Janis Jerome Moser
2020-21 Team: EHC Biel (#90)
Date of Birth: Jun. 6, 2000
Place of Birth: Biel-Bienne, Switzerland
Ht: 6-foot-1
Wt: 172 pounds
Position: D
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 fourth-year eligibility
Rankings
NHL Central Scouting: 28th (amongst EU skaters)
Janis Jerome Moser is a Swiss prospect who’s currently in his final year of draft eligibility. Having just turned 21 on June 6, he’s a few years older and a few steps ahead of the rest of the 2021 draft class. But the Swiss defender has taken a massive step forward that’s sure to catch the eyes of some scouts this year.
Born in Biel-Bienne, Moser has spent more or less his entire hockey career playing for the various levels of teams his city has, going all the way back to his U15 years. He’s been a member of EHC Biel’s top team in the National League for three years now and has two World Junior appearances to his name as well. He registered two assists in seven games in 2019 and four points in five games in 2020.
Related: THW’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide
Moser’s first two seasons with EHC Biel weren’t really anything to write home about, at least offensively. He finished the 2018-19 season with seven points in 43 games and had nine points in 40 games in 2019-20. These numbers aren’t horrible, but the fact that he was playing overseas versus junior hockey in North America likely plays into the fact that he’s yet to be drafted. As I’ve said in many cases regarding prospects, oftentimes, European pro hockey teams are more concerned with icing the best possible lineup versus acting as a development team for the NHL. So younger players might not get adequate ice time unless they’re clear standouts.
That’s completely changed this year, as Moser has taken a massive step forward in his development. He finished the 2020-21 season with 30 points in 48 games, good for seventh in the league in scoring among defensemen, and was also named team captain prior to the season. The only Swiss defenseman to have a better season than Moser at his age is Roman Josi.
Given the fact that he’s only 21 years old and playing in a league with grown men, having the honour of being awarded the captaincy speaks volumes about his character and leadership values. He’s become an all-around, bonafide all-situations defenseman for his team.
Other THW Draft Profiles
Yusaku Ando
Lorenzo Canonica
Matthew Coronato
Janis Jerome Moser – NHL Draft Projection
Moser’s age makes him difficult to rank. Sometimes, teams will be willing to take a flyer on an overage player early on (a la Yegor Korshkov in 2016), but sometimes the age is a turn-off to scouts. Between his offensive improvement and his leadership qualities, I think Moser has done enough to earn him a mid-round selection this year. I would peg him to go anywhere between the fourth and the sixth round.
Quotables
“J.J. Moser is an all-around D-man with great skating skills and is brilliant defensively. He can also play on the powerplay thanks to his good hockey sense.” –Cedric Martin, EliteProspects
Strengths
Skating
Passing
Puck Control
Hockey IQ
Under Construction – Improvements to Make
The beauty about a player like Moser is that he doesn’t really thrive in one specific area of his game, but he’s solid in all of them. He could maybe stand to throw the body a little bit more, but other than that, he’s pretty stable in every aspect.
NHL Potential
Again, a player like Moser is tough to gauge. If a team takes a chance on him and his development progresses smoothly, his ceiling is a top-four, all-situations defenseman. But a safer bet would be to call him a top-six defenseman who can chip in offensively and give you a sense of comfort on the back end.
Risk-Reward Potential
Risk – 1/5, Reward – 3/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offence – 6/10, Defence 7/10
Awards/Achievements
Moser was named a top-three player on his team at both the U18 World Juniors in 2018 and the U20 World Juniors in 2020. He was also named the NL Youngster of the Year in 2018-19 and was named to the NL Media Swiss All-Star Team this year.