Trevor Moore battles. He glides down the ice, scrappy on the puck. Turning and twisting while defenders struggle to maintain their balance, he fights his way through the defense and competes for position above the crease. Moore waits for any opportunity to deflect a slap shot from one of his teammates past the goaltender, anticipating any chance when he can lift the Los Angeles Kings to victory. 

When the moment comes, Crypto.com Arena erupts. The buzzer sounds and “Hollywood Nights” by Bob Seager plays across the stadium, indicating an LA Kings win. And those not in attendance, but still following along are reminded of Moore’s hometown by the LA Kings’ play–by–play announcer, Nick Nickson, as he exclaims to all listening, “Goal scored by Thousand Oaks native, Trevor Moore!”

The 30–year old left–winger has evolved from an undrafted free–agent into a reliable scorer on a Stanley Cup contending team. His path to the National Hockey League was never easy, especially growing up in Thousand Oaks, California, a town that is not known for producing many hockey players.

“When I grew up in Toronto, the caliber of hockey players was much different in California than in Canada,” said Daryl Evans, former NHL player and current ice–side commentator for the Los Angeles Kings. “A seven, eight year–old kid [in Canada] was probably the equivalent of a 15–16 year old kid here, so it is great to see a local kid succeed. Trevor is going to be a role model for a lot of kids coming up.”

Though Moore did not grow up in a hockey town like many other professional players, hockey runs in his family. His grandfather is from Montreal, Québec, a city that is home to many top–level hockey players, and his father, who played hockey himself, introduced him to the game he loves.

Moore was a student at Colina Middle School when he began playing organized hockey. He would practice at the Iceoplex in Simi Valley where he quickly found a passion for the game. He was born into an LA Kings family; Moore’s parents still have the same season ticket seats that they had since Moore was a kid. Now they get to watch their son play for his childhood team.

Growing up an LA Kings fan, Moore watched the LA hockey club lift their first Stanley Cups in 2012 and again in 2014. Those championship teams were led by players such as Jonathan Quick, Dustin Brown, Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. When Moore first became a King, he was learning from some of the players he idolized growing up.

“It’s been amazing,” said Moore. “When I first got here, there were still so many of the guys [from the Stanley Cup teams] like Jeff Carter, [Jonathan] Quick and [Alec] Martinez. It’s been really cool to meet and play with those guys who have lived up to the hype.”

After middle school, Moore attended WHS for his freshman year. Since he was still chasing his dream of playing professional hockey, Moore would go to school in the mornings and drive about two hours to Lakewood for hockey practice right after.

“[Managing hockey and school work] is a lot,” said hockey player Daniel Kahn ‘26. “It’s very tough. You’re always tired. You really don’t have time to do school work. You do a three hour workout, then go do algebra.”

Moore acknowledged how difficult it was to handle being a full–time student and a hockey player in Southern California, so he decided to transfer online for his sophomore year. Prior to junior year, he left his hometown to play hockey in Carney, Nebraska. Two years later, he committed to play hockey at the University of Denver.

At the collegiate level, Moore totalled an impressive 89 points in 79 games throughout his first two seasons in Denver. He declared for the 2015 NHL draft after his sophomore year, but teams passed on him due to his lack of size as a 5 ‘9, 175–pound player; he went undrafted.

Moore returned to the University of Denver for his junior year of college, and he finished the season as a top 24 player in the nation in points. He earned an opportunity with the Toronto Maple Leafs on an entry–level contract in 2016. Moore played for the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, from 2016–2018. Eventually, his NHL dream became a reality when he debuted with Toronto in the 2018–2019 season.

“I have been watching [Moore] since he was with the Maple Leafs,” said Jim Fox, former LA Kings player and current lead analyst for the LA Kings. “In the back of my mind, I was always saying, ‘why is he not playing more there?’ I saw the skill level he had.”

Moore’s hockey career took a twist in the middle of the 2019–20 season when the LA Kings and the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed on a trade that sent Moore back to Southern California to play for his hometown team. 

“I got traded right after a game in New York,” said Moore. “It was weird because it was hard getting traded, but once I settled in, I got really excited. I was like ‘I’m going home!’”

Moore experienced success early in his tenure with the Kings. He recorded 23 points during his first full season in LA. In the following 2021–22 season, he had a breakout year, lighting the lamp 17 times and adding 31 assists to a career season.

“I just like his vision on the ice,” said hockey player Jack Gresl ‘26. “He is a very selfless player, always looking for his teammates. He is less selfish than many other forwards in the league.”

The kid from Thousand Oaks, California who had been passed on by every NHL team solidified himself as an elite forward for LA in the 2023–24 season. He recorded career–highs with 31 goals and 57 points. He played all 82 games for the Kings, displaying his full value when he was healthy. 

“He never stops working,” said Matthew McLean, Algebra and Geometry teacher and hockey fan. “He has the skill to be a great scorer in addition to being just a hard worker. He is really fun to watch.”

This year, Moore got off to a rocky start, but he found his groove during the last weeks of the regular season. In the first four months of league play, the former Westlake Warrior struggled with injuries and only scored six goals. However, from the start of February to the end of the regular season, in mid–April, Moore tallied 12 goals and eight assists. 

When asked about the key to his late–season success, he was unsure about what was behind his strong finish. 

“I don’t know,” said Moore. “I couldn’t tell you, but I think sometimes, early in the year, if you don’t get the bounces, your confidence goes down. Then, all of a sudden, you’ll get a couple of bounces, and your confidence just shoots up.”

No big moment seems too bright for Moore as he has scored five playoff goals in his career entering this year’s first round matchup. One of which was an overtime winner for the Kings in the 2022 first round. As the playoffs bring extremely intense games, Moore fits the energy well with his style of play.

“In the playoffs, [the games do] speed up,” said Fox. “But, I would say Trevor’s number one asset is his quickness, speed and power, so that probably fits perfectly in a playoff game.”

The LA Kings ended this year’s regular season in second place within the Pacific Division, which led to a fourth consecutive first round matchup against the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings started out the series well, winning the first two games of the series, but the Oilers responded with four consecutive wins and took the series in six games.

Though it was the fourth consecutive year that LA lost in the first round to Edmonton, there were some positives, including Moore’s performance. He had two assists and scored two goals, including an impressive breakaway goal that he poked past the goaltender with one hand in game three.

As the LA Kings have a balanced roster, mixed with veteran former champions and young new talent, the team seems fit for a championship run. If that moment comes, and Moore gets the opportunity to lift the Stanley Cup with his hometown club, it would feel like a storybook moment.

“It would be really, really surreal,” said Moore. “Something that would be the absolute highlight of my life. To be able to [lift the cup with the Kings] would be something you dream about.”

Off the ice, Moore still spends time around Westlake. His family now lives in Simi Valley, which is where he spends a lot of his offseason in the summer. As a 30–year old professional, he is grateful for where he grew up.

“I loved growing up there,” said Moore. “I enjoyed my time at Westlake. I’ll still take my wife out to dinner at Cho Cho San or hang out at the old stomping grounds.”

From his journey as a small freshman at WHS to living out his dreams with the LA Kings, Moore has inspired many in the WHS community and in the Southern California region to defy the odds.

“The fact that we have a professional hockey player out of this school is amazing,” said McLean. “It’s kind of remarkable. I am really happy for him. He is doing really well. Everything about [having a hockey player come out of WHS] is awesome.”

So, when the announcers shout, “Goal scored by Thousand Oaks native, Trevor Moore,” it is a testament to the Westlake Warrior who achieved their dream of becoming a professional athlete and proved many wrong.

“Believe in yourself,” said Moore. “There’s no reason you can’t do something if you really want it. And the most important thing is to have fun with it. Don’t stress too hard, don’t be gripping it too tight, just enjoy it and good things will come.”