2019 NHL Draft: Devils Picked Patrick Moynihan at 158th Overall in the Sixth Round

At 158th overall, the New Jersey Devils selected USNTDP right wing Patrick Moynihan. He’s coming off of a solid season for a stacked USNTDP program and is committed to Providence College next season. Let’s learn a little bit more about the player.

Who is Patrick Moynihan?

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Jenna profiled Moynihan back in early May. EliteProspects list Moynihan at 5’11, 183 lbs. with a January 23, 2001 birthdate. The native of Millis, Massachusettes was ranked 72nd by McKeen’s, 95th by Hockey Prospect, and 99th by Future Considerations. He attended the Noble & Greenough School from 2015-17, just missing out on playing with Miles Wood by a season. He’s been with the US National Team Developmental Program (USNTDP) from 2017 to present, excelling as a solid secondary option. This past season he had 19 goals and 27 assists in 64 USDP games and 12 goals and 10 assists in 28 USHL games. He’s already won a U17 WHC Gold Medal and U18 WJC Bronze Medal as a member of USA Hockey. He is committed to joining Providence College for next season where he will be a teammate with another new Devils prospect, Tyce Thompson.

What Others Say About Patrick Moynihan

Over at his EliteProspects profile, McKeen’s and Future Considerations had this to say about the prospect:

He is a diligent and versatile forward, able to impact the game in both offensive and defensive roles, McKeen’s Hockey 2019

He has a good shot and is able to release it quickly to fool opposing goaltenders, Future Considerations 2019

Ben Kerr had plenty to say in this profile of Moynihan. Below are some parts that I found interesting.

Re: Skating

Moynihan has very good but not quite great speed. He is able to keep up with the play and can even beat a number of other players on the ice. While he does not reach the elite level of his teammate Jack Hughes, he is in the next tier.

Re: Offensive Game

Moynihan plays a simple but effective game. He has a very good wrist shot and a quick release. He gets himself into good positions to take a pass from a teammate and fire the puck on net. Moynihan is also willing to get in quickly on the forecheck, pressuring opponents and creating turnovers in order to generate offensive chances. He can maintain possession on the cycle game, protecting the puck well and moving it with short and quick passes.

Re: Defensive Game

Moynihan is a solid defensive player. He backchecks effectively. Moynihan is willing to provide support down low against the cycle game. He is also more than willing to play a physical and gritty game along the boards. Moynihan is a willing shot blocker. He also anticipates plays well, leading to him being in the right position to cut down passing lanes.

Bill Placzek of Draft Site had this to say about Moynihan:

He is solid in all three zones and is the defender who ends up matching with the oppositions “bumper” in the high slot or even covering the low slot guy. This is a solid just under six foot two-way center who basically can line up at any one of the forward positions and help his team, slide up and down the line-up, disrupt flow as your penalty-killer and be impactful on offense.

Mike Morreale had this tweet about Moynihan:

My Initial Reaction of the Pick

For a 6th round pick, I’m satisfied with this selection. Moynihan isn’t flashy, doesn’t have high end skill, but seems to be a “glue” guy that can help in a variety of depth roles on any team. He’s shown the ability to provide secondary scoring at a high level for his age group, he’s shown the ability to play a strong two-way game across all three zones thanks to his hockey IQ. He’s committed to a good college program and should have plenty of time to develop his overall game prior to turning pro. I think there is the real potential for him to turn into a solid, 3rd line type player at the NHL level that can contribute on the PK. For those reasons, I’m happy with the selection.

Ipdate: The more I’ve read about Moynihan, the more I’ve come to like him as a prospect. Hockey Prospect, Future Considerations, and McKeen’s all felt he was a Top 100 talent and the Devils were able to get him at 158th overall which is great. He really seems like he’s one of those players that has the potential to make everyone else around him better. I look forward to seeing how he develops over the next few seasons at Providence.

Your Take

As we update this post with more information later today, please have your say about person in the comments. Are you satisfied with this selection? What are your expectations for this prospect? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!

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