Growing up, Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) was the top ’08 in Massachusetts.
At 16 years old, he’s one of the top '08s in the United States after a strong first season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, scoring 16 goals and tallying 32 points in 46 games at the U17 level. He also spent time with the U18 team.
The big question entering this season: Will he be a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft? In The Athletic's way-too-early mock draft, Mutryn went at No. 23 to the Los Angeles Kings.
We talked with Nick Fohr, head coach of the NTDP’s U17 team, to find out.
Hockey IQ
Fohr: “He’s a smart hockey player who reads the ice really well. I wasn’t sure what I was getting with him as a player. I see these kids typically in showcase-format situations where they’re on All-Star teams at a Select Festival where there’s not a lot of structure. The type of player Casey is is more of a power forward. I was pleasantly surprised at the frequency he was able to make those plays, and his hockey IQ is very, very good.”
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Shot
Fohr: “I like his shot. It’s not elite level, (not) Cole Eiserman-like. But he’s got a sneakiness to him, and he’s got a pretty good shot. He was able to score for us, but it wasn’t necessarily shot-based. He scored a lot for us because he was in the right spots. He was around the net. He was in tight and made some good plays in there.”
Skating
Fohr: “His skating is average. He’s a big kid, and he’s a little bit hunched over and technique and different things need some work, honestly. But his pace is OK. It’s not one of his top assets, but it’s something he knows he needs to work on, and we’ll continue to try to address here. He’s one of those guys that’s going to have to try to address that as well.”
Playmaking
Fohr: “He has the ability to make some plays. He’s got some really soft touch. I can think of a couple of plays in my head where we scored some goals off line rushes or where he got the puck in a tight space and had a window and made a play to a guy.”
Defensive game
Fohr: “I trust him in all situations. He played probably 50 percent wing and 50 percent center for us this year. He was back and forth, and I really liked what I saw. He just naturally put himself in the right spots, being able to close out plays, having a good stick, being physical to get plays to stop so we can get pucks back. All those types of assets that you have to be able to defend, he has them.”
READ MORE: Our first 2026 NHL Draft rankings
Player comparison
Fohr: “There are parts of his game that remind me of Brady Tkachuk from a perspective of his ability around the net and his willingness to go to those areas. Now, they’re very different types of players, obviously — Brady will very much get under your skin, while Casey doesn’t have quite as much of that. There are some similarities where I see them playing and where I see them on the ice. Casey’s a little bit stronger and doesn’t get knocked around quite as much (as Tkachuk did when he was at the NTDP).”
