Adam Musil THW Close-Up
Date of Birth: March 26, 1997
Place of Birth: Ottawa, ON
Ht: 6’3” Wt: 209 lbs
Shoots: Right
Position: Center
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2015
Adam Musil is a player that really brings forth some of the best qualities of his family members. As the son of former NHLer Frank Musil, and the younger brother of Edmonton Oilers draft pick David Musil (and Bobby Holik’s nephew), he’s a effective player in all three zones of the ice.
Musil’s best strength is arguably his defensive acumen; he comes from a family of defenders, and it bleeds into his on-ice decision making. He’s adept at finding ways to keep attackers to the outside, he’s a smart player who picks up on schemes and finds openings to create turnovers, and he’s generally good at getting into lanes. He’s also fairly skilled at winning face-offs, at least at the WHL level.
He doesn’t have any huge gaps in his play, it’s just that he hasn’t developed them yet. He’s got a good shot, has good on-ice awareness, and is a good distributor of the puck when he wants to be. Unfortunately – or fortunately, depending on your perspective – he doesn’t take a ton of risks. He’s more likely to dump a puck into the offensive end rather than carry and create; it results in fewer offensive opportunities, but also fewer turnovers.
Musil is a very effective player, but not quite a great one, at the WHL level. He’s shown growth and potential, but needs to work on his game-to-game consistency and maybe open up a bit in terms of being more willing to take more chances.
Scout’s Honour:
“Musil is at his best when he has his legs moving. When he does he is hard to handle with his large powerful frame and willingness to utilize that size and his mobility on the forecheck. He might not have the dazzle or flash of a smaller more creative offensive player but he does have the drive and skills to be a contributor on the score sheet. Musil plays a complete 200-foot game and has many pro-type attributes.”
–Dan Stewart, Future Considerations
Statistics:
Bio/Interview(s)/Link(s):
International Tournaments:
Musil represented Canada at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, winning a gold medal.
ETA:
3 years
Risk-Reward Analysis:
Risk 1/5, Reward 3/5
NHL Potential:
Third line center, with potential as a penalty kill specialist.
Strengths:
- Good 200-foot game.
- Strong hockey IQ.
- Effective forechecker.
Flaws/Aspects He Needs To Work On:
- Decision-making really skewed towards defensive plays.
- Doesn’t shoot the puck nearly as much as he could.
- Game-to-game consistency needs work.
Fantasy Hockey Potential:
Offensive 7/10, Defensive 8.5/10
NHL Player(s) Comparison:
If he develops his offensive game a bit, Musil could turn into something like Craig Smith is at the NHL level. If not, he’s likely a bit further down on the depth charts.
When He’ll Go In June:
Musil could go anywhere between the second and fourth rounds.
Ryan Pike has covered the Calgary Flames and the NHL Draft extensively since 2010 as a Senior Writer for The Hockey Writers and Senior Contributing Editor of FlamesNation.ca. A member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, he lives in Calgary.
