2026 NHL Draft Eligible
Position: RW, Shoots: R
H/W: 6’3”, 206lbs
Date of Birth: 2008-07-05
The captain of the U.S. NDTP’s U18 team this season, Mutryn is a player projected to be a playoff warrior at higher levels; he plays a hard and consistent game and thrives in tighter spaces. For that reason, there is considerable interest from NHL teams in Mutryn as a possible first round selection…even if we (at McKeen’s) have him ranked 55th. The son of former New England Patriots quarterback Scott Mutryn, and brother of San Jose Sharks third rounder Teddy, Casey is slated to attend Boston College next season (along with Teddy) and should make an immediate impact in the team’s middle six.
Realistically, that is the kind of role Mutryn is expected to fill at the NHL level too. He’s a physical, straight line attacker whose pace of play and skating ability improved over the course of the season. He can make plays coming off the wall and he gets to the net. He creates space for other more skilled and creative linemates, but has enough skill and finishes well enough near the crease to be that high end support player or complementary piece. Most importantly, he’s an extremely intelligent playmaker to help him capitalize on the turnovers he creates. He had a strong showing at the U18’s to conclude the year and teams are going to love his potential versatility and leadership capabilities.
Of course, his game is not without limitations. We obviously feel that way after ranking him in the second round…lower than some of our contemporaries. This is also lower than we anticipate he is selected in the NHL Draft. While his skating has improved, his attack patterns are fairly predictable because he lacks agility and the ability to quickly change direction. Greater focus on improving his small area skill and the release on his shot would also help. Otherwise, Mutryn runs the risk of being more of a rough and tumble bottom six, depth option similar to guys like Tanner Jeannot or Dakota Joshua. Still valuable, but not outstanding use of a first round selection.
Skating
Over the course of the year, Mutryn’s skating and pace of play improved considerably. It started the year as a clear weakness. A wider, choppy stride limited his explosiveness and ability to create separation attacking North/South. It also limited his effectiveness as a forechecker as he seemed to arrive too late to truly force turnovers or impact the play positively…even if the effort was there. As such, Mutryn didn’t really show an ability to drive play, rather simply supported it by outworking defenders to win pucks in the corners or at the net front.
By the time the IIHF U18’s arrived, Mutryn had shown considerable growth with his skating. He had worked to elongate his stride, helping him create more power. His first step, in particular, seemed to really gain strength, allowing him to incorporate changes of pace and stutters into his attacking patterns. Being able to generate power off his outside edges was a game changer for him as it allowed him to find success driving the net.
Where Mutryn still needs growth is in his ability to work East/West. He can struggle to maintain balance when trying to hold his edges and he doesn’t have much ability to work linearly with pushes back to the middle. He can quickly pivot to help him maintain possession along the wall, but adding that ability to quickly change direction would help him be a more consistent play creator.
From early this season. Mutryn just isn’t generating much power in his strides and as such, he’s kept to the perimeter. However, he uses a quick change of pace to shed the defender and makes a nice pass to the slot.
Also from earlier this season. Again, little power in the strides means that Mutryn is easily neutralized.
Another clip from earlier this season shows Mutryn with a wider, choppy stride that prevents him from building speed to attack as a forechecker.
Now from the end of the year. We see how Mutryn has elongated his stride and he’s generating more power in his pushes to help him create separation.
Much quicker to loose pucks on the forecheck as he forces the turnover.
Also from later in the year, Mutryn is able to gain the offensive zone, even after his teammate clogs his neutral zone route as he’s building speed. His pace of play greatly increased in the final few months.
He can be very explosive and difficult to contain in transition with his ability to quickly build speed off his edges.
While Mutryn is good at building speed off his edges, he can struggle to maintain balance when trying to use his edges to cut in at an angle. This can limit him to being primarily a straight line attacker.
GRADE: 52.5
Shot
Given the improvements made to Mutryn’s skating, his shot and shooting mechanics would have to be considered the weakest part of his game.
Mutryn gets looks. He’s such a smart player off the puck. He times cuts well. He finds soft spots. He’s just not very good at finishing off chances from outside of the blue paint.
He can have trouble finding his release and holds on to the puck too long. Or he misses the mark completely with his shots. His wrist shot lacks power and he relies purely on placement. The best bet for Mutryn would be to work on his one timer. He generates power, but he can heel or toe shots, whiffing or firing them wide. But improving this would greatly improve his offensive outlook because, as said, he does get many looks from the slot.
A collection of clips showing Mutryn’s current limitations as a shooter. He’s missing the mark, not corralling pucks cleanly, or taking too long to get shots off.
A quick little, well placed wrister beats the goalie blocker side.
Similarly well placed.
Mutryn buries one on the one timer from the slot. He gets so many of these looks, but finishes on so few. If he could improve his efficiency, he could be a real threat in the bumper spot on the powerplay with how he finds soft spots.
GRADE: 47.5
Skills
Mutryn does show advanced puck protection skill on net drives. He can put defenders on his back and he can fight through contact to funnel pucks to the slot or get shots on net. He generally handles passes well, even with pace, and improved his ability to play up tempo as the season went on. Mutryn is excellent as a net front presence with good hand eye coordination, showing an ability to redirect shots or finish off plays on both his forehand and backhand. He is also an extremely skilled passer. He consistently threads the needle and can one touch passes with accuracy and authority. It’s rare to find a power forward who can pass the way that Mutryn can.
However, Mutryn is not a very creative player; he can struggle to create time and space with his hands and he can struggle to make plays under heavy pressure. It’s a good thing that he’s such a quick thinker because he lacks the ability to beat defenders one on one on most instances. He has to keep things simple to be effective; chip and chase, quick cuts off the wall; one touch passes. However, one could argue that those skills are more critical for the success of power forwards, especially when you consider that Mutryn is expected to play a supporting offensive role alongside more creative playmakers. The one area that definitely needs to improve is Mutryn’s ability to maintain possession in the cycle. He can lose control of the puck and plays die on his stick. Given the role that he’s going to play, improvement there will be crucial.
Mutryn gets boxed in at the red line and loses the puck. He just doesn’t have the creativity or the hands to escape those kinds of situations.
Another turnover from trying to cut inside with a move.
And again.
But here it works as Mutryn makes a nice move to get to the net, finishing off the play in tight.
Mutryn isn’t able to corral this pass cleanly while simultaneously cutting to the net. There are current limitations to what his hands allow him to accomplish offensively.
Sometimes Mutryn also loses control trying to work the wall. This is going to be a crucial focal point of his development. He needs to own the wall as a pro.
Mutryn can excel as a straight line attacker thanks to his puck protection skill. A lot of moments like this in the second half of the year where he got a step on a defender and made a nice pass to the slot.
Another good example of this.
Mutryn gets the puck to settle down on him and he makes a nice move to finish on the backhand.
Mutryn is a very effective net front presence with his size and ability to keep plays alive through redirections or quick touches.
Showing off the hand eye coordination by batting this one in.
GRADE: 52.5
Smarts
For my money, Mutryn is one of the draft’s smartest wingers. He really grew on me over the course of the season thanks to in-season improvements and a strong finish to the year. Mutryn is detail oriented in all three zones and this makes him a very versatile player. He can find success in a variety of different roles. He’s strong on the forecheck and can operate effectively as the F1. He can work both the net front or the bumper position on the powerplay. He can kill penalties and has strong stick placement and anticipation in terms of clogging passing lanes. He makes quick decisions with the puck and has excellent scanning habits and anticipation as a passer; as mentioned this is rare for power forwards. Mutryn even played center at different times this year, not looking completely out of place. I wouldn’t project him there, but it’s something to monitor.
The only thing Mutryn needs to do at higher levels is simplify his game to tailor it around his strengths. He can be turnover prone when he attempts to attack defenders head on because he doesn’t have the agility or puck skill to prevent getting boxed in. He’s most effective when he plays in straight lines. Get pucks in deep. Gain possession and make plays coming off the wall. Outwork defenders to earn touches in the home plate area. He has the skill set and intelligence to be the perfect complementary offensive player.
Mutryn gets credited with the goal here and this play was all him. Lots to unpack here. The pass fake to get the defender to slide and the quick stop to open up space showcase his playmaking sense.
Mutryn displays his quick thinking and outstanding vision here with the quick touch slap pass to set up the goal.
Another quick touch pass on a perfectly executed two on one.
Mutryn sells a shot and then zips the pass across to set up the goal on the powerplay.
Unbelievable read and pass by Mutryn.
We used the end of this clip earlier to show skating limitations, but I wanted to expand the clip to show the strong defensive play made by Mutryn to kickstart that rush.
Mutryn cuts hard to the net from the wall and finishes off the redirect. He makes so many smart reads without the puck in the offensive zone.
If there is a criticism, it’s that Mutryn can be turnover prone in the offensive zone from trying to do too much given his skill or creativity limitations.
GRADE: 57.5
Physicality/Compete
What is most impressive about Mutryn’s physical game is that he’s intelligent with it. He’s not the draft’s heaviest hitter. But he is one of the draft’s most efficient physical players. He’s relentless in his pursuit of the puck and he will play through defenders to make a play on the puck or to earn possession. As his skating improved over the year, his effectiveness as a forechecker improved drastically. He consistently forces turnovers or disrupts clean exits.
Additionally, Mutryn has a clear identity on the ice and the understanding of how he wants to play. The turnovers he commits are from him trying to find a way to the net, but at least he’s trying to play through the middle. Mutryn consistently finds his way to the net and his effort off the puck is consistent. He is willing to take a hit to make a play and seems to thrive in matches where the physical intensity is high. NHL scouting staffs are going to see Mutryn as the kind of player who can thrive under pressure and in the playoffs.
Mutryn can be relentless in his pursuit of the puck in the offensive end. Takes a hit, dishes a hit. He just keeps digging.
Don’t get in Mutryn’s way.
Such an effective forechecker. Not just because he’s physically assertive, but because he has excellent vision to create chances off turnovers.
That’s how you set the tone for a game. Awesome opening shift as Mutryn chases and gets possession.
GRADE: 60
OFP: 53.625
A note on the 20-80 scale used above. We look at five attributes (skating, shooting, puck skills, hockey IQ and physicality) for skaters and six for goalies (athleticism/quickness, compete/temperament, vision/play reading, technique/style, rebound control and puck handling). Each individual attribute is graded along the 20-80 scales, which includes half-grades. The idea is that a projection of 50 in a given attribute meant that our observer believed that the player could get to roughly NHL average at that attribute at maturity.