The Blackhawks closed their development camp week on Thursday morning with their two first-round picks from last week, Connor Bedard and Oliver Moore, meeting with the media one more time. For Bedard, this was a “see you soon” media moment; he’ll be back for training camp in September and will likely spend the entire NHL season in Chicago. For Moore, this was goodbye for now.
College players can’t take part in NHL training camps in September, so this was Moore’s last trip to Chicago until either he signs his entry-level contract at the end of his freshman season or next summer’s training camp. But he was certainly welcomed into the Blackhawks family over the past week.
Moore confirmed that Frank Nazar gave him a fair amount of chirping during the week; the two will be Big Ten rivals in the fall when their seasons at Minnesota and Michigan begin. Moore also said he enjoyed meeting and getting to know other college players, including Boston University’s Ryan Greene and Denver’s Aidan Thompson. But he and Nazar 🌺have apꦜparently developed a friendly rivalry.
The two knew each other from time spent in the US National Development Program a couple years ago, but this 🔥summer has already changed a few dynamics of their relationship. One mor๊e could change in a few weeks.
Both Nazar and Moore are among the four Blackhawks’ prospects — with Gavin Hayes and Sam Rinzel — who have been invited to later this month to start building a roster for this winter’s World Junior Championship tournament.
Moore said his short-term focus in summer training is to get ready for the USA camp in Michigan at the end of the month. From there, it’s off to join the Gophers with Rinzel — his roommate for their freshman year. And he has a lofty goal for Minnesota.
He wants to win a national championship.
Minnesota’s coaches have already said they plan on using Moore as a Swiss army knife of sorts, skating him as a wing and/or center depending on matchups and line combinations. Moore said he’s cool with however they use him this season, he just wants to win games.
The reasons I was high on Moore before the draft were all related to his on-ice performance and skills. He’s an elite skater who can make plays and seamlessly move up and down a lineup. He was able and willing to play a complimentary role for USA Hockey at last year’s World Juniors as the top line went out and broke records. But he knows there’s more to give, and he looks forward to the opportunity to show what he can do on a very good Minnesota squad that was the top-ranked team in the country for most of last year.
But speaking with Moore and seeing him interact with the media confirmed the Blackhawks got an absolute gem at No. 19 overall — well lower than I thought he would get picked. The Blackhawks landed two terrific players and young men with their picks in the first round last week. And building a lineup that includes both Bedard and Moore is going to make Chicago a dangerous team in the future.
