Shore came up as a center at the University of Maine and tallied 43 points (14 goals, 29 assists) in 35 games his sophomore season, so he clearly has offensive ability. After jumping into the AHL, Shore was even better, tallying 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
He eventually bounced back from that rehab and made the NHL roster in 2016-17 -- playing all 82 games his rookie season and all 82 games last season. During that time, he did a lot of learning.
Last season, Shore tallied 32 points, but he also was a team-worst minus-30. He struggled at times with extra time on the ice (he was fifth among forwards at 15:26) and also with 1:50 a night on the power play.
That sent the wiry forward into the offseason with plenty of motivation. He worked hard to get stronger and faster and said the summer of hard work paid off.
"I do feel it when I'm out there," Shore said of his ability to use his additional strength. "I just feel like I can do more."
Shore has seen his time on ice drop more than a minute under Montgomery, and he has also been dropped down to the second power-play unit. But the move down the lineup seems to have increased his leadership role.
"He's just a smart hockey player. I like the way he possesses pucks, I like the way he has poise with the puck, and I think he's starting to get a lot of confidence," Montgomery said. "With that, he's skating harder and winning a lot more battles, and that's leading to more puck possession time and more scoring opportunities."