Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar are two of Team USA's fastest skaters, creating a variety of options for it to utilize speed in constructing a roster for the 2024 World Junior Championship.
Even though they hold differing college allegiances, Minnesota forward Oliver Moore and Michigan forward Frank Nazar III always seem to turn up together.
When they joined the U.S. National Team Development Program, their billet families were friends that made the duo closer. Then in the NHL Draft, Chicago selected Nazar 13th overall in 2022 and Moore 19th in 2023. And back in November when the Gophers and Wolverines faced off, they played against each other.
Now, they’re each seeking out another shared journey — this time with Team USA at the 2024 World Junior Championship. Thanks to their skating skills, there’s plenty of potential for what each could do in the lineup. Especially with more ice to cover on an Olympic sheet, their fleet feet become an even greater asset.
“I think you can use it to your advantage and I like to look at it that way,” Moore said Monday. “Obviously (there’s) a little bit more space, a little bit more time to wind it up, so try to use it.”
The fact that they can skate so well is part of why they’ve made it this far trying out for the American roster. Their speed aids part of the identity which USA coach David Carle wants his team to embody. In oversimplified terms, he wants forwards pressuring the puck to help take a burden off the defensemen, who will likewise use their skating to spark transition plays and spend less time defending. While skating isn’t the only skill that factors into such a system, it creates the mobility necessary to pull it off.
While the Americans’ deep forward corps includes many quick skaters, they have two of their fastest in Nazar and Moore. Now, the question is how they utilize them.
So far, Carle has chosen to separate them. Nazar played between Michigan State forward Isaac Howard and fellow Wolverine forward Gavin Brindley in Friday’s practice, both of whom are also exceptional skaters. Meanwhile, Moore worked into drills opposite Carey Terrance with a variety of centers.
“Obviously being able to keep up with your linemates is a big part of the game, and you can’t score a goal one-on-five,” Nazar said. “So just having guys like that being able to skate so well and kind of catch up to plays if they’re behind is really nice and just opens up a lot of opportunities.”
But as two players who can really push the pace with their skating, there’s also the possibility to play Moore and Nazar side by side. The duo slotted in together for limited minutes during some jumbled practice lines in Friday’s training camp, and they generated lots of open space. These were a fleeting few reps, but they nonetheless showed an intriguing option that the Americans could tap.
“It’s kind of like at Michigan playing with Jackson Hallum,” Nazar said Tuesday. “I mean (Moore is) just super fast and just being able to see him going and just chip the puck to where he can get it — it makes my life easier.”
Regardless of who they play beside, Moore and Nazar both possess some of the best raw skating attributes in college hockey. As they team up using those assets, they create a wealth of options for Team USA — together, once again.