After choosing defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson and forwards Sandis Vilmanis and Josh Davies at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito selected goaltender Tyler Muszelik in the sixth round (189th overall).
Muszelik, 18, appeared in 16 USHL games with the United States National Team Development Program in 2021-22 during his draft season, posting a 10-3-2 record, 3.71 GAA and .900 save percentage. Over 34 career USHL games with the USNTDP, Muszelik has registered a 15-13-4 record.
On the international stage, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound native of Long Valley, NJ represented the United States in two games at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, earning victories in both outings en route to a silver medal.
Muszelik is slated to join the University of New Hampshire Wildcats in the fall.
The scouting site Neutral Zone had Muszelik graded as a C+ prospect (low probability of playing NHL games, but has some NHL potential) and ranked at 211 in its final draft rankings, with the following assessment:
C me: He is a 6’2″ athletic goaltender with high-end anticipation and play reading abilities. While in the butterfly he has the flexibility to keep his hips high which allows him to pounce on rebounds. He had a 0.900 sv% against USHL competition and a 0.909 sv% at the U18 World Championships. He is going to the University of New Hampshire and will be counted on to play heavy minutes early in his college career.
C me not: His overall skating ability is average. He is still developing his explosive lateral movement.
U20: 2022 NHL Draft Eligible Goalie Report, December 2021: Last 5 game snapshot- Tyler is on a hot streak of 5 wins in a row for the always strong US NTDP U-18 team. He was very good in three recent international games against Sweden, Czechia, and Finland, only letting in 5 goals against in 3 games. The other two games were wins over the Adrian Bulldogs Division III where he was not great, but good enough to get his team the win. His skating abilities are average, but he makes up for it by using his size to his advantage and has great play-reading ability. Tyler does a good job of staying square to the puck and presenting his hands to the shooter to take away the top corners. He also keeps his hips up in his butterfly to be as big of a target as possible, which in turn allows him to be quick to get rebound chances. One thing Tyler struggles with is his ability to explode across the crease on lateral plays. His skating ability tends to get exposed on scrambles around the net and 2-on-1 situations that are passed across the midline of the ice.
This evaluation has been provided by Neutral Zone, the premier amateur hockey recruiting site. If you would like to read additional scouting reports on NHL Draft selections and see more historical scouting reports on the draftees, you can subscribe to their site here. You can use the promo code SBNation25 to get 25% off your purchase.
Here’s Muszelik making a fine save on a 2-on-0 break at development camp
alright fine, i’m a fan of the a7siii. and also this ridiculous save from Tyler Muszelik. pic.twitter.com/gKdepmrYZL
— matt kricheli photo (@mkricheliphoto) July 16, 2022