Blueliner tops ’Dogs shopping list
The Niagara IceDogs were thrown a curve in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League draft Saturday, and they hit it out of the park.
The IceDogs, who had 12th pick in the opening round of the 15-round draft, weren’t thinking about bolstering their blueline with dynamic, two-way defenceman Lleyton Moore.
“He was the guy we thought if he got by five, he would not get by seven, he would not get by 10,” general manager Joey Burke said. “We couldn’t believe it when he fell to us.”
Initially, the IceDogs were leaning toward selecting a forward, but that all changed when it became apparent they could add the speedy playmaker as a key component in the next phase of a rebuild into a Memorial Cup contender.
“He was head and shoulders the most-talented player available,” Burke said. “When you get a guy who’s as elite as Lleyton is, he’s going to come in and be very impressive to watch.
“If we have to move some pieces to make opening, it’s well worth it because he’s a very special talent.”
Head coach Billy Burke is looking forward to having Moore on his team.
“He’s exactly what the OHL is becoming, what the NHL is becoming,” Billy Burke said. “It’s all about speed and skill, vision and IQ, and that’s exactly what he has.
“He’s also a guy who takes pride in his battle, in his defensive game, and he’s not afraid to get engaged in front of the net and use his feet to have good body position.”
Though Moore, a left-shooting defenceman who had 16 goals and 34 assists in 54 games for the Toronto Marlboros midget triple A program, is 5-foot-7 and only weighs 160 pounds, the IceDogs weren’t put off by his size.
“I think you can see that he’s wide, so he’s going to be stronger,” Billy Burke said. “Your foot-speed can cover a lot of size deficiencies.
“As long as he’s engaged and gets in stick battles, and isn’t afraid, then he does a lot of things well that make up for his size.”
Moore prides himself on being
a “200-foot defenceman” who can take care of both ends of the ice.
“I am good in the corners, good in front of the net, I’m good in my transition,” the Grade 10 student said when asked to describe his strengths as a player.
“If I want to create offensive plays, I create them. I can switch up the play just like that.”
Moore planned to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime moment by having a nice dinner with his family.
“This is the only moment that I am going to have as a draft pick for the OHL and, hopefully, I get drafted into the NHL.”
The 15-year-old son of Quentin and Andrea Moore of Woodbridge, Ont., doesn’t plan on resting on his laurels now that he’s heard his name called by an OHL team early on draft day.
“This summer I’m going to train as hard as I can,” he said. “I’m going to be on the ice probably three times a week, I’m going to be in the gym six times a week.
“I’m going to play some soccer during the week, too, and I might do some boxing as well to get in shape.”
Moore intends to work on his shot in hopes of making an impact in his rookie season in the OHL.
“I’ve got to make sure my release is faster and stronger,” he said. “The shots here in the OHL are much stronger.”
The IceDogs are not an unknown quantity to Moore. In addition to watching the team on TV and getting to know its style of play, rookie Niagara defenceman Billy Constantinou kept his former schoolmate at Everest Academy in Thornhill updated on what was happening.
“I can’t thank him enough,” Moore said. “He just texts me, sometimes out of the blue, about how he couldn’t believe how great an organization this is.”
Sophomore IceDogs forward Ben Jones also attended Everest Academy. He was one of the first players on this year’s team to welcome Moore to The Pack.
Former Guelph Storm Drew Doughty, twice selected as the OHL’s top offensive defenceman and a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Los Angeles Kings, is the NHL player Moore wants to emulate.
“He’s a good two-way defenceman.”
The IceDogs also dipped into the Toronto Marlboros talent pool for their second pick in the draft. Stephen Halliday was the first player selected in the third round with the 41st overall pick.
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound left winger had 36 goals and 47 assists in 59 games with the Malboros last season. Halliday considers his hockey IQ and passing ability his strengths as a player.
“I think I can bring all aspects of the game,” he said. “I pass the puck pretty well, I can bring it on offence.”
He was thrilled to hear his name called by the IceDogs in a draft that was being conducted online.
“I wanted to go to a really good organization,” he said. “I’m very happy that Niagara picked me, they’re an unreal organization. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
The native of Glenwood, Md., a
Baltimore suburb, intends to work on his skating between now and training camp.
“A big guy that can skate is pretty dangerous,” he said.
“With my passing and my IQ, I think I need to really work on my skating his off-season.”
On a scale of 10, Halliday would rate his current skating ability at “six or seven.”
“I think I need to bring it up to a 10, if that makes sense.”
Large bodies don’t go unnoticed by on-ice officials when rules are broken, but Halliday has spent little time in the penalty box over his hockey career.
“I don’t really take a lot of penalties, I think I maybe had 20
minutes this year at the most.”
He likened his style of play to Arizona Coyotes centre Clayton Keller.
“I really like his game, and I want to emulate some of the stuff he does and put it into my game.”
There was some concern initially that Halliday would not be coming to Niagara if it meant getting little ice time or playing junior B, but that was cleared up later in the day.
“He’s reporting 100 per cent, so there is no issues that way,” Joey Burke said. “He’s reporting, he’ll be an IceDog.
“Obviously, with us being a much older, deeper, championship-contending team this
year, ice will be hard for a thirdround pick. We need to figure out where he’ll develop.
The general manager is confident Halliday will be an “impact, top-six guy two years down the road.”
“Unless he proves enough in training camp, he’ll be with us next year.”
Niagara’s second-round pick in this year’s draft went to the Kitchener Rangers in the offseason deal that brought defenceman Elijah Roberts to Niagara.