever in a single world junior, being named MVP of the tournament. He was a top player for Canada’s U18 and U20 teams during his 16-year-old season, too, while scoring 100 points in the WHL that same season. He was one of the best players at the 2021 U18 World Championship as a 15-year-old. Analysis: Bedard is a potential franchise-changing No. 1 prospect. His skill and shot are legit game-breaking attributes. His ability to beat defenders one-on-one is among the best I’ve ever seen by a 17-year-old, and the pace at which he displays that elite skill is going to allow him to execute those types of skilled plays in the NHL. Bedard is a highly imaginative puckhandler and a very creative passer. That, combined with the fact his wrist shot is a top-tier NHL weapon from anywhere in the offensive zone, makes him a projected nightmare for NHL coaches to stop on the power play. The only downside to his game is his frame, which has some scouts wondering if he gets pushed off to the wing in the NHL. He isn’t a pushover though, as he plays hard and has a physical edge in his game. Given his success as a junior center, his strong skating and his high compete level, I think whoever drafts him will have to try him down the middle and move to the wing if it doesn’t work. If he is a wing, he could still have a potential Patrick Kane/Nikita Kucherov type of impact on a franchise. Thoughts on the pick: Bedard provides Chicago with the hardest part of a rebuild in the NHL, a potential superstar. They have a lot of work left to do to become a contender still, but they may have just acquired the most important piece to becoming one again if Bedard hits. He’s a dynamic, game-breaking forward. Bedard is a player with electric puck skills and goal-scoring ability. He’s also a fast, competitive, physical player. The only knock on him is his barely 5-foot-10 frame, and it raises minor questions on when the time comes when Chicago is ready to contend again, about whether he will be at center or the wing. This is an exciting moment for Chicago fans and the organization. 19. Oliver Moore, C, USA U-18 (NTDP) January 22, 2005 | 5′ 11″ | 195 pounds Tier: Bubble top and middle of the lineup player Skating: High-end Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: Above NHL average Player comparable: Jean-Gabriel Pageau Background: Moore was often the second-line center for the U.S. NTDP this season. He ran Team USA’s second power-play unit and is their top penalty killer. He is committed to the University of Minnesota. Analysis: Moore is the best skater in the draft. He has very good speed and his edgework is NHL-elite caliber. He evades pressure so well and is able to go from a stop to a fast gear very quickly. He has very good hands to go with those feet and projects to get a ton of controlled zone entries in the NHL. I don’t think his pure offensive touch as a scorer or playmaker will ever dazzle, and he’ll be more of a secondary scorer on an NHL line. Moore lacks size, and isn’t overly physical, but he’s a worker. He gets to the net, comes back hard on defense and coaches trust him in tough situations. He has a ton of NHL projectability and looks like a potential good top six forward, whether at center or the wing. Thoughts on the pick: Oliver Moore is the best skater in the draft and has very good skill and compete to go with his skating. He’s not the biggest, so maybe he has to be a wing in the NHL, but his skating is so good that I think he has a chance to be a top two line center. Chicago needs a lot of talent still to surround Bedard; Moore is talent. Ideally they’d get a top young forward with size at some point, but they are just at the beginning of this process. 35. Adam Gajan, G, CHIPPEWA (NAHL) May 6, 2004 | 6′ 3″ | 180 pounds Tier: Projected to play NHL games Skating: Above NHL average Hockey sense: Below NHL average Background: Gajan is a second-year eligible prospect. He came over from Slovakia to play in Chippewa of the NAHL. He was a late add to Slovakia’s world junior team where he promptly took over the starter role. He led Slovakia to an upset over Team USA, nearly beat Canada in the quarterfinals, and was named best goalie in the tournament. He played a few games in the USHL for Green Bay where his performance was up and down. He is committed to Minnesota-Duluth. Analysis: Gajan has clear NHL athleticism. He has an explosive lower half with the power to make the toughest lateral saves at higher levels. He’s an aggressive goalie, sometimes to a fault as he can take himself out of position too much, but at times it works well. I do think he generally reads the play and anticipates the play well, but he will need to control his slides and aggression against better players. There’s a lot of development work left still, but Gajan has a lot of pro potential. 44. Roman Kantserov, RW, MAGNITOGORSK JR. (RUSSIA-JR.) September 20, 2004 | 5′ 9″ | 176 pounds Tier: Projected to play NHL games Skating: Above NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: NHL average Shot: Above NHL average Background: Kantserov has been a highly-productive junior player in Russia for the last two seasons and was one of the better forwards in the MHL this season. Analysis: Kantserov is undersized at 5-foot-9, but has a lot of other traits that make you think he will score as a pro. Most important is the way he skates and plays with pace. Kantserov can generate a lot of controlled entries and make plays in transition. Kantserov has very good puck skills, showing great small-area skill and the ability to improvise with the puck. He can move the puck well while also being a shot threat from the circles. His size is a concern though, and while he competes fine and killed penalties in the MHL I don’t know if he’s so competitive that it will get him over the hump as a smaller forward to be a regular in the NHL. I think he can get some games though. 55. Martin Misiak, RW, YOUNGSTOWN (USHL) September 30, 2004 | 6′ 2″ | 200 pounds Tier: Projected to play NHL games Skating: NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: Below NHL average Compete: NHL average Background: Misiak played the first half of the season in Slovakia before leaving for Youngstown. He was a late addition to the Slovakia world juniors team, and also played for them at the summer world juniors in 2022. He played wing in Slovakia and with the national team but was a center for Youngstown. Analysis: Misiak is an NHL-caliber athlete. He’s 6-foot-2 and he skates well. His stride is powerful and efficient. He showed he could consistently push the pace versus men. The issue is how much does he offer outside his skating? I see some skill and offense but I don’t think his puck game and playmaking stand out. He’s just OK off the puck as well with some physicality but he’s not a great two-way forward. There’s a lot to work with, he should play games, but what he becomes as a pro is uncertain. 67. Nick Lardis, LW, HAMILTON (OHL) July 8, 2005 | 5′ 11″ | 168 pounds Tier: Has a chance to play games Skating: NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: NHL average Shot: Above NHL average Background: Lardis got off to a slow start this season with Peterborough, but following a trade to Hamilton mid season his scoring took off, with 25 goals and 46 points in 33 games with Hamilton. He was invited to Canada’s U18 team in the spring, but struggled and saw his ice time dwindle as the tournament progressed. He was the sixth overall pick in his OHL Draft. Analysis: Lardis’ skating and skill are both assets for the pro game and he has some scoring touch. He will be able to transition pucks up ice at higher levels. His shot is his best weapon as he’s a threat to score from the dots. He can make some plays but I wouldn’t call him overly cerebral. Lardis is an undersized winger, though, with average compete and I’m not sure he’s so talented enough to overcome those issues, but has a chance because of his goal-scoring touch. 93. Jiri Felcman, C, LANGNAU JR. (SWISS-JR.) April 17, 2005 | 6′ 4″ | 198 pounds Analysis: Jiri Felcman’s athletic profile is intriguing as a big center who can skate, but I didn’t see much skill or hockey sense when I watched him this season. 99. Alex Pharand, C, SUDBURY (OHL) January 5, 2005 | 6′ 2″ | 205 pounds Tier: Has a chance to play games Skating: NHL average Puck skills: NHL average Hockey sense: Below NHL average Compete: NHL average Background: Pharand was a solid player for Sudbury this season even if his production didn’t take off as expected. He was traded last season from Hamilton to Sudbury. He was the 14th pick in his OHL Draft. Pharand made Canada’s U18 team in the spring in a bottom-six/PK role. Analysis: Pharand is a big forward who can skate well, which is immediately interesting as a pro prospect. That he shows good puck skills and some finishing touch adds to the intrigue. The pure offense in his game isn’t amazing. In particular I don’t see him make that many plays or be a true driver of chances for his team. He competes well enough, has some physicality and can be a solid penalty killer. The athletic tools combined with some two-way ability and skill gives him a chance to make it. 131. Marcel Marcel, LW, GATINEAU (QMJHL) October 31, 2003 | 6′ 4″ | 242 pounds Analysis: Marcel is a big, competitive winger. He has OK enough skill and he is good around the net, but I didn’t see much hockey sense or speed in my viewings. 167. Milton Oscarson, C, OREBRO (SWEDEN) February 18, 2003 | 6′ 6″ | 216 pounds Tier: Has a chance to play games Skating: Poor Puck skills: Below NHL average Hockey sense: NHL average Compete: Above NHL average Background: Milton Oscarson played a limited-minutes role on a good SHL team in Orebro. He made Sweden’s world juniors team where he played limited even strength with power-play time. He scored four goals and six points in 13 SHL playoff games this season. Oscarson is a third-year eligible. Analysis: Oscarson’s biggest strength is, well, his size. He’s a 6-foot-6 center. Because of that frame Oscarson excels at the net front. He’s so tough to move, and gets a lot of sticks on pucks to create offense around the net. He’s reasonably physical, works hard, can kill penalties and embraces his role as a big man. The natural puck skills are just OK but he can make some plays with the puck. Oscarson’s skating is quite worrisome. He has a slow, clunky stride that will be massively tested in the NHL. 195. Janne Peltonen, LHD, KARPAT JR. (FINLAND-JR.) March 22, 2005 | 6′ 3″ | 174 pounds Analysis: Peltonen is a big defenseman who skates quite well for his size and projects to be a solid defender against men. The issue in his game is a complete lack of offense and skill. If he moves pucks OK, he could be a good pro, but that’s currently an “if.”
i guess they wanted a goalie and took one of the top ones on the board? I saw some research that over aged European goalies have fared well in recent history
He wasn’t a top goalie tho. Overager that couldn’t cut it in the USHL so went to the NA and was average there. I saw him in person a couple times and was baffled at the pick.
didnt he have a good WJC? I was surprised by it just given there was still high end forwards still on the board.
He had a couple good games behind one of the best teams they’ve fielded since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. But you don’t draft a player on that small of a sample size.