F John "LJ" Mooney - Pittsburgh Penguins Elite, U16 AAA (2025 Draft)

[William H Bonney]

Serious question...if he is 5'6" right now, how much taller is he likely to grow? I honestly have no idea how much the average 16 year old grows. I would have assumed not much, if at all.

No one really knows. His sisters are shorter than he is and his dad is only 5'9, so I don't think the genetics are on his side. I think at this point you hope he's got enough growth left to get to 5'9.

 

[seadawg]

It's not easy for a small player to make it in the NHL, but he has talent similar to Debrincat and Caufield and they've established themselves in the NHL as small players. It won't be easy, though. There's a reason not many small players make it.

 

[Mathieukferland]

I hope it doesn't start the age-old debacle. My point was that it's impossible to compare the NTDP to any other program right now. I do wonder why Hockey Canada hasn't looked into the NTDP structure though.

The centralization model works well but I think until recently (when the USHL has started to become a lot stronger) players that didn’t make NTDP would slip through the cracks and didn’t have the chance to develop in a high level environment; I think this is one of the benefits of the CHL vs doing centralization in Canada is that players like Claude Giroux or Jamie Benn who would not have been in the top 25 players in their age group go to get and play in a high level environment that would not have been the case otherwise

 

[Breakfast of Champs]

Serious question...if he is 5'6" right now, how much taller is he likely to grow? I honestly have no idea how much the average 16 year old grows. I would have assumed not much, if at all.

On average maybe 1 or 2 inches but the variance is quite high. You will get lots of 16 yo who are full grown but also some who grow 5 inches or more.

 

[seadawg]

Logan Stankoven is a recently drafted small player that I feel might succeed in the NHL, so there's some hope for Mooney even if he doesn't grow much more.

 

[kyle44]

The centralization model works well but I think until recently (when the USHL has started to become a lot stronger) players that didn’t make NTDP would slip through the cracks and didn’t have the chance to develop in a high level environment; I think this is one of the benefits of the CHL vs doing centralization in Canada is that players like Claude Giroux or Jamie Benn who would not have been in the top 25 players in their age group go to get and play in a high level environment that would not have been the case otherwise

There's also some logistical/practical issues with this approach for Canada as well:

1. Who would they play? Aside from international tournaments, the USA NTDP plays a mixture of USHL (similar age group) and NCAA (older and more developed players) through the year. If the Canadian team took the 50 best U17/18 players from the CHL, they could play more diluted (60 CHL teams vs. 16 USHL teams) CHL teams or maybe Canadian University teams. I'm not sure either would provide significant development advantages over their current situation.

2. Which "home" league would they play in? Unlike the USHL, the CHL is comprised of 3 different leagues. I suppose they could play games against all CHL teams, but that would be an awful lot of travel for young kids during the school year. For example, the distance between Victoria, B.C. and Sydney, Nova Scotia is nearly 5,000km.

3. The CHL is rooted in countless small markets across the country who already have difficulty attracting talent and, in some cases, fans. If you take the 50 best U-17/18 players from the "regular" teams, coupled with the players that are already NCAA bound, that could really harm some smaller markets who rely on their respective drafts to attract talent. Can you imagine how much worse the WHL would've been last year without Bedard, Benson, Cristall, Heidt, Yager, Howe, Catton, Gavin, Ritchie, etc.

I certainly don't think the above issues are insurmountable, but I do question the necessity of it. Canada has, and will continue to produce talent. I don't doubt that the NTDP has aided the development of the crop of current American superstars, but I am of the view that many of these recent players would've been stars without the NTDP as well. The USA has nearly 350 million people, hockey is growing in unconventional markets and, IMO, they will continue to produce great players with or without the NTDP. One could also argue the NTDP produced great players, which led to more American interest in hockey, which has led to the talent glut now.

This is not a knock on the program whatsoever; I just think there are too many good American hockey players these days for them to suddenly stagnate again if they disbanded the NTDP.

 

[William H Bonney]

It's early but he hasn't looked impressive with the NTDP. The skating and tiny stature have stood out in the 2 games I've seen but not much else. And the stat line isn't impressive either with just 1 assist in 6 games.

The adjustment curve for the NTDP is steep but he'll need to show more positive signs soon to justify any of the hype (setting aside his size concerns) sticking around.

 

[wetcoast]

It's early but he hasn't looked impressive with the NTDP. The skating and tiny stature have stood out in the 2 games I've seen but not much else. And the stat line isn't impressive either with just 1 assist in 6 games.

The adjustment curve for the NTDP is steep but he'll need to show more positive signs soon to justify any of the hype (setting aside his size concerns) from sticking around.

He might be one guy that might have benefitted from going to a different program but it is what it is.

 

[clevelandcane]

Six games is nothing. I think this kid will eventually shine with the NTDP.

Bite your tongues, anyone even writing the words about disbanding. I LOVE the NTDP. Where else can you see all these high end kids in one spot? Not to mention the international tournaments we get to see. Don't discount the benefits to the fans.

 

[Mathieukferland]

Bite your tongues, anyone even writing the words about disbanding.

Has this been discussed?

 

[bigdog16]

Six games is nothing. I think this kid will eventually shine with the NTDP.

Bite your tongues, anyone even writing the words about disbanding. I LOVE the NTDP. Where else can you see all these high end kids in one spot? Not to mention the international tournaments we get to see. Don't discount the benefits to the fans.

Only downside is you have 4th liners who could be 1st liners and PP elsewhere

 

[clevelandcane]

Has this been discussed?

Just on this board.

Only downside is you have 4th liners who could be 1st liners and PP elsewhere

But they still get such high quality development it's probably worthwhile.

Only downside is you have 4th liners who could be 1st liners and PP elsewhere

But they still get such high quality development it's probably worthwhile.

 

[Oak]

Great little player but a Sean Dhooghe he is not.

 

[Jee]

Now that's a rapper name if I ever see one

 

[Ryan Van Horne]

Clip of Mooney's first goal of the season tonight.

 

[wetcoast]

Clip of Mooney's first goal of the season tonight.

Good for him but man he looks like a shrimp out there.

 

[Bonin21]

Committed to the Gophers.

 

[William H Bonney]

Committed to the Gophers.

Cooley effect I imagine. Poor Penn State does so poorly attracting their in-state talent.

 

[sigx15]

Good for him but man he looks like a shrimp out there.

Reminds me of watching Gerbe play, I think he's got a couple inches on the real Nate the great though

 

[Bonin21]

We'll gladly take him for four years of college.

 

[clevelandcane]

Dang. I wanted this kid at the real UM. Fun kid to watch. He'll do well wherever he goes.

 

[Ryan Van Horne]

I love the way he goes back against the grain on this shot. Kid has a nice release and is really good at changing the angles and release point of his shot.

 

[PK16]

He looked really good tonight. Made a couple of nice passes one of which should have led to a goal.

 

[SK94]

 

[SK94]