Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day our LWOS Prospects Writers will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2023 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow Ben Kerr, Kyle Pereira and Frederik Frandson on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Hockey Prospects is your new headquarters for everything “NHL Draft”! Today we bring you our Quentin Musty Scouting Report.
Quentin Musty was the first overall pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection Draft. He joined the Sudbury Wolves, where he scored 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 50 games as a rookie. It was enough to see Musty named to the OHL second all-rookie team.
He followed that up with an even better draft season. The year started slowly as Musty had just 10 points and the Wolves just three wins in the first 11 games. The on-ice struggles led to the Wolves firing coach Craig Duncanson, replacing him with Derek MacKenzie. Musty found his game and finished the year with 26 goals and 52 assists for 78 points in 53 games. He also added a goal and four points in four playoff games. Unfortunately, the Wolves were swept in the first round by the eventual OHL Champions, the Peterborough Petes.
A native of Hamburg, New York, Musty represented his country at the 2022 Hlinka/Gretzky cup. He put up on goal and four assists for five points in the four-game tournament. Musty grew up playing in the Buffalo Jr. Sabres program in Western New York. He went to the world famous Quebec Pee-wee Tournament in 2018.
Quentin Musty Scouting Report
Left Wing — shoots Left
Born July 6th, 2005 — Hamburg, New York
Height 6’2″ — Weight 200 lbs [188 cm / 91 kg]
Skating
Musty’s skating is a bit of a work in progress. He has good top-end speed, however, a poor first few steps and a stride that needs some work means it takes him a long time to reach that speed. Hockey is a game with plenty of stops and starts, and the lack of acceleration really hurts Musty. He could also stand to work on his edgework and agility. He loses speed in his turns and could stand to work on his crossovers. Musty also needs to improve his lateral movement. He has excellent size and strength for his age though. This should only improve as he matures. At the junior level, it is hard to knock Musty off the puck. He also wins battles on the boards. Musty is able to establish his position in front of the net and score from dirty areas of the ice.
Offensive Game
Musty is a pure goal scorer. He has an excellent shot and a deceptive release. While his wrist shot is his best asset, he is also good with his snapshot, slap shot, and one-timer. While Musty can score from the faceoff circles, he does his best work down low. With his size, he is able to play a power game, establishing position and making plays between the hash marks. His size and power allow him to establish his position and dominate in the dirty areas of the ice. Musty also has the soft hands to finish in close. He can deke a goalie and elevate the puck quickly. He also can score on tip-ins, rebounds, and one-timing a pass from a teammate. Musty is smart without the puck, getting to open ice and finding a pass from a teammate.
Musty is also a very good playmaker. He gets in quickly on the forecheck, forcing opponents to move the puck more quickly than they would like to. He also wins his share of battles on the boards. Once he gets the puck, Musty can open a passing lane with a quick dangle of his stick. He shows good vision and makes smart passes to teammates. Musty works hard to retrieve loose pucks and keep the puck in the offensive zone. His balance and puck control down low also help him to cycle the puck and extend offensive zone possession.
Defensive Game
Musty’s defensive game is a bit of a work in progress, though it did improve as the season went on. One of the big issues is that he can be inconsistent in his effort level without the puck. Musty can sometimes get caught watching the puck and be pulled towards it, losing his man in the defensive end. He also could stand to work just as hard on the backcheck and defending down low as he does in the offensive end. This is an area where one can see his improvement, though there is still room to grow.
Projection and Comparison
Musty has the size and skill that teams are looking for in their top six. When this natural talent is combined with his willingness to play in the dirty areas of the ice, he projects as a potential top-six power winger. Musty is a bit of a project though, as he needs at least a couple more years of junior hockey and perhaps a year in the AHL. He should continue to work on his skating, and getting him a high-end NHL-level skating coach would really help him take his game to the next level. He also needs to be a bit more consistent in his own end. Musty’s game is reminiscent of Alex Killorn, but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.
Highlights
The following is a compilation of some of the highlight packages and features of Quentin Musty that are available on youtube and Twitter.
I'm going to go ahead and say it: Quentin Musty has a pretty decent shot pic.twitter.com/TNhUhc3BC2
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) August 1, 2022
Lots of discussion about how Derek MacKenzie has brought out the best in Quentin Musty, but how about Matthew Mania? Has eight points in December already and really seems to be gaining confidence. Still have some questions about vision/decision making, but skill is undeniable. pic.twitter.com/924cO7Z6rx
— Brock Otten (@BrockOtten) December 18, 2022
Check back later for our next NHL Draft article.
Main Photo: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
