Quentin Musty

June 2023 – Musty has been selected 26th overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2023 NHL Draft. Curtis Rines

April 2023 – Quentin Musty has been a fascinating player to follow over the course of the season. At its start, he was an extremely toolsy but tremendously inconsistent and inefficient player, especially in his decision-making. The tools have only gotten better, and his consistency, efficiency, and decision-making have all come a very long way. He remains a bit of a lacklustre defensive player, but that has never been where he’s most valuable. Musty is a fluid skater – clearly above-average – and pairs this mobility with borderline elite handling and passing, as well as a violent release, especially in his wrist shot. His pass selection may have been the biggest area of improvement this season and it has enabled him to unlock a really impressive playmaking game. He regularly feeds passes to dangerous areas through multiple defensive layers, and more often than not, they’re on the tape of his teammate. He will need to focus on continuing to develop his decision-making with the puck and more consistently use his teammates, and working on his slap shot mechanics would make him a more dangerous dual threat on the power play, but those are small critiques compared to our early-season writeups. Musty’s upside is astronomical, and it has looked increasingly plausible that he’ll be able to hit it as the season has progressed. Sebastian High

October 2022 – Quentin Musty is a frustrating, albeit intriguing, player to watch. The high-end toolkit and the skill are both obvious but are marred by a consistent lack of hockey sense, engagement, and planning. His shot, for instance, is excellent. His wrister is powerful and accurate, but he doesn’t get into positions to use it consistently. He struggles to find soft ice and rarely drives the middle lane or the net despite his physical advantage, both in terms of size and skating ability. He is strong, but a high center of gravity prevents him from winning many puck battles, and he will need to be far less upright far more often to make better use of his size. His skating is mechanically sound and his edgework is strong. His hands are excellent – borderline elite – but without the planning necessary to translate that skill to the professional game, his improvised dangles won’t get him very far. Playmaking is not a strength of his, and he certainly projects more as a goalscorer at the next level. Defensively, he rarely picks up his assignment and typically floats around in the high slot watching the puck. A lot of these qualms would be addressed if he gained the habit of consistently scanning his surroundings, which he doesn’t yet do. It would allow him to see open teammates waiting for his pass, it would allow him to find his defensive assignment, it would allow him to find soft ice in the offensive zone, and it would allow him to realize when he is about to be pressured by opponents, rather than skating straight into them. The upside is real, and it is high, but it will be a bumpy and long road for Musty to get there. Sebastian High