Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/418cddef-9e8f-49eb-9681-cd89d2b3a0b4.png] On Thursday, ECAC Hockey announced their 12 finalists (one from each school in the conference) for “Men’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year.” Among them was Ducks prospect and Harvard captain Ian Moore. Moore (23) was a third-round pick (67th overall in 2020) from the Anaheim Ducks out of St. Mark's Prep as a mobile, toolsy, raw right-shot defenseman with a projectable frame (6-foot-3, 194 pounds). His true freshman season (2020-21) at Harvard was canceled due to Covid, so he played that season for the Chicago Steel of the USHL and scored 24 points (10-14=24) in 45 games. In his four years at the NCAA level, Moore has evolved his game into one of the country's better shutdown defenders, utilizing his strength and mobility to eliminate gaps on attackers, kill plays early, and win wall battles in every zone. Moore was a significant contributor to Harvard’s back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament in 2021-22 and 2022-23. In 2021-22, they defeated Quinnipiac in the ECAC championship and lost to Minnesota State in the first round of the national tournament. In 2022-23, they lost to Colgate in the ECAC championship and Ohio State in the first round of the national tournament. Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Moore was named Harvard’s captain, but he missed significant time due to a lower-body injury, and Harvard had a disappointing 7-19-6 record. This season, Moore has been healthier, but Harvard still sits seventh in the ECAC standings with a 9-14-2 record. In his four years in the NCAA, Moore has scored 50 points (8-42=50) in 115 games while featuring on both special teams units. He represented the United States at the 2022 World Junior Championship, where he tallied an assist in five games while the US failed to medal. Though he is five years removed from his draft season, due to Harvard’s 2020-21 season being canceled, his rights remain with the Ducks as he is in his senior season. He will be eligible to sign his ELC when Harvard's season has concluded and he can report to either Anaheim or San Diego with the Gulls. If the Ducks are unable or unwilling to sign him to an ELC, he will become a UFA on July 1.
