San Jose Sharks prospect Quentin Musty shed some light on his request for a trade from the Sudbury Wolves earlier this season, saying this week that he wanted to have a better chance to win games in what will likely be his final year in the Ontario Hockey League.
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“I have no problem with this city,” Musty told the Sudbury Star in a story published Wednesday. “I came here as a 16-year-old kid, and they took me with the first-overall pick (in the OHL Priority Selection), and it has been nothing but great for my four years here.
“My biggest thing was just that I wanted a chance to win and as soon as I heard we were going to do that, I was more than happy to be a part of this group and, hopefully, to help lead this group.”
Musty, taken 26th overall by the Sharks at the 2023 NHL Draft, was returned to Sudbury on Sept. 30, midway through training camp in San Jose. Shortly afterward, Musty’s trade request became public.
Musty, 19, waited at his home in Hamburg, N.Y. for a trade, but no deal materialized. After missing 10 games in October — and with Sharks general manager Mike Grier losing patience with the impasse — Musty returned to Sudbury in late October and played his first game with the Wolves on Nov. 1.
Musty had 20 points in his first 11 games before he sustained a broken hand on Nov. 24 in a game against Oshawa. Musty’s first game back was Sunday, and he had two goals and three assists in the Wolves’ 10-6 win over Kingston.
The game was two days after the OHL trade deadline. But instead of dealing the 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward, Sudbury general manager Rob Papineau decided to keep Musty and add some pieces to the team for the second half of the season.
Sudbury added defenseman Henry Mews, a Calgary Flames draft pick, among other players, for the second-half. The Wolves entered this week in third place in the OHL’s Central Division with a 22-15-5-0 record.
“It’s fun this time of year,” Musty said. “… It’s exciting to add those pieces to our group. Rob gave us a chance to go out and do some damage, get some wins, and, hopefully, make a long run in the playoffs.
“That’s all I asked for, was a chance to win, and they gave us that chance. It has been great to be back. I missed a lot of time this year — for a couple of different reasons — and it’s just good to be playing hockey again.”
While Musty hopes he and the Wolves can make the postseason and enjoy a long playoff run, it’s possible that if Sudbury has an early exit, he could join the San Jose Barracuda and be a part of the AHL postseason. The Barracuda (20-11-1-2) entered this week in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a .632 points percentage.
Musty has never played a game in the AHL, but it could be the start of a lengthy pro career.
“It’s obviously good to have Quentin in your lineup,” Wolves coach Scott Barney told the Star. “If not the best, he’s one of the best players in this league, and for me, it wasn’t his points in the last game, but the way he worked 200 feet of the ice. When he works that way, he’s going to be a hard guy to play against.
“I think he’s excited about the moves we have made here and about the group we have here, and I think the sky’s the limit for Quentin. The talent is there and when you see that work ethic, it could be a long career ahead for him.”
In the meantime, Musty enjoys playing for Barney, and assistants Drake Berehowsky and Andrew Desjardins, a former Sharks forward.
“My goal, as well as everyone here, is to play in the National Hockey League, and they’re all about the details, about playing the right way, and it has been great to have them,” Musty said of the staff. “This is, hopefully, my last year in the league, and it has been great to have a coach like Scott and guys like Desi and Bear who have experience and have been here and have played in this league. They have been really good coaches for us.”
