[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Mr. Hockey Edition, Vol. 3):

LHRW Javon Moore's situation reminds me a bit of the conversation surrounding Aydar Suniev before last year's draft- he's a big skill player who is extremely hard to project, mainly because he's playing in a lower league against competition inferior to that in Major Junior, and plays with top-tier talent. Like Suniev, Moore is one of the most polarizing players in his draft, and perhaps one of the bigger boom-or-bust prospects available. Moore, who stands 6'3" and 190lbs, plied his trade this season at Minnetonka High in the Minnesota High School league, amassing 26 goals and 53 points in 28 games, putting him 52nd in scoring but earning him a nomination for the Mr. Hockey award, given out anually to the best High School player from Minny- this season, the honor went to his teammate, Hagen Burrows. To start the season, Moore exploded out of the gate with 16 points in his first 4 games to lead all skaters in the league. Moore, who has a December 7th, 2005 birthday, also played 3 games for Sioux Falls of the USHL after his season at Minnetonka was over, but was only able to muster 1 assist. He is ranked #47 for North-American Skaters by Central Scouting, and I've spotted his name as early as the third round in a few mocks.

Moore has all the tools, but his hockey sense is in question. He has both finesse and power, and is equal parts playmaker and scorer with a big frame and plenty of athleticism. He can bulge the twine with his bullet of a wrister, his booming one-timer, or his soft hands to finish in-close, and there's plenty of deception in his game with feints, head fakes, look-offs, and dekes to move him around in pockets of space around the net, and to fool goalies on his release. Moore gets around quite well for a player of his size, with a long, fluid stride that generates good power, and strong edges that give him the ability to stop and start quickly, or pivot away from checkers. He can blow by opponents at the High School level, win races to loose pucks, and beat defenders wide, but he will need plenty of work on his explosiveness, and acceleration- which is a bit sluggish for higher levels. He uses his physicality to his advantage, leveraging his size in puck battles, and will step up with a big hit now and then when the opportunity presents itself- but he is not nearly aggressive enough, and only had 1 minor penalty all season for Minnetonka. He will lean into defenders a bit when driving the net, but too often relies on finesse to get around- he could dominate physically if he wanted to.

At the High School level, Moore can make plays showing some offensive instincts as well as some vision and creativity, but there are doubts that this side of his repertoire will translate well to higher levels, where he will have much less space and time. He has skill with the puck, and can find difficult passing lanes to teammates in high-danger, showing good timing. Right now, he exhibits a skillful delay game where he can slow down the pace to wait for opportunities to arise rather than force plays that aren't there, which helps him to eliminate egregious errors and keep possession for his team- this is another area of his game that may not fly in higher leagues. His stickhandling is smooth though, his hands are quick, and his puck-protection skills will serve him well at any level- he doesn't cough up the puck very often. Moore works hard on the backcheck, and is known to be a quality 200-ft player with solid defensive awareness and positioning.

It's safe to say that Moore is far more potential than finished product at this point, and he's probably much more raw than most prospects in the draft. He still has room to get bigger, and add plenty more muscle to his frame. Moore's off-puck game is a bit of a concern, as he can look lost when not in possession. He is dominant at times, and less visible at other times, and even though one of his biggest knocks is his lack of aggression and his perceived passivity, there are scouts who say he gets by in High School hockey by being much bigger and more athletic than his peers. Moore can drift into playing too much on the perimeter, rendering him less effective- he needs to cut to the middle more often, where he can be dominant. He also needs to learn to play with pace, as he plays rather slow right now, and can appear lazy at times. Moore has big-time potential, and has middle-6 upside, but there's concerns about how his game will translate to higher levels, and many question his hockey sense- or lack thereof. Fortunately, Moore will be playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers this fall, which is one of the most respected programs in college hockey. I'm guessing we'll see him go in the 4th, or 5th round.