Casey Mutryn is already one of the best defensive forwards in the upcoming draft. The captain of the US National Team Development Program (USNTDP) sets the tone for the team with his skill in his own zone. With bone-crushing hits and great stick play causing turnovers, Mutryn is already a shutdown forward.
He has great speed and acceleration, which, combined with his size, makes him an ideal bowling ball down the middle. He’s constantly making major hits in the defensive zone, and his physicality makes him captain material.
He also shows great ability to carry the puck into key scoring areas. He’s a guy who looks to drive play rather than finish it, and unfortunately, he was let down by the inept NTDP offense this past season.
That’s partially why his production wasn’t super impressive, with just 16 points in 27 games. He also needs to polish his stick handling when attacking the net. It resulted in rough offensive-zone turnovers last season.
However, he has a great ability to feed a pass in the slot, which is pretty rare for this draft class. If he can refine his stick-handling, he has a great shot to be a much more valuable offensive player.
Still, Mutryn is already an NHL-ready defensive center. That gives him a really high floor, and his motor and never-quit attitude are exactly what you would want to set the tone in the locker room. There’s a higher ceiling he can reach, and a good coach can help him reach it.
It’s tough to project what he will be because he has untapped potential. Right now, Blake Coleman seems like a decent comparison for Mutryn. Coleman is a little smaller, but we could see Mutryn’s defensive abilities and hard-hitting, captain-like personality give him a career and reputation a lot like Coleman’s.
Mutryn could be a late first-rounder, but he’s more likely to head into the second round. Tankathon’s mock draft has him going No. 37 to the Chicago Blackhawks, but considering his rankings, he could slip into the middle part of the second round. I’d comfortably slot him in as an early second-rounder, though.
“Mutryn has shown flashes of really nice puckhandling and skill. His puck protection is certainly among the best in the draft. If he can find some more consistent offensive skill, he could be a very solid middle-six scorer, but he has a very safe floor as a bottom-six power forward with two-way value.” — Tony Ferrari, The Hockey News
“Unless he was defending in zone, or roaming in the slot for a scoring chance, the guy was just go, go, go. He’s such a high pace player for his size, my first reaction immediately went to Josh Anderson, but he seems to lean passer far more than shooter.” — Luke Sweeney, Dobber Prospects
Mutryn would be just a bottom-six center due to what he’s shown us on the offensive side so far. However, his defensive qualities and speed would play well in the middle-six of a team.
He has twitches to his game, such as his passing ability, that could give him more minutes on the second line. If he improves his offensive creativity, there’s a chance he becomes a legitimately good offensive winger, like Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals.
Risk/Reward Analysis
Risk: 3/5, Reward: 5/5
Fantasy Hockey Potential
Offense: 7/10, Defense: 8/10
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