NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's not hard to see what Oliver Moore's best asset is.
It's undoubtedly his speed. He might just be one of the fastest players in the the entire draft class.
Moore, 18, is a center out of the U.S. National Team Development Program who is committed to the University of Minnesota for next season. He's got good size for a draft-age prospect, listed at 5 foot 11 and 195 pounds by NHL Central Scouting.
Many of the ranking services for Wednesday's first round of the draft have Moore expected to be a mid-first round pick, though there's a chance he could jump into the top 10 and be off the board by the time the Penguins are on the clock at No. 14. One of the most recent rankings -- courtesy of TSN's Bob McKenzie -- has Moore ranked No. 13.
The Penguins met with Moore in their pre-draft interviews, a discussion that Moore called a "great meeting" here in Nashville on Tuesday.
If Moore is still available at No. 14 on Wednesday, the Penguins might just have to show some speed of their own in racing to the draft podium.
NHL Central Scouting's Pat Cullen said on the NHL's Draft Class podcast that Moore's speed just "jumps off the page."
"I think he's the fastest skater and I don't know there'd be a lot of people that would disagree with that," said Cullen. "The speed is one thing, but his work ethic is unbelievable. There's never a game where you go and you don't see Oliver Moore working extremely hard and it's more noticeable because of how fast he does everything."
Chad Kolarik, a former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin who coached Moore as an assistant with the U.S. National Team Development Program, told the Minnesota TV station KARE 11 that he has "never been around a guy that's skated that fast."
“His speed, his quickness – his first strides are crazy,” Kolarik said.
Asked what he thinks sets him apart from other prospects, Moore said that it's his compete level to go alongside that blazing speed.
"I just bring it every night," he told me Tuesday in Nashville. "And obviously with that is my speed, not a lot of prospects have my speed, I think that sets me apart."
Moore said that he played all kinds of sports growing up, but credits his time playing as a midfielder in soccer in helping to develop the speed he has on the ice now. He compared it to playing center in hockey, with the amount of running required all across the field.
Moore's more than just a fast skater. He's smart, he's a good playmaker, and he's got a great shot. He's got a good two-way game and can kill penalties. He excelled with the USNTDP this season, scoring 31 goals and 44 assists in 61 games. Within those 61 games were the 23 games in the USHL with the program, and Moore recorded eight goals and 17 assists in those games. Moore was also a standout in the U18 World Junior Championship, scoring four goals and five assists in seven games to win the gold medal.
"I think that my hockey IQ is something that I'm really proud of, something that's come a long way I think," Moore said. "I'm going to continue to develop that. I think I make my teammates around me better as well."
There aren't any glaring weaknesses in Moore's game that he's focusing on improving more than others. He wants to continue to develop that hockey IQ, and also his finishing ability so he can continue to score more at the next level in college next season.
Moore is still several years away from competing for an NHL spot. It'd be reasonable to expect him to play two or three years of college hockey at least before he makes the jump to the professional level. He certainly has a high ceiling for whenever that move does come.
This is the 15th (and final!) story in a series of player profiles focusing on potential first-round picks for the Penguins.
