Montreal Canadiens prospect LJ Mooney is once again looking good at the Summer Showcase and he's one prospect Habs fans should be keeping an eye on.
Montreal Canadiens prospect LJ Mooney is currently playing for Team USA at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario. This is the second summer in a row that Mooney is invited to the event, and on Thursday he scored a good goal from in close, showcasing his capacity to go top shelf even in tight space.
The five-foot-eight and 165-pound right-shot center may not have the right shape for the NHL, but he certainly has the right attitude and the right drive. At the Canadiens development camp in Brossard earlier this month, he was one of the standouts on the ice. Despite his small size, he is absolutely relentless in his pursuit of the puck on the ice and isn’t afraid to go in heavy traffic.
In his first NCAA season with the University of Minnesota, he put up 30 points in just 34 games and has shown great potential. There may not be room on the Canadiens’ roster for a player of that shape, but if he keeps developing as he has, he could at the very least become an interesting asset on the trade market. For a team that doesn’t already have plenty of small players, he may be worth taking a swing at.
In two games at the Summer Showcase this year, he has a goal and an assist, and it would be rather surprising if he didn’t make Team USA for the World Junior Championship in December. Last year at the Summer Showcase, he was named one of the players who “stepped forward for Team USA” by U.S. coach Bob Motzko, who also coached him in Minnesota last season.
Wherever he goes, Mooney catches people’s attention and watching him play, you don’t tell yourself that he’s good for a small guy; you tell yourself that he’s a good player. On the ice, his play manages to make you forget all about his size. Of course, it remains to be seen if he’d be able to take that same level of play to the pro level, but so far, it’s looking good.
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