Sam on Sports: Lincoln Moore
By Sam Laskaris
GARDEN RIVER FIRST NATION— Lincoln Moore has always been one of the go-to guys on various hockey teams that he’s played for, but this year may be different as he switches gears.
The 17-year-old member of Garden River First Nation is now a rookie with the Michigan-based Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and like most rookies in the league, is doing his best to soak up as much information and advice as he can.
Moore was ecstatic this past May when the Spirit made him the top pick over-all in the OHL Under-18 draft.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moore’s entire 2020-21 hockey season had been wiped out. He was unable to showcase his talents to any scouts and, in part because of that, was not chosen by any OHL squads in its Under-16 draft held in 2021.
He made the most of his second chance though, starring with a Sault Ste. Marie Under-18 AAA club the following season and also playing a few Junior A contests with the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds.
His efforts that season prompted the Saginaw squad to draft him.
And despite being a highly-touted draftee, Moore quickly found out that doesn’t necessarily translate into playing time once the OHL season began this past September. In fact, Moore was a healthy scratch for Saginaw’s first 12 regular season contests. The team’s brass told him they wanted him to improve the defensive parts of his game before putting him into action.
So that’s what Moore has been doing. Practising. Learning. Improving.
And it’s been paying off. Moore has been seeing some playing time with the squad in recent months.
Yes, he has still been sat out the odd game here and there, but never more than two matches in a row.
Moore has managed to play in 28 games with the Spirit thus far. And he’s scored three goals in those appearances.
Though he’s primarily been utilized as a fourth-liner, due to some injuries with other players, Moore has at times toiled on the club’s third or second lines.
Moore said he is not frustrated at all with his playing time or lack of it; he understands his role in his OHL rookie season.
And besides, he feels he is developing simply by practising and playing with and against elite players, many of which will find themselves being National Hockey League regulars in the coming years.
Moore is hoping he once again becomes a go-to guy in the OHL. For motivation, he simply has to look at Theo Hill, the only other Indigenous player on the Saginaw roster this season.
Hill, a member of Six Nations of the Grand River, scored the grand total of three goals during his first OHL season when he was a member of the Sarnia Sting.
Hill, 20, is now one of the leaders in the Sarnia lineup.
Moore would dearly love to pop in another goal soon so he can start chirping his veteran teammate that he scored more in his rookie campaign, but if that doesn’t happen, that’s okay. Moore will still be content. He knows his days to become that go-to guy he used to be are ahead of him still.
About the Author
Sam Laskaris is a veteran Toronto-based writer. His articles have appeared in more than 200 North American publications. His new column on Anishinabek athletes and sports events, titled Sam on Sports, will be published in Anishinabek News.