The fourth round of the NHL entry draft is a time for team to take some swings on undervalued players. The Montreal Canadiens did precisely that with their 113th-overall pick, taking the diminutive L.J. Mooney from the U.S. development program.
The Habs have had some success drafting undersized players from that program in the past, albeit significantly higher in the draft. Mooney does not come with the pedigree of their top-line winger, but he has enough skill to suggest that they may have found a real sleeper pick.
Birthplace: West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Date of birth: March 8, 2007
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 157 lbs.
Team: U.S. National Team Development Pogram
Mooney had a very productive 2024-25 season, with 51 points as part of the U-18 team, another 28 with the juniors, and co-leading the American U-18 WJC team with 11 points in seven games. Normally, this kind of production puts you in higher-round conversations, like his co-leader at the WJC in William Moore, who went to the Boston Bruins in the second round.
Of course, a significant lack of size has always been something that can overshadow strong production. Mooney is headed to a very strong University of Minnesota program in the NCAA next season, so he’ll get a step up in competition and look to prove that he’s more than his measurements.
Size is definitely a concern. If you think Cole Caufield is small, Mooney clocks in at an inch shorter, and roughly 20 pounds lighter than the Canadiens’ sniper. He seems to land a shocking amount of big hits for someone of his stature, but this against junior competition.
He has an extremely high compete level, so he tries very hard to play the game as if he’s much bigger than he really is. Undersized players have to work a lot harder to make it professional and succeed once they’re there. The good news for Mooney is that for all his lack of size, he has a motor that simply does not quit.
How Mooney overcomes that lack of size is usually through his elite skating. He is incredibly fast, agile, and able to attack with deception to manipulate defenders and create scoring opportunities. Simply put, he controls the pace of the game and forces larger players to try and run at his speed, which is no easy task.
A true playmaker, the vast majority of his points come in the form of assists. All of his pace-pushing and deceptive skating is to the end of setting up his teammates, which he does with some extremely accurate passes. There is some Caufield in his game in how he zips around the ice without taking contact, but where Caufield is looking for his chance to shoot, Mooney is constantly scanning and locating his teammates in dangerous areas.
The biggest knock on his game outside of his size is that he simply doesn’t shoot enough. He has a good shot, but his pass-first mentality can lead to him trying some things that he really shouldn’t – foregoing the simple play of a shot on goal. If he can add a bit more confidence in his shot, he’ll be able to force defenders to respect that aspect of his game a little more, which will benefit his overall production and chances of making the NHL.
Rankings
Bob McKenzie: #80
Elite Prospects: #73
Hockey Prospect: #94
Corey Pronman: #102
Scott Wheeler: #38
Will Scouch: #28
Literally everyone had Mooney ranked higher than his eventual position, with some having him as high as a late-first or second-round talent. We see this often with smaller, skilled players, because teams know that it will be an uphill battle for them to make the NHL. The Habs took a flyer on a very skilled player, and for a 113th pick, it has the potential to be a home run if he can win his uphill battle into the league.
You don’t have to look hard to find a ton of people who were singing his praises as a potential sleeper pick before the draft even started. With the Habs having already added size earlier in the draft, it made far too much sense for them to take this swing and find out what so many people were talking about.
