EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- The San Jose Sharks brought plenty of star power to the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, but it was Quentin Musty who shined the brightest.
The 19-year-old forward, who was selected by San Jose with the No. 26 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 7-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks at Toyota Sports Performance Center on Sunday.
Then on Monday, Musty had two assists to help the Sharks rally for a 6-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche.
“I mean, it really started to click,” said Musty, who finished the 2024 Rookie Faceoff with seven points (three goals, four assists) in three games. “I want to have the puck and I want to be a player that controls the play. ... So, yeah, it’s a goal of mine to come in and try and be the best player on the ice every night.”
Defenseman Sam Dickinson, who was selected by the Sharks with the No. 11 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, has plenty of experience seeing Musty take over a game. Dickinson has played the past two seasons with London of the Ontario Hockey League, while Musty has played the past three seasons with Sudbury of the OHL.
Last season, Musty was tied for fourth in the OHL with 102 points (43 goals, 59 assists) in 53 games, including a five-point performance (three goals, two assists) in a 9-2 win against Dickinson and London on Nov. 24.
“He makes kind of passes and plays in the offensive zone that you don’t really think are there,” Dickinson said. “And then next thing you know he kind of zips a saucer pass across the ice right on the the guy’s tape, or that one goal he had [at the 2024 Rookie Faceoff on Sunday] where he kind of corrals a bit of a rolling puck and it’s just bar down. It’s just stuff like that where he knows exactly where to be all over the ice.”
Musty played the first two games of the 2024 Rookie Faceoff on a line with center Will Smith, who was selected by San Jose with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft. Smith, who had the secondary assist on Musty’s third goal against the Ducks, said he was impressed with how well the left wing uses his body at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds.
“Obviously, he’s legit,” said Smith, who did not play Monday. “Everything about his game. I mean, he can play that physical game, and obviously can put it in the back of the net, too. So, he’s really good.”
But Musty was just one of a number of prospects who participated for the Sharks in the 2024 Rookie Faceoff. That group notably included center Macklin Celebrini, who was selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft and scored a goal in his only game in the showcase, a 3-2 win against the Utah Hockey Club on Friday.
John McCarthy, who ran the bench for the 2024 Rookie Faceoff, said it's "an exciting time for the organization."
“Even after development camp, you see that there’s some really, really talented players in the system,” said McCarthy, who is the head coach of the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League. “It’s exciting ... and these guys should be excited too, you know, because there’s opportunity.”
