Prospect Update: Ian Moore

By Thomas Harrington

A third round pick from 2020, defenseman Ian Moore completed his freshman year at Harvard University this past season. He also played for Team USA at the World Juniors.

Moore played in all 35 games in his first season of NCAA hockey and scored two goals and 15 points. Harvard was a good team, finishing the season with a record of 21-11-3. A freshman playing in every game is a great sign, especially on a good college team. Overall he finished eighth on the team in assists and tied for ninth in points. He was named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team.

When the World Juniors were originally played back in December, Moore played for Team USA. He played in one game and was scoreless before the original tournament was canceled. When it was rescheduled for August, he once again played for Team USA. He had a solid tournament, finishing with an assist in five games while primarily being used as the team’s seventh defenseman.

Given the uncertainty around college hockey last summer because of the ongoing pandemic, I only had two expectations for Moore. First, I wanted him to play in most if not all of Harvard’s games. Well, he appeared in all 35 games that Harvard played. Second, I wanted him to play for Team USA at the World Juniors. He was named to the original tournament back in December, and after it was restarted in August, he was once again on the team, so he met both of my expectations for last season.

This season, Moore will be returning to Harvard for his sophomore year. Harvard has lost a couple of defensemen to graduation, so there will certainly be an opportunity for Moore to step into a larger role in his second season of college hockey. It would be a lot of fun to see him get some playing time with fellow Anaheim prospect Henry Thrun. He’s a senior and will be the captain of the team. If the two do get to play together and build some chemistry, that could be very beneficial to both if they end up playing together in the future in San Diego and/or Anaheim.

This coming season, I want Moore to build off a solid freshman season. First, I want him to once again play in every game for Harvard. Second, I want to see 20 points out of him. Moore isn’t an incredibly flashy offensive defenseman, but he certainly has some offensive skill and showed that in the USHL. With a bigger role I’d like to see him put up some more points. Finally, I’d like to see him continue to round out his defensive game.

Moore is unsigned and a number of years away from the NHL, but as long as he can continue to improve in the coming years, I expect the Ducks to sign him to an entry-level deal. I think he’ll spend one or two more years in college before he signs and joins the Gulls. Once there, I think he’ll spend at least a season or two in San Diego before getting a shot in Anaheim. So at the earliest, I think we’ll see him in the NHL in the 2024-2025 season, but I think the year after that is more likely. As a right-handed shot, if he can develop properly, there will definitely be room for him on an NHL roster. He’s certainly not a guarantee to make the NHL, but there’s enough to like about his game to think that he has a legitimate shot at some point to make Anaheim’s roster in the next several years.

The next prospect update will be on Jack Perbix.

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September 23rd, 2022