Quentin Musty’s selection first overall to the Sudbury Wolves in the Ontario Hockey League’s draft was another banner day for the Buffalo Jr. Sabres.
On Friday night, Musty, an ultra-skilled 15-year-old forward from Hamburg, officially became the first U.S.-born player to go No. 1 at the annual event since Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakub Chychrun in 2014. Other NHL players previously drafted first into the world’s top junior league: Connor McDavid, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and Ryan O’Reilly.
The Jr. Sabres weren’t done there.
The LECOM Harborcenter-based program had five other players drafted: center Dylan McFadden (Ontario) went in the fifth round to the Kitchener Rangers; forward Ryan Smith (North Tonawanda) to the Ottawa 67’s in Round 7; Gavin McCarthy (Clarence), a right-shot defenseman, was selected by the Windsor Spitfires in the eighth round; goalie Cooper Rautenstrauch (West Seneca) had his name called by the Flint Firebirds in the 10th round; and right-shot defenseman Charlie Kinsman (West Seneca) is also going to Flint after he was selected in Round 13.
People are also reading…
Their latest accomplishment arrived during a week in which Buffalo Jr. Sabres alumni Luke Pavicich (Clarence Center), Chase Clark (Williamsville) and Jacob Napier (Lancaster) were included in NHL Central Scouting Bureau's final prospect rankings ahead of the 2021 draft.
The Jr. Sabres had five former players selected in the 2020 NHL draft in October: forward Luke Tuch (Montreal Canadiens, second round), forward Trevor Kuntar (Boston Bruins, third round), forward Colby Ambrosio (Colorado Avalanche, fourth round), Matteo Costantini (Buffalo Sabres, fifth round) and Declan McDonnell (Tampa Bay Lightning, seventh round).
Defenseman Case McCarthy, a Clarence native now at Boston University, went in the fourth round to the New Jersey Devils in 2019.
