From Acton to the Cup? Ian Moore pursuing his NHL dream

At this year’s commencement, Acton’s Ian Moore received his degree in economics from Harvard University.

While most of his classmates headed off to begin their respective careers, Moore already had a head start on his future.

After playing his final game with Harvard’s men’s hockey team in the ECAC playoffs in March, Moore signed a two-year entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, the team that selected him in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

He started playing for the San Diego Gulls, the Ducks’ American Hockey League affiliate, shortly after. After nine games in which he scored one goal and four assists, he moved up to the Ducks, where he played the final three games of the NHL regular season, notching his first NHL point, an assist, in the season finale against the Winnipeg Jets.

His first game with the Ducks was at the Honda Center in Anaheim, against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It was like when you dreamed about it,” said Moore, a 23-year-old, 6-foot-3, 200-pound defenseman, “except it was even better than when you were imagining it, shooting in your driveway or skating on the ice in youth hockey.”

Moore made his debut in front of his family, including his older brother, Nolan, who flew in from France, where he had spent the winter playing hockey. Many of his childhood friends from Acton and college friends also made it.

“The Ducks did a super job organizing it and getting everyone out there,” Moore said. “There were about 40 people there.”

Moore said the veteran players helped him feel comfortable with his new team.

“They showed me what to do on the ice and, more importantly, off the ice,” he said. “They took all the new players out to dinner and made us feel comfortable. They did that in San Diego and Anaheim.”

Moore’s journey began in Acton, where he played in the Acton-Carlisle Youth Hockey Association.

“I’ve lived in Acton for 18 or 20 years,” he said. “I started playing in CCYHA at the Middlesex School, on the travel teams and the Mites. I played a lot of different positions, even goalie, and I played with my older brother Nolan.”

Nolan, who’s a year older than Ian, graduated in 2024 from Middlebury College, where he was a team captain.

“He’s been my biggest influence,” Moore said. “I followed him everywhere. We were always playing or watching hockey, and he was always pushing me to be my best.”

Their father, Mike, who played high school hockey in Buffalo, New York, coached the two brothers for much of their youth hockey careers.

After attending the Willard School until the fifth grade and the Fenn School for grades six through nine, Moore followed his brother to St. Mark’s School in Southborough. He graduated from St. Mark’s as the top-scoring defenseman in New England prep hockey and then played for the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League, helping the Steel win the 2021 USHL Clark Cup championship.

At Harvard, Moore helped the Crimson win the ECAC championship in 2022. As a senior, he was a second-team All-Ivy selection. His 56 career points placed him seventh all-time in scoring for the college team.

“He put a lot of time and effort into developing himself,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato, also a Harvard grad who played in the NHL. “He’s a really mature player with a strong work ethic who will carry those things to the next level.”

This summer, Moore is training in Foxborough and Deerfield Beach, Florida, to prepare for what he hopes will be his first full season in the NHL. 

When he reports to training camp at the end of the summer, the Ducks will have a new coach. Joel Quenneville is the second-winningest coach in NHL history and guided the Chicago Blackhawks to Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

“He’s one of the most successful coaches in NHL history,” Moore said. “It will be a great experience.”

Though he already has appeared on the ice for the Ducks, Moore must earn his spot on the team.

“Nothing is given,” he said. “Everything is earned.”