2025 NHL Prospect-: L.J. Mooney

Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Draft Prospects: L.J. Mooney

Former Pittsburgh Penguins Elite forward projected as late first-round or early second-round pick in 2025

This series will profile NHL Draft hopefuls hailing from the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite program

In 2008, a grassroots hockey campaign began its first leg in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area when Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins program was launched.

Flash forward 16 years later, and not only is Crosby’s program – and higher levels of the program called “Elite” programs – now part of every NHL city, but the league itself is seeing more and more products of the Penguins’ youth initiative program from the Western Pennsylvania region.

We began this series by discussing 2025 first round hopeful, USHL defenseman Charlie Tretheway. Another product of Pittsburgh Penguins Elite who figures to border on being a first round selection in 2025 is forward prospect John “L.J.” Mooney.

Mooney, 17 (2007 class), was born and raised in West Mifflin, located just outside of Pittsburgh, Pa. He spent three seasons in the Pens Elite program from 2020-23, and he has represented the U.S. National Team for the World Hockey Challenge (WHC) and World Junior Classic (WJC) as well as the USNTDP Junior team in the USHL. Mooney has also committed to the University of Minnesota for the 2026-27 season.

He also happens to be 2022 third overall pick and Utah Hockey Club star center Logan Cooley's cousin. Hockey is in his bloodline, so it should come as no surprise to anyone when Mooney turns heads at the NHL Draft table in 2025.

Although Mooney’s size is a bit underwhelming - he is currently listed at only 5-foot-7, 146 pounds - he brings a lot to the table in terms of skill and his two-way game with even more room for growth. So don't let his small frame fool you into thinking he is incapable of experiencing success at higher levels.

The right winger has great offensive instincts, soft hands, and a high-energy motor to boot. He has top-notch puck skills and excels at possession, all while doing a lot of the little things in the offensive zone to create space and produce scoring chances. He's a cerebral player, which is something that should mostly outweigh the limitations because of his size.

His speed is also a big plus. His stickhandling is superb, too, and, according to Elite Prospects, his shot accuracy is pretty legitimate.

Simply put, there’s not much within the offensive zone that this kid can’t do. But his all-around game is equally as impressive, as he shows strong defensive zone awareness and a willingness and ability to win puck battles.

For Pens Elite U16 in 2022-23, Mooney registered 41 goals and 101 points in 67 games, which really got him on the radar for the US National Team in 2023-24. That season, he went on to record 24 goals and 53 points in 61 combined games between the U17 and U18 teams, and he scored the overtime game-winner in the 2023 World Hockey Challenge to help the US advance to the Final.

And he was awarded for his strong performance in 2023-24 this past summer.

Mooney was named to the U17 USA Hockey Select Team for the Five Nations Tournament in August, where he registered a goal and six points in six games during the tournament. And so far this season in the USHL, he has a goal and three points in four games.

So this brings us to his draft projection. He has bounced around a bit in terms of draft standing over the past couple of years, and many outlets are concerned about his size. That will definitely bring him down several notches in most draft projections, which is understandable to a certain extent.

However, Mooney does have the raw talent and hockey smarts to project as a late first-round pick. There’s a decent chance his stock rises this season if he settles in and proves that he can play a physical, more fast-paced game against bigger competition. Because, again, the pure skill level of this kid is off the charts, and if he can find a way to use his strengths as compensation for that lack of size, he should have a pretty decent career as a hockey player.

So do yourself a favor, and don’t overlook L.J. Mooney. Even if he does end up slipping to the second round in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, there is some real value in this all-around player with high offensive upside.

THREE STRENGTHS:

Stickhandling
Speed
Offensive Zone Awareness

THREE WEAKNESSES:

Size
Physicality
Passing

DRAFT NATION PROJECTED 2025 NHL DRAFT POSITION: 25-32

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Kelsey Surmacz, Guest Contributor

The Hockey News