Taken with the 2023 first-round pick the Sharks received from the New Jersey Devils in the Timo Meier trade, Quentin Musty has quickly turned into one of the most promising offensive players in the entire organization and one of the highest-scoring prospects in all of hockey.
A strong draft year, with 78 points in 53 games, was followed up by a breathtaking post-draft season on an excellent Sudbury team, with a gaudy statistical line of 49 goals and 102 points in 53 games. The points may have understated his dominance, as Musty was frequently the best player on the ice and could fairly claim to be the best player in the entire OHL (in fact, his 1.92 points per game was comfortably ahead of the next highest number, which was Easton Cowan’s at 1.78).
With all of that, there were high expectations on Musty to make the Sharks this year, particularly as he looked to have outgrown junior hockey at times during the last season. However, he struggled to adapt to the more competitive and physically imposing pace of the NHL and frequently looked overmatched against more mature opponents.
The concern for Musty is that he has very little to learn in juniors and could lapse into bad habits against immature competition, a concern that Warsofsky alluded to in discussing the decision to send him down. However, given that he is clearly unready for the NHL and yet too young to qualify for the AHL (as a July 2005 birthday, Musty barely met the cutoff for the 2023 draft and won’t be 20 by the time December rolls around), another season at Sudbury is perhaps the only realistic option available to both parties.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205 lbs.
Age: 19
Date of Birth: July 06, 2005
Draft Year: 2023 (26th overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Left
2024-25 Team: Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
What we like
Musty is pure dynamite in the offensive zone, with an excellent nose for the net, fantastic on-ice vision, and a gifted pair of soft hands that he uses to devastating effect when exploiting passing lanes, whether off the break or on a sustained period of possession. What’s striking about Musty is that he frequently has two or three plays he can pull out of his arsenal and execute for any given situation, which is a hallmark of great players.
It’s not an accident that he put up one of the best age-adjusted offensive seasons ever posted by a Sharks prospect — he is extremely gifted, and when paired with a 6’2” frame that he can use to great effect, it gives him all the tools needed to dominate.
Areas of Improvement
Musty’s two biggest areas of improvement are compete and consistency. He frequently disappears from physical battles and can go missing at times, which hurts his performance in games against better opposition, and he has no defensive game to really speak of.
This is a problem. Unless fixed, it means that Musty will never be able to cut it as a bottom-six winger and that he’ll basically need top-six minutes to thrive, which he is still a long way from earning at the NHL level. Coaches are (rightly) not inclined to trust a young player who floats in his own end so much, and until it’s rectified, it’ll pose some serious problems for his transition to the professional leagues.
He also takes some fairly pointless penalties; in fact, in his last two seasons, he’s taken 143 PIMs in 106 games. That was on display in the preseason as well, where he put the Sharks a man down on two separate occasions against the Ducks, leading to Anaheim’s go-ahead goal in the process. At some point, this begins to meaningfully diminish a player’s offensive impact, because the amount of time you force your team to play a man down significantly neutralizes many of the positives when you’re actually on the ice.
What’s Next for Musty?
Musty will be spending the 2024-25 season in the OHL, on a strong Sudbury Wolves team. There, he’ll have to clean up his game significantly and play with a more “NHL-esque” style that will prepare him more for his next shot with the Sharks and prevent him from reverting to shortcuts that might work in juniors, but would fail badly in the professional leagues.
It’s possible Musty could see some pro time after the OHL season finishes this year, but it’s more likely than not that fans will see him in teal next season. He is an incredibly promising prospect, but requires a bit more seasoning to truly be NHL-ready.
Highlight
This is a clip that best shows Musty’s offensive instincts. On a fast break, he stops on a dime, feeds James Hagens with an inch-perfect pass, and waits for the pass back before unleashing a lethal shot from close range.
Top 25 Under 25 so far
6. Sam Dickinson
7. Shakir Mukhamadullin
8. Filip Bystedt
9. Thomas Bordeleau
10. Henry Thrun
11. Kasper Halttunen
12. Igor Chernyshov
13. Luca Cagnoni
14. Danil Gushchin
15. Leo Sahlin Wallenius
16. Collin Graf
17. Jack Thompson
18. Ethan Cardwell
19. Cameron Lund
20. Eric Pohlkamp
21. Ty Dellandrea
22. Mattias Havelid
23. Jake Furlong
24. Georgi Romanov
25. Tristen Robins
Honorable Mention: Brandon Svoboda, Gannon Laroque, Brandon Coe, Carson Wetsch and Valtteri Pulli
