Analyzing Oliver Moore's performance in his rookie season with Blackhawks

All Blackhawks eyes are focused on incoming top prospect Anton Frondell, who will make his NHL debut Tuesday at the Islanders or Thursday at the Flyers.

A year ago at this time, however, all Hawks eyes were focused on incoming top prospects Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel, who since have become regulars in the lineup.

The buzz surrounding those Minnesota boys wasn’t quite the same as it is for Frondell, but it’s important not to suffer from too much Shiny Object Syndrome.

With Moore’s rookie season probably finished — he won’t return from a lower-body injury ‘‘anytime soon,’’ coach Jeff Blashill said Friday, and barely three weeks remain in the season — it’s worth taking the time to evaluate his performance.

Moore, 21, had 19 points (five goals, 14 assists) in 51 games while averaging 12 minutes, 51 seconds of ice time. That point total ranks 23rd among rookie forwards leaguewide.

On one hand, he was significantly less productive than Blues rookie Jimmy Snuggerud, who was drafted with a similar pick (23rd overall vs. 19th overall) one year before Moore and left Minnesota last spring, just as Moore did. Snuggerud has 15 goals and 21 assists in 57 games so far and is averaging 16:26 of ice time.

On the other hand, Moore’s defensive play exceeded expectations. Analytically, his defense ranked in the 66th percentile leaguewide (according to JFresh Hockey), while Snuggerud ranks in the fifth percentile defensively.

Moore’s 49.1% scoring-chance ratio also led Hawks forwards, even though the team was outscored 32-20 during his five-on-five ice time.

His skating speed, which was touted as his best skill dating to the 2023 draft, didn’t disappoint, either. He reached 23 mph once (Dec. 4 at the Kings) and had 140 bursts faster than 20 mph — roughly 2.1 per 10 minutes of ice time.

For comparison, Connor Bedard, who has been praised for his much-increased speed this season, has averaged about 1.4 bursts faster than 20 mph per 10 minutes.

And Moore’s positive, happy-go-lucky personality lived up to the hype, too.

‘‘He’s a firecracker,’’ former Hawks forward Jason Dickinson said Jan. 26. ‘‘He’s just always going. Every day he just comes in with a smile, [and] he’s got the memory of a goldfish.’’

It was interesting that Blashill chose to slot Moore into the shutdown third-line-center spot vacated by Dickinson after the trade deadline.

Moore got injured early in his second game in that role, so he didn’t get to show how well (or poorly) he fit, but he was excited about the opportunity.

‘‘I do think I’ve been better at center this year,’’ Moore said March 5. ‘‘[In the] long term, I can see myself — I mean, I don’t know if this is what they want me to do — but I love shutting other guys down. I think I could use my speed in those areas defensively and try to press on teams. It could be a role that could suit me well down the road.’’

There’s much yet to be determined about the Hawks’ 2026-27 depth chart at forward, but the fact that Moore appeared more effective at center than on the wing this season is worth keeping in mind.

Once his hot start in the NHL (eight points in 15 games) wore off, it was a post-Christmas move to center that revitalized him, even if it didn’t show up noticeably on the stat sheet.

He looked more comfortable in the middle and was able to penetrate defenses and generate forechecking pressure more frequently in that position.

He was also respectable on faceoffs, winning 48.3%, and mentioned how taking faceoffs helped him get engaged immediately every shift.

Playing center exclusively would limit Moore’s top-six opportunities moving forward, given Bedard and Frank Nazar are fairly cemented there. But centers generally are considered more valuable than wingers.