Ottawa Senators Top 25 Under 25 2024, #23: Javon Moore

#23: Javon Moore

Last Year: N/R, Reader Rank: N/R

Very conveniently for me, the two players I most look forward to following this year from the Ottawa Senators' 2024 draft class also lead our annual Top 25 Under 25 coverage (sandwiched arouns Kevin Reidler). The Sens selected two American players, Blake Montgomery and Javon Moore, in the fourth round just five spots apart and both have pretty decent upside considering how late in the draft the Sens snagged them.

Without having played any games since the draft, I only have so much I can add to Ary's excellent draft coverage and if anything I can just contextualize Moore's place in Ottawa's system and why we ranked him 23rd on our collective ballot.

I'll start by reiterating what we talked about on draft day: the Sens' prospect pool got bigger and taller this summer. As a high-schooler that some reports list at 6'4", Moore certainly fits into Steve Staois' vision, physically. I'll add that given everything I know about Moore, the fourth round seems like a perfectly good place to find this style of player, and he does have the potential to outperform the expectations here.

Scouts love Moore's size and his potential to fill out into a beast on the ice—duly noted. Like a lot of American draftees (Josh Norris and Shane Pinto come to mind) Moore gets a lot of love for his athleticism. Whereas Canadian and European junior programs develop hockey players, US programs develop athletes. Moore presents as a big, strong dude and scouts have noted his explosive skating as an asset.

Many have added the caveat, however, that we can only ascertain so much watching a bigger athlete dominate smaller high school competition. Naturally Moore will face new challenges this year in the USHL, presumably, and next year in college. Moore has relied heavily on his size as a separator so far in his young career.

Some scouts also have reservations about Moore's ability to generate offence as he moves along the developmental path, as a relatively streaky goal-scorer in high school. Moore has lots of skill to complement his skating and strength. Some critics have questioned whether he has the vision to put it all together against better competition.

And with all that in mind, I repeat that I really like Moore as a fourth-rounder. With his tools, he has the potential to play really impactful hockey for this organization. Coaches and trainers can work with Moore on the finer elements of his game and if they can tap into some goal-scoring potential then Ottawa will have a special player down the road. And if Moore struggles to find his scoring touch, the Sens still get a perfectly solid winger who can contribute in other ways thanks to his natural abilities.

By the sounds of it, Moore would benefit from the gradual development process of spending this season in the USHL before ultimately reporting to the University of Minnesota where he'll join a rather prestigious hockey program. He'll have a long road to Ottawa and he will need to demonstrate his ability to score against tougher opponents but looking at the big picture, Moore has definitely merited his debut on our annual rankings.