Ryan Hardy waited only a day or so after Sheldon Keefe replaced Mike Babcock with the Maple Leafs last month before shooting Kyle Dubas a text: Was Dubas interested in speaking with Chicago Steel head coach Greg Moore for the vacant Marlies job? Hardy, the Steel general manager, thought Moore was ready to make the jump.



“I knew what Kyle was about,” Hardy told The Athletic, “and it’s very much what we’re about.”



Moore, 35, was in his second season coaching the USHL’s Steel. He had worked as an assistant coach for the USNTDP Juniors and also twice served as an assistant coach for USA Hockey’s U-17 squad.



In Moore’s only full season as head coach of the Steel, the team won the USHL Eastern Conference title. Overall, he had a 52-25-5 record as Steel head coach.



Despite not having the most extensive coaching resume, it was Moore’s patient, thoughtful approach to player development and a similar...