It’s not the size of the dog in the fight
Mark Twain wasn’t talking about IceDogs first-round draft pick Lleyton Moore, but he could have been
was a time in the OHL when bigger is better was the theory when it came to defencemen.
Times have changed. Opportunities for smaller blueliners abound.
In the modern game, attributes such as speed and skill, vision and hockey IQ can make up for inches and pounds.
The Niagara IceDogs top pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection, Lleyton Moore, is a prototype of a mobile, modern rearfencemen guard.
He stands five-foot-nine on his tiptoes and weighs 163 pounds soaking wet, but there is nothing small about his game.
In a perfect world, if he is sixfoot-two, 195 pounds, he might have been the first defenceman taken.
In the real world he was the fourth blueliner selected.
“He is a special player,” IceDogs head coach Billy Burke said. “He is incredibly smart and a guy that can do it both ends. He was ranked much higher than we were able to get him at 12.
“It is difficult for young de There in this league. We want to put him in situations where he can succeed.
“He is a special player who had had options. He felt this was the best fit for him and we think it is a great match.”
Moore, who was one of five members of the Toronto Marlboros players drafted in the first round, said he has confidence in himself.
“I know I can keep up,” Moore said. “I will have to prove it every day. People think I’m a smaller guy, and I shouldn’t be able to play at this level.
“I am going to prove them wrong.”
The scouting consensus on Moore is that he is a well-rounded player who is creative with the puck and takes pride in his defensive skills. He had 16 goals and 34 assists in 54 games with the Marlboros. His leadership skills on a team stacked with stars were lauded.
“My strength is my skating,” Moore said. “I can be in the offensive zone and catch a guy from behind.
“My vision is another strength. I can see guys all over the ice. No matter where I am, I want to make special plays.”
Moore has a younger brother who is 13 and playing on the Don Mills Flyers and an 18-year-old sister who is going to the University of Guelph-Humber.
He spent the summer working out with hockey training guru Gary Roberts at St. Andrews College in Aurora.
“The things he does are unbelievable — the nutrition, the workouts,” he said. “I skated with (power skating expert) Tara McKay over the summer, and I am faster. And I worked on my stride and my edges.”
Moore attended the Everest
Academy in Thornhill, a private school for student-athletes. The mornings are taken up with academic subjects.
The afternoon filled with specialized sports training. The campus boasts twin NHL sized-ice rinks.
He joined fellow Niagara defenceman Billy Constantinou at Everest. Ben Jones was a couple of years ahead of him.
Moore will need the training. There is a logjam of nine defencemen on the Niagara blue line including Elijah Roberts, Daniel Bukac, Liam Ham, Jon Schaefer, Constantinou, Drew Hunter, Daniel Nardi and Mason Howard. Even with some cuts, the coaching staff will scratch a couple of talented rearguards from the lineup on a nightly basis.
Right now, Moore needn’t worry about that. He can go out and play with confidence that his chance will come sooner or later.
The IceDogs face the Barrie Colts Friday night in their exhibitions season opener in Thorold.
“It’s my first training camp, and the boys have been great,” Moore said emerging from the dressing room after a scrimmage earlier this week and pushing his hair back off his forehead.
“The staff is great, and the players come out of this program as good people. Getting an opportunity to play for an OHL team is a special moment for my family and me.”