Quentin Musty vs Windsor 11/15/2024

It's been a weird season for Quentin Musty. After getting sent back from San Jose Sharks training camp, he sat out a month seeking an OHL trade from the Sudbury Wolves.

After finally reporting, Musty had a bit of a slow start, which is to be expected for a player who had not played hockey for a month. Now, Musty is back to doing Quentin Musty things.

Here are three observations from his game against the Windsor Spitfire.

Quentin Musty Is Inevitable

Musty had 6 points (2 goals and 4 assists), and it felt like there could have been more. He had 12 shots on goal, but it didn't feel like he was pushing for offense. His shots were good quality shots that made sense; he had opportunities to take them, and he did. The Wolves offense centered on Musty shooting the puck, and most of his assists were created by shooting for the rebound.

Musty shoots the puck to the right, where he knows his team has numbers and they can jump on the rebound.

It's the same thing here; he gets a quality backhand on the net, knowing his teammates are driving to the net, and they can finish it off.

While Musty doesn't score here, look at how everyone scrambles once he gets the puck and has time and space. It's amazing.

His Transitions Are A Thing Of Beauty

Quentin Musty streaking in the neutral zone is like a cheetah running down its prey. He accelerates and by the time anyone can do anything about it, it's too late for them.

This clip probably should be labeled as NSFW because it's exactly what you think of when you think of Musty. He gets the puck in his own zone, realizes he has time and space, proceeds to carve up the defense, and then picks a corner.

No one in red had a chance.

While not a complete transition, Musty enters the zone and creates offense for a shift. He shoots to the far side, knowing his teammates are crashing the net. Then, he gets his own rebound and creates another chance of a wrap-around. Another example of combining power and creativity from Musty.

Need To See More In The Defensive Zone

Musty still needs to be more engaged in the defensive zone. He tends to stay very high in the defensive zone. This is great when it works out:

However, these opportunities will not be as widely available when he moves on to the AHL and NHL. Musty's game off the puck still needs to improve, and being more engaged defensively would be a good start. Unfortunately, this might be an issue that doesn't get resolved with Sudbury, and why Musty will need some seasoning with the San Jose Barracuda next season.

Overall, an excellent game from Quentin Musty, who showed off why he is such an exciting prospect for the Sharks and the skills that make it easy to envision him playing with Will Smith.