Strengths: Hockey IQ, Puck control, shot placement
Development Opportunities: Skating explosivity, Physical growth

The top-6 of BWC this season was packed with talent and Justin Moon seemed to be involved in some way shape or form in most of it. He’s a high-IQ player and someone who can see small openings or find himself in space to make the play that means the difference. He’s an accurate shooter, can slip lower into space, and because he isn’t overly physical or lives on explosive edges, he can come in a little under the radar. He’s someone that might not drive the bus potentially in your top-6, but he’s smart enough and skilled enough to let his efficiency of shot placement and passing accuracy put points on the board.

I thought the match against NAX he looked a touch behind the overall pacing. He was trying to forecheck with purpose with aggressive follow through routes but wasn’t finding the pressured success he was hoping for. When he was left with a bit more time and space, he could turn and shoot quickly, find lateral passes, and be a solid line complimentary piece. Overall though, I thought the games left him a bit more quiet and on the outside. He’s a smart player and think he’s such a terrific linemate if he’s able to challenge players with his pacing.

The effectiveness with Moon comes through his control, smarts, and efficiency. I love when he’s building speed by weaving and protecting his forehand. When he’s looking to build speed early and spring off the rush, he can open quality spacing and be an effective forechecker based on how he reads the defensemen’s intentions. He’s in control through his crossovers and can find those shooting angles both off a cycle or a rush. The second game was much of the same from him as he can spin off coverage and pull pucks laterally while spinning. That ability to pull off higher skill plays with the consistency he does has the potential to go a little unnoticed since he could still add another layer or strength and overall dominating speed. He’s exactly the kind of player who gets better with every added bit of muscle since the strategy and skill set are high.

The details of Justin’s offensive instincts paid off a bit more today as he had a nice rush assist. He can pause to drag the puck just slightly enough to open a lateral passing angle on a 2on1. Out of the defensive zone, he pulled a puck quickly at length to evade the pressure of a pinching defender and springing the rush again. He got a goal by simply trying to center a pass on an odd man rush and the chaos ended up deflecting the puck in the net. I think I’d still like to see him more aggressive on the forecheck and really physically moving into other’s space to close the gaps and seal in some spots. Overall, he proved he can play at pace and drive the middle of the ice or facilitate from the wing.

Some early defensive contributions from Justin caught my eye and made me keep close tabs on him. I liked the way he pressured the puck in the defensive zone, he closed play down quickly and forced some rushed passes and limited the options the opposition had. He pitched in a nice shot block to prevent an opportunity from the point getting through, just adding to his solid defensive work ethic. His offensive play was effective as well, using some quick hands to dodge poke checks and move the puck into a position where he could make a quick pass to spring odd man rushes. He processed the game at a high speed and was able to make snap decisions accordingly, doing well to keep the pace of play up while still playing intelligently and not forcing plays and giving the puck away. He moved well in full flight and was able to move inside/outside with ease through a quick little shuffle and stick handle.

The details of Justin’s offensive instincts paid off a bit more today as he had a nice rush assist. He can pause to drag the puck just slightly enough to open a lateral passing angle on a 2on1. Out of the defensive zone, he pulled a puck quickly at length to evade the pressure of a pinching defender and springing the rush again. He got a goal by simply trying to center a pass on an odd man rush and the chaos ended up deflecting the puck in the net. I think I’d still like to see him more aggressive on the forecheck and really physically moving into other’s space to close the gaps and seal in some spots. Overall, he proved he can play at pace and drive the middle of the ice or facilitate from the wing.

He put his stamp on the game early on by driving into the slot right off the bench and sniping a quick release. I loved how he’d try to push up ice along the gaps of the exterior and trying to drag moves in motion too. He’s a fairly quick player and when he’d not second guessing himself through the turmoil, he was making little touch passes to spring his C through the neutral zone and showing some second efforts by driving backdoor. Overall though, I wondered if he felt a little out of sorts as there were moments where he was a bit unsure of his spacing on where to be.