Hawks GM wanted to trade up to draft speedy Moore, but landed him at 19 anyway

Almost from the moment Kyle Davidson returned to his chair after selecting Connor Bedard No. 1 overall at the NHL draft Wednesday, the Blackhawks' GM was on the phone.

Davidson wanted to trade up from the No. 19 pick so he could get his hands on the lightning-fast Oliver Moore.

But nobody would budge.

So Davidson just sat back and waited.

After Calgary, Detroit and Winnipeg passed at Nos. 16, 17 and 18, respectively, Davidson likely wanted to emulate Moore and sprint onto the Bridgestone Arena stage to announce his selection.

"It's almost a perfect scenario where we just stayed," Davidson told reporters. "We didn't have to give up any extra picks."

So just how speedy is Moore?

Well, for one, he ran the mile in 4 minutes, 55 seconds in middle school.

And apparently that translated to the ice as well.

"I would think he's probably faster than Connor McDavid was at the same age," Brian Galvian, the strength and conditioning coach of the U.S. Development Program, told the Athletic in April. "I'm not comparing him as a player, but from an athleticism and speed standpoint ... there's no way (McDavid is) as fast as Oliver. ... There's probably very few guys in hockey who could beat him in a race."

In many mock drafts, Moore was expected to go in the top 15 - and possibly as high as No. 10.

It will be interesting to see how Moore develops. Speed is great, but not everyone uses it the right way. Hawks forward Andreas Athanasiou is wicked fast, but rarely uses his motor on the backcheck. Viktor Stalberg was also electric, but he only carved out a mediocre career.

The Hawks have high hopes Moore will become a complete player.

"You guys will see when you watch him - he can fly," said Mike Donaghey, the director of amateur scouting. "But his brain and his feet are on the same page. He processes the game so well on both sides of the ice. ...

"He's very detail-oriented in the defensive zone. ... He's gonna be a good player for us for a long time."

The well-spoken Minnesotan has a combined 20 goals and 31 assists in 55 games in the USHL. Moore held back tears upon hearing his name, and he can't wait to become a cornerstone piece of this new era.

"Any chance you get a chance to go into a rebuild like this, it's gonna be special to be a part of," he said. "All the young prospects, they seem like great guys. I just talked to Connor Bedard a little bit too. It's really exciting."

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