By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Will Moore arrived at Boston College with the pedigree of a top prospect who could help the Eagles retain their Hockey East crown and return to the Frozen Four. Instead, he watched his ice time shrink to single digits down the stretch as the door slammed shut on their postseason hopes with an overtime loss in the Hockey East semifinal.
Plenty of players in his position would have hit the transfer portal looking for greener pastures and more playing time elsewhere. Moore chose to stick around because having patience wasn’t new to him.
Heading into his draft year, Moore was projected as high as a mid-first-round pick, but by June his stock had cooled into the 30s. He slid even further at the draft, all the way down into the Bruins’ hands at the 51st pick. If the fall bothered him, he wasn’t going to dwell on it. “I think now is a new chapter,” he said at a post-draft press conference. “It doesn’t matter in the end, it’s just what I do from now on and, you know, how I can prove myself.”
That new chapter began with an uphill battle on Chestnut Hill, where the Eagles already had a mostly established forward group. While Moore started the season on the second line, centering a pair of fellow Bruins in Andre Gasseau and Oskar Jellvik, his time in the top six would be short-lived. Due in part to the Eagles scuffling out of the gate to a 2-4-1 record and Dean Letourneau’s breakout, Moore was moved to the third line, where he’d remain for the bulk of the season.
Despite the reduced role, Moore made the most of his ice time when the opportunities were presented. Elevated back to the second line while Hagens and Teddy Stiga were competing in the World Juniors, Moore factored in back-to-back nights against Western Michigan and Lake Superior State, including a goal against the Broncos that was overturned for offside. While his final stat line for the season was a modest 4-6-10 in 33 games, Moore led the Eagles with a 53.1% win rate on faceoffs, showing flashes of the detail-oriented game that scouting outlets like EliteProspects highlighted.
Heading into his sophomore season, the path to playing time looks a lot clearer than a year ago. The departures of Hagens, Gasseau, and Jellvik dug a significant chunk out of the Eagles’ forward depth, particularly down the middle, presenting an opportunity for Moore to reclaim the second-line center role behind Letourneau. But like last year, just because it is open doesn’t mean it is guaranteed.
On paper, incoming freshman Teddy Mutryn looks to be the main competitor for Moore to fend off, coming to Chestnut Hill off a 31-37-68 point season with Moncton in the QMJHL. But Anthony Smith of EaglesInsider points to Stiga as his top rival, yet still gives Moore the edge.
“ I don’t really think Stiga is a centerman right now, which is his main threat for that role,” Smith told me. “[Moore]’s my pick for the 2C role given his ability to take faceoffs.”
Smith also highlighted Moore’s overall development, noting that he’s bulked up from 160lbs with the NTDP to 195lbs and has improved his skating, but still has more to work on. “That’s one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in quite a while,” he said of Moore’s weight gain.
To this point, Moore’s career as a Boston Bruin has been defined by having to wait for his turn, both at the draft and throughout his freshman year. Now, another new chapter is about to unfold for him, and he no longer has to wait to show what he can do.
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