Quentin Musty has been destined to be a top player ever since being selected with the top pick of the 2021 OHL Priority Selection and headed to the Sudbury Wolves after being known as just a solid, sizeable winger.
The team that selects Musty next Wednesday (because he should certainly not be left undrafted after the first round) is simply getting a jack of all trades, but a master of none. The draw for him is that he is just so damn projectable to make it into the NHL and be at least somewhat if an effective player at his lowest floor wouldn’t make fans eager with anticipation for him to make it on their favorite team’s roster, but just a slow nod of approval as they start to pencil him in to a 2025-26 lineup.
On the higher end of Musty’s potential, you have something that almost every single fan loves: A powerful, playmaking, punishing winger that can bend the game to his will on his best nights with the size to do it.
Pre-Draft Rankings
No. 12 by EliteProspects
No. 14 (North American skaters) by NHL Central Scouting
No. 26 by Bob McKenzie
No. 18 by Scott Wheeler/The Athletic
No. 36 by McKeen’s Hockey
Statistics
Musty just had exactly the kind of year you expect from someone with his toolset and pedigree. He led his Wolves team in assists and points per game, but did get sent to the penalty box a little too often. He just plays that style that might be on the edge for some, but he can still certainly score.
What’s to like?
We’ve already mentioned it enough, but there is a whole lot to like about Musty’s game. There’s nothing overwhelmingly elite about what he can do, but he is just about as solid as they come. With a player of his size and ability the typical reaction would be that they would be a bruising force that plays more of a north-south game in every aspect, but Musty is much more elusive and complex than that.
His vision combined with his passing ability creates a simply dangerous playmaker that can also win puck battles and punish defenders. Musty feels just built for a team that loves to run the cycle endlessly in the offensive zone and he will make a team pay for giving him an inch of ice.
One of the best parts is that Musty has the tools to really help every single team’s transition game and be able to exit and enter the appropriate zones. According to Mitch Brown’s tracking data for this draft class, Musty graded very well in at least one statistic in every category (shooting, passing, transition, defense, and miscellaneous) with only a couple shortcomings like offensive zone retrievals and his slot pass success rate. Just an overall good talent.
This is not so much about Musty’s on-ice game, but one thing to really like about him is how favorable his age is. He will still be just 17 years old when he is selected next week and was just a couple months away from having to be a part of the 2024 draft class. That is why he doesn’t have many junior seasons under his belt but is eligible for this year’s draft. Most draft analysts have discovered that sometimes with less development – like Musty has had – some prospects can slip in the picks and they turn out to be taken much lower than what they should have. Sometimes it’s hindsight, but for instance, top prospect Adam Fantilli was born a whole nine months before Musty, and therefore had a lot of extra development time compared to the younger winger. Just another thing to think about.
What’s not to like?
With players like Musty it’s hard to really pinpoint on what’s not to like. He does a whole lot very well and doesn’t really have that many holes to his game.
According to some scouts, earlier in the season Musty was seen being a little careless with the puck – but of course, as the season went on he became more purposeful with his passes and that attributed to his rise in the rankings. So maybe the thing to not like is simply the typical “be better defensively” when it comes to most prospects.
Those slight barriers are almost nothing considering he has the tools to overcome them.
How would he fit in the Flyers system?
Almost too perfectly, in my opinion. Cutter Gauthier feels like he is cut from the same cloth as Musty but focused on shooting instead of passing. Getting someone in the Flyers prospect pool with this toolset is almost a guarantee, so to have two highly skilled players that can eventually contribute to each other’s success might be special.
He would please just about every single Philadelphian with the way that he plays.
Can the Flyers actually get him?
It’s so tricky. At seventh overall it would be an insane reach considering the other talent there, but at 22nd overall he might already be taken by then. Musty might be the type of player that the Flyers want to trade up for, especially if it is only jumping up a spot or two, but it just all depends on how it pans out.
What scouts are saying
The top pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, Musty was one of the focal points of the Wolves offence this season and would have been their leader in shots on goal, assists and points were it not for a few weeks lost in January to a hand injury (following up on a strong showing at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup this summer). He’s a big, strong, sturdy, athletic, net-driven winger with slick puckhandling skill one-on-one and a balanced skater’s stride. He can unload from his hip into a heavy snapshot (which he was probably owed a few more goals off of this year) or drop and drive the net into a tuck play in tight. He’s also really comfortable passing from the perimeter and hitting seams in coverage, which gives his game added dimension. He’s great along the wall on the cycle, but he can also occasionally make a play that pulls you out of your seat. The raw potential is there in spades and the production caught up to it as his season progressed.– Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Musty has what it takes to be a power forward at the next level. The NHL tends to covet players with that profile, and we do, too. They’re not just fun to watch. They can take over games and playoff series. You want them in your lineup. For now, he’s more of a bruising playmaker. His vision is top-notch, and he’s equipped with the cunning and passing skill necessary to connect with layered feeds around skates and sticks. Give-and-go plays, a sophisticated delay game – he’s got it all. If his linemates are open, then he’ll find them. If they’re not, he has the intelligence to make them open. -EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Musty is a player with a lot of offensive touch in his game. He’s a highly-skilled puckhandler who can make difficult plays with the puck at a high rate. He tries to make things happen and shows a strong level of creativity. Musty is a good passer who can hit open lanes and has the patience to pull up and make plays. He can score goals and is a shot threat from range but is certainly a player with a pass-first mentality. His effort is fine, he can use his big body to win battles but his game-to-game consistency isn’t the best. He’s a one-way winger, which combined with his so-so skating ability, is a concern for higher levels. There may be times you want more from him, but I think he will score so much that he will be a top-six wing. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Another draft profile come and gone and two players being tied for No. 25 means we have to add two dudes to the poll. This time we’ll add London Knights blueliner Oliver Bonk and Tri-City Americans defenseman Lukas Dragicevic.
Bonk was an important player on a strong London team this year, which isn’t always the case for defencemen his age under the Hunter brothers with the Knights, and speaks to the maturity of his game. He’s a pro-built defenceman who plays a firm game, possesses good overall skill, has solid edgework and directional changes, and escapes pressure well. He influences the game through his effectiveness and the consistency of his habits. He just looks like he’s going to be a solid two-way pro defenceman, though I would contend he has a high floor and a relatively low ceiling. He projects as a No. 4/5 defenceman. – Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Dragicevic is very dangerous with the puck on his stick. He has good hands and better instincts and vision. He can run a power play like a pro. He shows the high-end IQ to let plays develop, hold pucks under pressure, and jump into attacks at the right time to go with a strong point shot. The question with Dragicevic will be without the puck. He’s an OK skater and competitor. I think he defends well enough in junior, but there will be questions on how he defends size and speed in the NHL. He’s not undersized and his offense is so good that I think he plays and scores in the NHL, but coaches may need to be careful in how they deploy him. – Corey Pronman, The Athletic
Who should be No. 27 on the 2023 BSH Community Draft Board?