LA Kings Prospect Report: Jacob Moverare
- Updated: March 5, 2018
Since he took his career to North America, Los Angeles Kings prospect Jacob Moverare has been nothing short of the consummate professional. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s become one of the most reliable defensemen in the entire Ontario Hockey League.
In the fall of 2016, just months after being drafted by the Kings, the native of Ostersund, Sweden, joined the OHL’s Mississauga Steelheads and, in short time, made a lasting impact. In fact, during his first season, Moverare quickly became a regular fixture on Mississauga’s top defensive line, showcasing his stellar defensive prowess along with his exceptional hockey IQ. Having said that, though, the weaknesses in the blueliner’s game were evident right off the bat.
Despite his aforementioned strong defensive game, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Moverare came to North America is known as a fairly weak skater and as someone who wasn’t very physical.
That, however, changed over time.
Having a head coach who was once a development coach for the Stanley Cup-winning Los Angeles Kings in 2014, there was no time like the present for Jacob Moverare to turn his weaknesses into strengths. He wasted little time in doing just that.
In 63 games in 2016-17, Moverare scored twice and added 30 assists to go in hand with a plus-21 rating. Not only did his efforts help the Steelheads capture the OHL’s Central Division but led the club to their first-ever league final. This season, however, while Moverare has continued to improve, a knee injury limited him to just 32 games. As a result, the blueliner has been out of action since early January, fresh off earning a silver medal at the World Juniors.
Despite his injury, though, Moverare has made the best of a bad situation as he maintains a positive, team-first attitude — one that his players and his coaches gravitate towards. Among those is Steelheads head coach James Richmond, who took some time to speak with me about Moverare’s progression.
Photo credit: Graig Abel/Getty Images North America
Few Better Sounds Than “Defensively” Sound
There are plenty of Kings fans who miss the services of their unsung defensemen from both of their Stanley Cup victories and for good reason.
While you would have been hard-pressed to find their names on the scoresheet, the likes of Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, and Matt Greene were all integral in the club’s championship success between 2012 and 2014. Like Jacob Moverare, all three were reliable shut-down men. Unlike Moverare, though, all three were established NHLers. In fairness, of course, that is no fault of Moverare’s. As mentioned, there are few better coaches the young D-man could ask for than someone who was part of the Kings’ all-but-crucial development process during this time.
After spending a season with the Steelheads as an assistant, the aforementioned James Richmond was promoted to head coach prior to the start of the 2016-17 season. Almost immediately, he was blessed with the services of Jacob Moverare and, while the Steelheads did have their struggles early on, Moverare was nonetheless a consistent force.
I asked Richmond what he thinks of Moverare’s game, current injury aside, up to this point.
“Well, Mo sees the game better than any other D I see,” Richmond said. “He’s probably the best defensive defenseman in the league. He breaks up plays and he’s a quick-transition player, but he works on it every morning.”
As for his skating, while he has been impressed with Moverare’s progression, Richmond has been even more pleased with the blueliner’s desire to keep getting better.
“He does skills with me on his skating and puck movement. He stick-handles less and is just moving the puck up,” Richmond added.
To add to what Richmond told me (for MakeWayfortheKings.net) in December 2016:
“Off the ice, he’s in the gym for extra time every day,” Richmond continued. “And he’s coming in every morning for extra work on his skating with me, and I’m teaching him things I taught as the [Los Angeles] Kings’ skating coach for the last four years and we’ve been working on that. So, he’s really coming along.”
With More Success Comes More Responsibility
As instrumental as he has been on the ice, Jacob Moverare’s contributions to the Steelheads are not limited to just that. In fact, the 19-year-old has not wasted any time in proving that he’s a leader both on and off the ice.
As is the case for all junior teams, rebuilding is inevitable every three or four years. With that said, coming off an opening-round loss in the 2016 playoffs, few, if any, expected the Steelheads to make much noise the following year. Despite a slow start, the Steelheads won the Central Division with a 34-21-6-7 mark before marching all the way to the franchise’s first OHL Finals berth.
Yet, while the year was a promising one for the Steelheads overall, that was especially the case for Moverare, who was given more responsibility for this season.
“This season, he’s wearing a letter. He’s an assistant captain now,” Richmond told me. “So, we expect him to a leader on and off the ice. He’s been here, playing in North America, for a year now and he knows the league and what’s expected of players and he has been a leader on and off the ice.”
The Silver Lining of the World Juniors Experience
It would be stating the obvious to suggest that kids not making the cut for the World Juniors are disappointed. To be cut the day before your country begins the tournament — on Christmas Day, no less — is just heartbreaking. That, unfortunately, was the case for Jacob Moverare in 2016, who was cut by Sweden just a day before they kicked off their schedule in Montreal.
For some, this may have been debilitating. Not for Moverare, though.
The Kings prospect not only avoided the final cut this past December but he helped Sweden avenge their fourth-place finish in 2016 with a silver-medal win in 2017.
“He had a great experience other than winning a silver medal [losing to Canada in the gold-medal game],” the Steelheads head coach said. “I mean, he played well for [Sweden], played a lot of minutes, was a shut-down guy for them and had a great experience.”
The Road to Recovery a Promising One
“He’s recuperating maybe a week or two ahead, but we don’t know when he’ll be back,” Richmond told me of Moverare’s injury status. “He could be back for the second round of the playoffs or he might be ready for the third round.”
Set to turn 20 in August, next season would be Jacob Moverare’s over-age season in junior. Choosing to return for the said campaign or to pass on it is an important decision for any player. In Moverare’s case, though, it might be a bit trickier.
With everything he has accomplished from being a reliable shut-down D-man to tirelessly addressing areas needing improvement, Jacob Moverare should be a lock to turn pro next season. Whether his first pro destination in North America is Manchester, Ontario or Los Angeles is something worth discussing later but regardless, Moverare certainly has proven that he has what it takes to get to the next level.
Unfortunately, the knee injury which has sidelined him since early January may be an obstacle for the Swedish blueliner moving forward. After all, unless the Steelheads repeat their performance last spring and make another unexpected playoff run, we may not see Moverare in action again this season.
Even as a spectator, Moverare’s role on the team is no different as his attitude has rubbed off on his teammates.
“He’s always a positive guy around the guys,” Richmond noted. “The guys always come in to visit him when he’s in the trainer’s room because he’s a well-liked, well-respected player. So, they gravitate towards him.”
Photo credit: Jeff Duarte
While the Los Angeles Kings may not have had the success they had hoped for since 2014, this season has proven to be a step in the right direction.
From Alex Iafallo to (Moverare’s countryman) Adrian Kempe, the club’s youth movement is becoming more prevalent which is good news for those excited for the future of the Kings. Even if that means not being known as the perennial Stanley Cup contenders they were just a few years ago, emphasis on the club’s future is nonetheless important. Jacob Moverare’s name is near the top of that list of reasons to be excited about the Kings future.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Moverare, as mentioned, possesses magnificent hockey IQ since arriving in North America a little over a year ago. His ability read plays and make accurate passes has definitely been noteworthy, and may just be the difference this fall if the blueliner looks to crack a spot in the Kings’ opening-night lineup and beyond.
The dedication alone that he had to improve in areas like his skating underlines what a valuable asset Jacob Moverare has been to the Mississauga Steelheads. Furthermore, it makes this writer excited about how he’d fare in another locker room, particular that of the Kings or even the AHL’s Reign.
Without Moverare in the lineup, the Steelheads, as of Monday, have a 29-30-1-2 record, which has them occupying the eighth and final playoff spot in the OHL’s Eastern Conference with just six games to go in the regular season.
Unlike other Kings prospects in junior, I have had the privilege of watching Jacob Moverare play — and develop — on a regular basis. So, if his last game in a Steelheads uniform is, in fact, behind us, then it will be a bittersweet transition for this writer. If his last junior game isn’t behind us, however, he will be counted on to help the Steelheads take care of some unfinished business. Regardless, this writer has all the confidence in the world that Jacob Moverare’s transition to the professional ranks will be a smooth one.
Whatever the case may be, Kings fans better watch out as Jacob Moverare is coming faster than they might realize.
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