"Blue Jackets rookie John Moore got his cup of NHL coffee in two games last season. The Blue Jackets, perhaps wisely, made sure he didn't drink too deeply.

Moore, 21, has proved to be one of the top rookie defensemen in the NHL this season. This smooth-skating first-round draft pick in 2009 has quietly shown he belongs in a league that has mostly used and abused the last-place Blue Jackets.

"We're very cognizant of the fact that having some of the younger players around this environment would be very harmful," general manager Scott Howson said. "He's seemed to have handled it well. He is so committed that I think whatever you throw at him he is going to be able to deal with eventually."

Moore has been a mainstay in the lineup since he was recalled from minor-league Springfield on Oct.?22. He has two goals and four assists in 41 games and has become an increasingly important member of the defensive corps."