Kraken Take Physical Forward With 2nd Round Pick

BUFFALO, New York – Imposing Kraken second round draft pick Casey Mutryn has been building on his high-energy, relentless on-ice style from the time he was old enough to pick up a stick. 

He and his older brother, Teddy, didn’t have to look far when it came to learning the “right way” to play any sport and use them for life lessons. Their father, Scott, was a onetime quarterback who’d once shared Boston College pivot duties with eventual Seahawks great Matt Hasselback ahead of teaching his sons the need to compete and the harsh realities he’d faced in professional football training camps. 

“It was just growing up in a really athletically driven household,” said Mutryn, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound right wing who counted NHL power forwards Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Knies among his biggest influences two full seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. “Sports were a big part of our lives, playing multiple sports. I just always grew up being active in a lot of sports. Obviously, I found what I fell in love with.” 

Baseball was one of Mutryn’s multiple sports he most favored, playing shortstop and pitcher during spring hiatus from hockey. But he eventually focused full-time on hockey two years ago and captained Team USA at the recent U18 World Championships. His brother had been much the same way, maintaining a well-rounded sports career before homing in on hockey in his mid-teens and getting drafted in last year’s third round, 95th overall a year by the San Jose Sharks.   

The Kraken saw enough in Mutryn, who won’t turn 18 until next week, to make him their 38th overall selection at the Upper Deck NHL Draft the day after pulling off what some consider the opening round steal Friday in nabbing defenseman Chase Reid at No. 7. Reid in recent weeks had been considered by many prognosticators a potential Top 3 choice and the most talented available defender heading into the draft. 

The Kraken did not have a third-round pick, then used their fourth-round selection at No. 99 to take a Russian non-goalie for the first time in centerman Viktor Fedorov from that country’s VHL second level pro league. OHL defenseman Finn Kearns of the Sudbury Wolves was taken in the fifth round at No. 131, while that same round, USHL defender Hawke Huff from Mazama, Washington became the Kraken’s first ever pick from their home state at No. 148.

Swedish defenseman Ola Palme went in the sixth round at No. 166, while defender Rylan Singh from the OHL Guelph Storm and USHL forward William Tomko both went in the seventh round at Nos. 198 and 204, respectively.

As for Mutryn, his U18 world championship outings saw him notch an impressive five assists in five games while his play away from the puck opened even more eyes. The tournament further cemented his reputation as a straight-line attacker and physical threat who crashes and battles on every shift. 

“That’s just kind of the way I was taught to play the game,” Mutryn said. “Play the game the right way.” 

His former quarterback father, who had an NFL training camp stint with the New England Patriots in 1999 and then another in 2000 with the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe, was always there to ensure “the right way” was the only way for both brothers. 

“In our family, it’s always about competing,” said Mutryn’s father, who attended Saturday’s portion of the draft in-person. “You compete for everything. I’ve always told the kids that sports can teach you about life. There are going to be ups and downs, success and failure. How you handle failure is a big part of success. And you can’t truly succeed until you fail.” ​

Mutryn’s father threw for 2,933 combined yards in three Boston College seasons from 1996 to 1998 before ceding the starting role to Hasselbeck alone, though the pair remain close and live nearby to one another. After going undrafted, Mutryn’s dad competed for a job in Patriots camp with starter Drew Bledsoe, as well as John Friesz and Michael Bishop, but was waived in the preseason. 

The following spring, with the Amsterdam squad, he saw limited preseason action and was waived as well. From there, he embarked on a local media career doing sideline work at Boston College games and then got into financial services. 

“I probably didn’t handle the failures well,” Mutryn’s father said of football. “I was always looking to blame somebody else and always make an excuse. And I vowed when I had boys that I’d never let them feel sorry for themselves.” 

It’s a lesson both brothers gleaned from him at an early age. 

“You’ve got to pick yourself up,” his father said. “You can always be better, and you can't waste time sitting back and thinking, ‘What if?’ You’ve got to change the narrative.” 

The narrative on both became one of relentless work ethic. 

“For them it's just always get after it,” their father said. “Whether it's in the yard, whether it's neighborhood baseball that they play, they always wanted to win. And when they would cry, my wife would get upset, but I'm like, ‘No, I like that. They cry, because it means they want to win. They hate losing.' That's the one thing I can say about all these (NHL Draft) guys. Like my guys, especially Casey, he hates losing. Hates it more than anything in the world.” 

The brothers barely played any organized youth hockey together, then had only a small sampling alongside one another in high school. But this fall, they’ll get the chance to suit up as teammates with Boston College.  

“Playing at BC, I think that’s something where we’ve always grown up around it,” Mutryn said of his dad’s influence. “It’s been a dream of ours to play there so I’m pretty excited to get on campus.” 

Mutryn has never been to Seattle and knows almost nothing about it except that Kraken fans are very loud. 

“Just watching the games, the environment in the arena looks unreal and so I’m super excited to get out there,” he said.  

That he did hours after being drafted Saturday, boarding a flight along with first rounder Reid so both can attend next week’s Kraken Development Camp for team prospects. Times like these are where the local knowledge of his father’s pal Hasselbeck might come in handy. 

“They’re pretty close friends and I’ve met him a few times and he’s a great guy,” Mutryn said. “I guess I’ll have to ask him about Seattle now.” 

Mutryn ran into Kraken alternate captain Matty Beniers – who he called a “super nice guy” -- earlier this month at a local golf course near their respective Massachusetts hometowns.  

Beyond that, he’s pals with Kraken third round centerman pick Ben MacDonald, who was drafted in 2022 and just completed his third season playing for Harvard University. The pair have been working out together this summer and will reunite at next week’s development camp as well.  

“It’s pretty cool that we’ll be there at the same time,” he said. 

As to what Mutryn will start showing on the ice there, it likely won’t differ much from his play in the family backyard or at world tournaments. 

“I’m someone who competes all over the ice,” he said. “That’s something that, if you watch, you’ll see and you’ll notice right away. My teammates and coaches respect that about me. But at the same time, I think I still bring a lot of skill to the table and can bring that rare mix that not a lot of guys have.”