We’ve made it to the end of the line, folks! Over the last month and a half, we’ve worked our way through our very own ranking of the top-32 prospects in this draft, and today we’re rounding it out with our final profile, getting to known Casey Mutryn.
Another interesting wing prospect out of the NTDP, Mutryn isn’t a hugely flashy player, but his foundational size and fierceness in him game give him a higher floor than a number of the other prospects in and around this same range, and with the room for growth still ahead of him, makes him an interesting case to watch.
Pre-draft rankings
Ranked #31 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #34 by FloHockey (Chris Peters)
Ranked #40 by Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
Ranked #12 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Mutryn is something of a straightforward player, but that certainly isn’t a bad thing. He’s an interesting defense-first style of winger, and brings an immediate boost of size (coming in at 6’3 and 203 pounds already, just coming out of the NTDP) and forechecking strength. He delivers consistency in physicality, in energy, making himself a real nightmare to play against as he’s just constantly pressuring opponents to get pucks off of them. His approach to the game is, again, straightforward, as he’s generally looking to go North-South and jump into lanes to break up plays when needed, but on the flip side, get moving straight downhill when he has the puck. We want to make the distinction here that his approach isn’t outright simplistic, though, and he has a good enough read of the game to make a more difficult play under pressure if needed, but his sort of baseline of play is more of a meat and potatoes style. It isn’t always flashy, but it is effective, and, even more critically, projectable.
The offensive side of his game is still a bit raw, but he does bring some interesting flashes. He’s strong as a puck protector, and combining that with his smoothness and pace on his skates, he can be an effective force in transition. When he’s uniting all of these elements in his game to drive the net, he can look downright dangerous, but he just hasn’t brought it all together with a great amount of consistency. Still, the toolkit is there, and a promising amount of potential comes along with it.
In the realm of intangibles, Mutryn grades out quite well — he was the captain of this NTDP class, a nod to the leadership qualities innate to him that go along with his commitment to playing a hard game, and that’s something a lot of teams will place a premium on.
What’s not to like?
All in all, though, Mutryn is something of a project. While his play away from the puck is quite sound, his play with it leaves a bit to be desired. His passing game isn’t overly dynamic, and while he can play an effective power forward, net focused type of role, but that work is inconsistent, and if that all remains more or less the same for him, his ceiling as an offensive provider at the next levels is going to be quite limited.
It’s far from a sure thing, but the flashes that he brings are enough to leave you wondering just how much more offense can be coached out of him, especially as he’s taking the patient approach to his development — the word is that he’ll head to the QMJHL for a year, before jumping to the college level with Boston College to start the 2027 season. Pushing his ceiling is going to take some significant work, and a patient organization to undertake it, and while this might not be for everyone, it could end up being worth it.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
While the immediate thought is that Mutryn, as a wing, doesn’t really address the team’s biggest area of need (though, in fairness, perhaps a winger selection might not be as big of a stretch as it might immediately appear), there are some elements of his game that set him up as someone who might be intriguing to the Flyers. That is, his combination of mobility, size, and physicality, paired with the context of their preference for size in last year’s draft, does give Mutryn the feeling of being Just So Flyers.
His ceiling might not be the highest, and he wouldn’t tick the box of the high-end center that the team really needs, but he could be an addition in a clearly defined role. That is, Mutryn is someone that can be plugged in down in the bottom-6 to play a dependable, engaged, forechecking game in a defined role. We can argue that a fourth line with more purely skilled wingers can still work, but a more traditional coach will still favor a more traditional role player, and Mutryn is a player who fits that bill, but who still have some developmental runway to find a bit more offense in his game. And there’s value to that complete picture.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
There are a few pundits who are clearly big fan of Mutryn, and would have him going even as high as the teens, but the safer bet is that Mutryn will be an option for the Flyers later in the first round. It’s hard to imagine them being so bold as to take him with the 21st pick — that would all but certainly mean leaving some more talent on the table — but he could well be an interesting option for them if they opt to move back.
What scouts are saying
“Mutryn is one of my favorite American-born prospects this season. I like his physicality and work ethic and think that could allow him to be a decent third-liner. He’s smart, battles hard and has the ability to find chemistry with just about everyone. Although I don’t think his ceiling is that high, I feel confident Mutryn will be an NHLer. Most likely as a third- or fourth-liner who can grind it out and win most of his battles, but he’ll be a good one at that. He’s the type of guy every team wants come playoff time.”
– Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Mutryn is a hardworking, physical 6-foot-3 winger. He’s a good skater who can play at an NHL tempo and carry pucks up ice competently at the top level. His offensive game has developed more than expected. He has some puck skills and scoring touch. His pure playmaking won’t inspire, and he can play with his head down, but he sees the ice well enough and creates offense. His versatility, ability to provide secondary scoring, while also playing a hard-nosed style, checks all the boxes to play significant minutes as a pro.”
– Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Mutryn drops a bit after a somewhat underwhelming U18 tournament last month and some reflection with the video on him that I’ve pulled over the season. He’s still an undervalued asset in my books, with all the NHL upside in a power winger that you could want. He’s big, strong, attacks players head-on with good puck protection, is a fierce physical player and puts in good work in tough areas along the boards. I feel like he’s a player who is only scratching the surface of his game, as he can disappear for stretches, lose control of the puck at key areas, and shy away from attacking scoring areas a bit too often, but the fundamental package there is undeniable. He should be able to carve out a role down an NHL lineup as a nightmare for opponents to handle on the forecheck with punishing physical play, and speed to maximize his impact in that regard. It seems he’s going to be playing with his brother in Moncton for a year, and honestly I would be very curious as to how that goes. I imagine he will be a physically dominant player at that level who can brute-force his way into some good production. I’d love to have a Casey Mutryn in my system, and in this draft class there’s a level of comfort and certainty in his profile.”
– Will Scouch, scouching.ca
