Last season, the Blackhawks’ pipeline put the league on notice when Chicago was represented with a whopping six prospects at the IIHF World Juniors Championship. While there, they put on a show. Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel and Gavin Hayes enjoyed terrific performances on the international stage while goaltender Adam Gajan was perhaps the most impressive of all, stopping nearly everything he saw for Team Slovakia.
This winter, the Blackhawks won’t be quite as well-represented, but their first invitee is primed to put on a show of his own. This week, the U.S. National Junior Team announced a stacked group of young stars that will represent their country over the next month, and top Chicago prospect Oliver Moore made the list.
Not only did Moore make the team, but he was also named an alternate captain. Much of that decision had to be due to his status as a returning player; last winter, he came into the tournament as the team’s 13th forward but ended up logging three points in seven games with a decent chunk of ice time. Moore’s game is made for the international stage, using his spectacular speed to beat defensemen all over the ice. He’ll likely play a vital role as one of the senior members of the team and should provide plenty of scoring.
Overall, Moore has shown this year that he’s a prospect to watch by the Blackhawks. With 17 points in 20 games at the University of Minnesota, the 19-year-old has as much upside as anyone. It’s unclear how long he’ll stay in the NCAA ranks, as he’s currently in his second season with the Gophers. When he does get signed, however, there’s no question he’s a vital part of Chicago’s future plans.
However, this week’s announcement wasn’t all great news for the Blackhawks’ pipeline. Team USA cut four players in order to get down to a 25-man roster, and one of those names was star prospect AJ Spellacy. Spellacy was the most notable player in Chicago’s training camp earlier this fall, sticking around until nearly the end in an extremely impressive display. Former head coach Luke Richardson expressed that he deserved to stay with the team that long, and while the expectation was never for Spellacy to make the NHL roster, he left little doubt that he would be back sooner than anyone expected.
It was a surprise, then, when Spellacy was one of the last players to be cut from the team. The 2024 third-round pick is a heavy hitter, but has scored plenty this year in the OHL, with 22 points in 29 games. He has plenty to offer an American team looking to make it back-to-back gold medals. Spellacy wasn’t the only surprise Thursday, as first-round pick EJ Emery of the Rangers didn’t make the team either. Both are just 18 years old and are expected to play big roles for Team USA next winter.
Team USA will begin with pre-tournament action on Saturday, embarking on a schedule that concludes with the gold medal game on Jan. 5.
