Kyle Davidson tried to trade up repeatedly to get Moore, whom he described as the fastest skater in the draft. In the end, Moore fell right into the Hawks’ laps.
The Blackhawks tried repeatedly to trade up higher into the teens of the first round of the NHL Draft on Wednesday to get forward Oliver Moore.
No trades came to fruition — yet the Hawks landed Moore with the No. 19 pick anyway.
General manager Kyle Davidson sounded shocked afterward, admitting the Hawks’ internal prospect rankings had Moore much, much higher than 19th. Leaving the first day of the draft with both No. 1 pick Connor Bedard and Moore added to the prospect pool is a massive coup.
“I was on the phone the whole time, almost from when I got back to my seat [after picking Bedard] … trying to get up with him in mind,” Davidson said. “So it’s almost a perfect scenario where we just stayed [at 19th and] we didn’t have to give up any extra picks to get up and get him.”
The Hawks have established elite skating as their favorite trait over the past two years, and Moore fits that type extremely well. Davidson called him the “fastest player in the draft,” and he’s not the only one in hockey circles who believes that.
Scouting director Mike Doneghey mentioned that Moore’s hockey sense equals his speed, too. Doneghey came away from this past season impressed by Moore’s defensive and penalty-killing reliability, as well.
“He’s got a really fast brain,” Doneghey said. “He can fly, but his brain and his feet are on the same page.
