It took nearly three years, six call-ups and five NHL games, but Trevor Moore has his first career goal.
With 5:30 remaining in the first period of Toronto's eventual 5-0 victory over Vancouver on Saturday, the Maple Leafs winger evaded Canucks defenseman Derrick Pouliot with a nifty move and netted a wrister five-hole past netminder Jacob Markström, bringing the 19,388 fans in attendance at Scotiabank Arena to their feet.
The goal gave Toronto a 2-0 lead. It was Moore's third career point; he recorded assists in his first two NHL games in late December.
"I was just trying to drive the play down to the other end of the ice but I didn't think I was going to get around (Pouliot) and have that happen, so that was great," Moore said postgame.
It was just 2 1/2 years ago when the University of Denver product attended a Maple Leafs developmental camp in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Toronto signed Moore as an undrafted free agent in July 2016.
"Yeah, it does feel like a long time ago," the 23-year-old Moore said as he reflected on his journey. "It felt like a lot of development from that point, but it was surreal tonight. I got chills just thinking about that experience."
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Moore has been honing his skills in the American Hockey League since the 2016-17 season. He played a pivotal role in the Marlies' journey to the Calder Cup last season, notching 17 points in 20 games. He has netted 12 goals and 21 assists for the Maple Leafs' AHL affiliate this season and was named to the league's All-Star team.
His NHL opportunities have come as the result of an emergency call-up in response to a rash of injuries to Tyler Ennis and others. Moore has primarily seen action on Toronto's seldom-used fourth line, but head coach Mike Babcock sees full-time NHL potential in the California native.
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"He's going to be an NHLer, for sure," Babcock said. "It's just, how soon do you want him to play eight minutes? Do you know what I mean? That's the beauty of not getting kids here too soon is you want them to score. The more he scores (in the AHL), the more likely he's going to score at the NHL level.
"I mean, he's an NHL player, but how many years do you want to do that? That's the big thing for us. Obviously, if we can get healthy he can go down, score a lot and become a scorer rather than a checker."
As Babcock said, Moore may not have many NHL opportunities once the Maple Leafs' injured reserve list clears up, but with his first goal netted, he has proven he can score — and do so in style.