Blackhawks take Oliver Moore with second first-round pick in NHL Draft
Speedy center from Minnesota had been projected to go earlier: Seventh overall in THN mock draft
Blackhawks take Oliver Moore with second first-round pick in NHL DraftThe Blackhawks happily plucked a slick, relentless skater with their second first-round pick, 19th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville.
Oliver Moore, 5-foot-11, 188-pound center from the Twin Cities suburb of Mounds View, Minnesota, would seem to fit Chicago general manager Kyle Davidson's prototype of a "high-speed, high-tempo" forward to a T. Moore is considered by some scouts to be the best pure skater in this year's draft class.
Davidson said he tried to trade up to to pick Moore, but was pleasantly surprised when the forward was still available at the 19th slot. "We had Oliver way higher than we picked him," Davidson said.
Moore, who was projected as high as a Top-10 pick — including by THN — said he wasn't nervous as he drifted downward and was snared by the Blackhawks.
"I know they had interest me and being able to go to there, to a team I want to, is unbelievable," Moore told reporters.
Moore calls himself "a fast, competitive two-way forward," and compares his approach and style to Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin.
A fast runner, he credits his skating trainer with making his bladework elite by being "low and powerful" on the ice.
See Moore's draft interview here:
This Minnesota kid was busy last season.
He played for the U.S. National Under-18 team, posting 31 goals and 75 points in 61 regular-season games. Moore also skated for the U.S. National Development Junior team in the USJHL, netting eight goals and 17 assists in 25 contests.
Moore won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championships with four goals and nine points in seven games.
He's committed to skate next season with the University of Minnesota, where scouts say he needs to address making high-end plays while moving at full tilt. He'll join Blackhawks 2022 first-round pick (25th overall) Sam Rinzel with the Golden Gophers
Moore is noted his work ethic, and second and third efforts. Scouts have likened him to Minnesota forward Jimmy Snuggerud, also a product of the USNDT, who starred as a freshman last season.
