Ian Moore (4 Star Amateur Prospect, NHL Grade — C+) Defense
As of January 20th Ian’s NHL Grade has been raised to a ‘B’.
Who loves 6’3 athletic right shot defensemen with a brain? NHL General Managers. NHL Coaches. And NHL fans. Who hates them? Anyone playing against them. So lets get to know a little more about him and see just how high we think he can go in the draft.
(1) Brain – Ian has a hockey brain and his IQ is one of the first things a scout notices when he takes the ice. He breaks down fore-checks well by not only looking for the first fore-checker, but by taking in the full sheet to see where the F2 and F3 are in their progression. This allws him to break down the fore-check off of where they are on the ice. But what makes him special in this regard? He not only surveys the ice when he has the puck, he also works hard to be the eyes for his partner, is vocal when calling out his break out options (WHEEL, REVERSE, D to D, Etc) and works to be an open outlet for him as well.
(2) Vision & Poise – Ian makes quick decisions with the puck. He does not over handle it or try to get pretty.
(3) Feet – He has quick feet for a big kid, but they are still developing and will get quicker. He has good knee bend and loose hips while pivoting to retrieve pucks or while gaping up in transition. We feel that as he trains and becomes more focused on being a hockey player that his natural athleticism will allow him to be a big man who can dominate games with his physical skills.
(4) Compete & Effort – A hard working player who battles for his ice.
(5) Contact & Physicality – He is not a threat to put anyone through the boards, but instead contains through his feet, anticipation and body positioning.
(6) Release – He carries the puck with his head up and can make plays while his feet are moving. Ian walks the offensive blue line well in either direction, hits the net with his shot or has the ability to find his forward’s sticks for tips.
(7) One Timer Ability – He can shoot one timers off of poor passes and passes from multiple angles. He does not have a rocket just yet, but we feel he will develop a bullet once he focuses on his training.
(8) Body Language – Only note extremes
(9) Special Teams Potential – He will kill penalties in professional hockey. Ian has an excellent stick and anticipation. He willing maintains shooting lanes, battles for net front ice and clears shooting lanes without getting tied up. We do not feel he will be a first unit power play guy, but we do feel that he will be a second unit option. If his shot develops the way we feel it will, then he could be a second unit weak-side shooter in an umbrella power play setup.
(10) Intangibles – Ian’s improvement over the past few years has been quite dramatic. Physically he has all of the tools for a long professional career, but his mental game / awareness has grown by leaps and bounds as well. We feel this has a lot to do with his coach at St. Mark’s, Carl Corazzini. Coach Corazzini was a captain at Boston University, an NCAA All-American and played in the NHL. There is no doubt that he has been an invaluable resource for Ian both on the ice and off.
All told we have 11 past published evaluations on Ian. Here are some past comments on him over a 2 year period heading into this season. As you will see, he has gone from “nice mobility” to “excellent speed” in a relatively short period of time. We feel he has National League potential;
MAY 2017 – Ian showed some nice mobility from his defensive zone. Some D have trouble keeping their head up while in motion, or they tend to stare at the puck. Moore is readily aware of his surroundings and is able to move with the puck as he reads the situation. He kept things simple here, and that was enough to merit our attention: didn’t overexert himself, just made quality decisions. Grade: B
AUGUST 2017 – We didn’t notice Ian too much early on here. However, as the week went on, he showed more and more. The 2002 is tall, thin and athletic. He wasn’t here to just survive. He wanted to make plays. Used his stick and feet to win pucks in his end and transitioned it quickly to his forwards. The 2002 was unafraid and involved. He has as much upside as anyone in the Futures Division.
MAY 2018 – As an athletic defender with length and fluidity, he can transition the puck smoothly up the ice or make a clean first pass out of the zone. He looked to be in control at every turn, regardless of if he had the puck or not: he closed up gaps defensively and snapped off great passes to create scoring chances. Considering the maturity level of his game at this age he is a player to watch closely.
MAY 2019 – Big body, excellent speed, and a good skater. Jumped into plays effectively and made good tape to tape passes to get puck out of his own end and get on offensive attack. Long reach and big frame allowed him to shut down opponents throughout the weekend. Always looked to jump in play. College: Princeton (Now Harvard) Grade: A-