Future Gopher Oliver Moore, Quickly Turning Heads In Early 2023 Draft Rankings

By: Dylan Loucks |

November 28th, 2022: Future Gopher star, Oliver Moore, has caught the attention of many with his quick start to the 2022-23 season with the USNTDP. But what makes him so good?

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINN – The product of Mounds View, Minnesota, has gained over 15 pounds of muscle since his two years of high school hockey for Totino Grace. But Moore is still considered a smaller forward by some. 

Playing varsity hockey as a freshman is something many don’t do. When you’re in ninth grade, playing your second year of Bantams is usually the route. But for Moore, varsity hockey came easy. As a five-foot-ten-160-pound forward, Moore notched seven goals and 35 points in 25 games for Totino Grace.

Moore put up 17 goals and 38 points in just 17 games in his sophomore season. Those two years were played alongside Austin Burnevik. In his freshman season, the six-foot-one forward put up 14 goals and 27 points in 25 games. In his sophomore season, Burnevik added over 30 pounds and two inches to his height. He also notched 19 goals and 41 points in 19 games. 

Oliver Moore
Totino-Grace’s Oliver Moore, left, squared off against Rogers’ Sam Ranallo, a fellow sophomore center in a game against Rogers on February 12th, 2021. Photo by Loren Nelson, LegacyHockeyPhotography.com

After two seasons of high school hockey, the two offensively gifted forwards decided to skip their Junior and Senior seasons and play for the USA National Development Program. The jump has come with challenges but they both have had a year and a half of NTDP hockey under their belt.

“It’s definitely been a big jump for me,” Moore told Gopherhole. “You go from High School hockey where there are maybe three or four really good guys, to the USHL where there are three to four really good lines with good defensemen. So it’s harder to produce offensively, but it’s been a good jump. For sure.”

Moore put up 24 goals and 39 points in 43 games in his first year with the NTDP U’17s team. He quickly started to draw the eyes of many scouts and schools. He also appeared in 11 games with the U’18s where he notched two goals and seven points. After his first 25 games with the U’17s, Moore notched 14 goals, and 23 points, and announced his commitment to the University of Minnesota. 

In his second season with the NTDP Moore, has 14 goals and 31 points in 24 games. The skilled forward has played 382 shifts on a line with Will Vote and Danny Nelson. That line has produced ten, five-on-five goals and have allowed four against. They have notched 66 shots and have allowed 60 to their opponents. 

Moore has played 191 shifts with his former Totino Grace teammate, Austin Burnevik. The two have recorded 17 shots and have allowed 16 when playing on a line together. Burnevik and Moore decided to make the jump to the NTDP together after their sophomore seasons with Totino Grace.  

“He’s my best friend for sure,” Moore said. “It’s something that came up the year we were getting scouted for the development team. This was something we put our minds to and had a goal of doing. It’s been awesome, I look forward to continue down the road with him. He’s my best friend.”

Burnevik has three goals and 12 points in 23 games this season for the U’18s team. He will be playing NCAA hockey next season with St. Cloud State and might hear his name called in the later rounds of the NHL 2023 draft this summer. Moore signed his letter of intent on November 15th. 

The high school hockey state tournament is something many kids dream of playing in. It’s played at the Xcel Energy Center, which is home to the Minnesota Wild. To most states, high school hockey isn’t that big of a deal, but for Minnesota, it’s a huge deal. 

Every year over 18,000 fans pack the Xcel Energy Center to watch 16-18 year old boys play high school hockey. From large student sections to die-hard parents, and merchandise being sold on the concourse, the MSHSL always puts on a show. To the kids, it’s an experience of a lifetime. That might be the only time they ever get to skate on an NHL rink while playing a competitive game, to others it’s a taste of what an NHL rink with sellout crowds feels like. 

So the opportunity to pass up on the chance to play in the tournament is for sure a hard one. Just ask any high schooler in the state of Minnesota. 

“It was a decision my family and I didn’t take lightly,” Moore said on passing up his final two years of high school hockey and a chance at maybe a state tournament birth. “High school hockey in Minnesota is huge and going to the state tournament is something you dream of when you’re a kid but looking down the road, this was just the best thing for me to develop as a player.”

Oliver Moore: What Makes His Game So Special?

It’s simple. It’s his Speed.

There is no denying Oliver’s speed. To many, his speed is his greatest asset and Moore agrees. 

“People say I have great speed through the middle of the ice,” Moore said. “I’m good on entries and my defensive game is developing to become a complete 200-foot player.”

He’s quick, agile, crafty, and uses his hands in tight spots to get around danger. Moore has a great shot as well and wants the puck at all times. According to InStat Hockey, Moore ranks second on the team in entries behind Will Smith and fourth on the team in counterattack shots. 

His speed and creativity allows him to enter the zone with ease. He also ranks second on the team in puck touches and puck control time. There is a difference between wanting the puck and being a puck hog, and Moore isn’t just a puck hog. He ranks third in passes to the slot and accurate passes behind Smith and Gabe Perreault. 

“I have been trying to dial in my defensive game,” Moore said on what he is trying to improve. “But also protecting the puck, stealing the puck from defenders, setting up offense, and just trying to help my overall game.”

His defensive game has certainly improved. Only Danny Nelson has a better opponent’s expected goals when he’s on the ice. Nelson’s is 2.7 and Moore’s is 2.8 all per 60 minutes. Moore ranks second in defensive zone retrievals and fifth in takeaways amongst forwards with ten or more games played. 

The speedy forward wants the puck but he also hounds the puck. Moore doesn’t wait for it to come to him. He wants to get the puck and make plays with it. This is the kind of stuff that scouts love. 

Moore is working on being a complete player and is very close to being one. He will likely hear his name called in the top 15-25 picks in this year’s NHL Draft. For Gopher fans, this will be a player that will bring you out of your seat. He may only be in Minnesota for a year or two so enjoy it. 

Analytics from InStat and general stats from eliteprospects.

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