The San Jose Sharks find themselves in an interesting situation with one of their key prospects as it was reported by Jeff Marek that Quentin Musty hasn’t reported to the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
OHL News – San Jose Sharks 1st round pick Quentin Musty has requested a trade from the Sudbury Wolves. Musty has been at home in Hamburg, NY since last Tuesday awaiting a deal.
— Jeff Marek (@JeffMarek) October 7, 2024
The 19-year-old forward has spent the past three seasons in Sudbury but now wants a change of scenery to continue his junior hockey career. For the Sharks, it’s crucial that this gets figured out quickly as having a top prospect sitting at home instead of developing their skills is far from ideal.
Musty’s Time in Sudbury
During his time with the Wolves, Musty has proven himself to be a phenomenal talent at the OHL level. He debuted in Sudbury during the 2021-22 season, where he put up a respectable 31 points in 50 games. During the 2022-23 season, he took his game to a whole new level though with 26 goals and 78 points in 53 games which led to him being selected 26th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft by the Sharks.
As an 18-year-old, Musty continued to grow at an exponential rate. In the 2023-24 season, he scored 43 goals and recorded a total of 102 points in 53 games, maintaining a nearly two points-per-game pace.
As a team, the Wolves struggled in Musty’s first season, missing the playoffs entirely. In 2022-23, he was able to help lead them to a postseason berth but Sudbury would be swept by the Peterborough Petes in the first round of the OHL Playoffs. They’d have a little more success in 2023-24, defeating the Mississauga Steelheads 4-1 to advance to the second round. Unfortunately for the Wolves though, they’d be swept in the second round by the North Bay Battalion.
Although there has been some success for Musty with the Wolves, he likely believes he doesn’t have a road forward to the Memorial Cup with things as they currently stand. While having him get a long playoff run and potentially winning the Memorial Cup would undoubtedly help his development, sitting on the sidelines to start the OHL season is certainly less than ideal.
Moving Forward Quickly
While there is little that the Sharks can do to influence the current situation, general manager Mike Grier needs to hope that it resolves itself quickly. All things considered, it’s a bit surprising that Musty was assigned to Sudbury when this was lingering, especially considering he was sent back well before the Sharks had to set their opening night roster. However, there is always the possibility that Sharks management was completely unaware of this, which would be a much bigger problem.
The Wolves put out a statement of their own on Monday afternoon stating, “Our priority remains building and developing a strong and competitive team. If a deal arises that significantly improves our team, we will consider it. Until then, Quentin remains an important part of the Sudbury Wolves, and he is welcome to join the team at any time.”
While it’s certainly understandable that the Wolves would only make a move that benefits their team on the ice, having Musty on the sidelines neither benefits the team nor the player. As a result, the sooner they can complete a trade the better for all parties involved.
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Considering Musty was the OHL’s leader in points-per-game during the 2023-24 season, the Wolves shouldn’t have an issue finding a trade partner and getting him on another team. For the Sharks’ management team, they’re certainly hoping that this situation can be resolved quickly but ultimately everything lies with Sudbury to make something happen. If they don’t, the Sharks could explore some other options for Musty such as having him play professionally overseas, however, it’s possible he’d rather return to Sudbury than go that route. Ultimately, it’ll be a very interesting story to follow and see how he and the Wolves resolve this complex issue. While he hasn’t stated exactly why he doesn’t want to return to Sudbury, it’s certainly something that will leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans as well.
