A lot has been made about Ilya Mikheyev's impact on the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, Oliver Moore hopes to be a similar type of difference maker.
The Chicago Blackhawks have a handful of role players on the team, both young and old, who would make good depth pieces on a team expected to win.
Ilya Mikheyev has been one of the leaders in that department for the two years that he's been in town. He is a pending unrestricted free agent, so his future is cloudy, but not being traded at the deadline gives a signal that both sides may see a long-term relationship.
The Blackhawks have made a lot of first-round picks since Kyle Davidson took over as the full-time General Manager, and more will follow this year.
Not all of them will be star players who find the score sheet every single night, but a handful of them need to become Mikheyev-type contributors every night.
Oliver Moore, who was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, may be one of those players. His offensive upside may be a tick above Mikheyev's at the same age, but the speedy two-way styles aren't that far off.
Moore missed the last couple weeks of the season due to an injury, but he made sure to attend the final media availability of the season. During that chat, he was asked about Mikheyev and what it may be like to replicate a similar role.
"Yeah, Mickey’s a dog. He brought it every night," Moore said. "I think he’s definitely an underrated guy on our team. I think that his motor and his compete and drive, it’s all something I want to be and a player I want to be like for sure. Anytime you can have Ilya Mikheyev on your team, your team’s going to be better. He was our best penalty killer all season. I don’t know how many stick-on pucks he had, but it was ridiculous and yeah, just a great guy, too."
Moore is one of the better quotes among the young players in the organization because he always tells you the truth with a smile on his face. He is genuinely a fan of Mikheyev, both on and off the ice.
Whether the veteran winger returns or not remains to be seen, but the Blackhawks must be comfortable knowing that some of the young guys are willing to take on a similar role. There likely won't be much of a power play role for Moore early in his career, but an opportunity there may help him be more of a point producer than Mikeheyv, who gets little to no power play time.
Being a great penalty killer, and all signs point to Moore being one, may take away from some of that power play time, but it's all for the betterment of the team.
Other young players like Sacha Boisvert, AJ Spellacy, and Ryan Greene may also help with penalty killing, bringing extra speed and adding an element of toughness as well, which gives Chicago's young budding core versatility.
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